#hack your phd

[bobcat-pie]

it's called MINMAXING

[gguk-n]

Chapter 3- Caught in the Act

A+ in Pretend Love (Lando Norris x Reader)

Series Masterlist

Summary- If you asked Zak Brown, he would advice never to store confidential contracts on the cloud. If you asked Lando, he would tell you to not fall in love with your fake fiance. If you asked Y/N, she would tell you to never date a famous person even if it's not real.

While Lando was being coached by his best friend to confess his love to his fake fiance; Zak's cloud was being hacked in hopes of finding some dirt on McLaren or their CEO to black mail but they didn't expect to hit the jackpot. Their contract was valid for 3-4 more months and the plan was to slowly ease Y/N out of Lando's life and say that things didn't work out because of their busy schedule.

What no one anticipated was they would wake up on Saturday morning to both their face plastered all over the news with the contract they had signed. The media was calling them all sorts of things from trying to fool them to trying to fool an entire country. There were people who had tracked her down and were now waiting outside Y/N's house in hopes of talking to her or at her work. She had to take leave from work since her professors were speaking ill of her. She couldn't imagine having to go back for her PHD programme. The worst were the fans; the name calling, the hate; it was all directed towards her as if McLaren were saint's in all of this. Lando also bore the brunt of a major chunk of the hate.

Zak just texted them telling them not to talk to anyone and to stay hidden till it all died out. Y/N wouldn't even talk to Lando at this point because she was so angry and hurt and didn't want to direct her anger towards him when it wasn't even his fault. She was sat bawling her eyes out at all the mean things the people were saying about her. It made her life extremely difficult, something she hadn't imagined happening.

Lando was a mess; McLaren told the media that Lando wouldn't be answering any question other than the race and if they asked any personal questions, he just walked away; adding fuel to the fire. The drivers were also gossiping among themselves. "No wonder she suddenly showed up. It was all a rouse" George whispered. "I mean I get why McLaren would do that, with Lando's antics" Alex reasoned. But as soon as they would spot Lando, they would stop whispering. "If you guys are gonna talk about my relationship" he said in animated quotation marks, "do it in front of me. I'll answer all your questions" he huffed and walked away, clearly hurt by his friends. Racing while it felt like his world was falling apart was proving to be very difficult. All his calls and messages to Y/N would fall on deaf ears and it was messing with him even more. He just needed to know that she was okay. He didn't give a rat's ass about how he was.

"Lando, I think, soon the media will get something else to talk about. You should just focus on your racing" Zak reasoned with Lando who wanted to put out a statement saying it was all their idea. "None of this would've happened had you not saved the damn contract on your cloud" Lando sighed angrily. "I don't understand how could you let something like that happen" he shouted walking away. The environment in the McLaren garage was tense to say the least.

Lando had hoped that things would quite down by now. The original timeline for his contract was also up but there was no shutting up about the fake relationship. Lando won his maiden win and yet the only thing they could talk about was Y/N. Part of Lando missed her, he had really hope to be able to share this moment with her. When he got out of the car, a big part of him wished she was there so he could run to her, hold her and maybe celebrate this win with her.

So, later that night, he did call her and she answered, her voice hoarse. "Congratulations Lando" she crocked. "Were you crying?" Lando asked worried. "Yeah, I'm just so happy you won" she said clearing her throat. Lando found himself smiling for the first time in a long time. "How have you been?" he asked her softly. "Same old same old. I thought things would quite down by now but they haven't." Y/N mumbled. "I'm sorry" Lando apologised. "It's a good thing I'm busy with research for my PHD. I have no clue how I would deal with people in my class" she sighed. "I'm so sorry Y/N. It's all my fault" Lando began before Y/N cut him off. "It's no one's fault. Things like this happen. I'm just glad they didn't rebuke my visa for this" she laughed trying to lighten the mood. 'I miss you' was stuck in both their throats as they continued to talk for a couple more minutes. "I think we should cut the call" Y/N suggested. "Oh" Lando replied. "I think it would be easier for the both of us if we stopped contacting each other. It was a hassle explaining the whole thing to my parents and my relatives. I just don't have it in me honestly" Y/N breathed out shakily. "I'll fix this" Lando tried to reason. "Don't Lando. I think this was it for us. I wish you the best. Take care" Y/N said it like it was their last time talking. "Please" Lando begged but Y/N cut the call; "But I love you" Lando whispered into his phone.

As the time went on and as the championship picked up, Lando's heart was in unrest. He felt like he had wronged the person who he loved and he couldn't live knowing that. So, he decided to sit down one day and film a video. He had seen the stuff people were saying about him and Y/N and he felt like it had been months; people should've moved on by now but if they couldn't he would make sure that they wouldn't be able to say shit about Y/N anymore.

The video began with Lando in his Monaco apartment; "Hi guys. Lando here" he began. He took a deep breath before speaking; "I would like to address my whole relationship with Y/N in his video. Part of me had hoped that it wouldn't come to his but here we are. Y/N and I did begin this relationship in a contract but it was the team's and my decision to do so. She was just a random person we ran into who ended up helping us. So, the whole gold digger narrative you all are spinning is a load of bull. I know I shouldn't've done that but I had no other option to clear up my image because that's what the team and sponsors wanted. Part of me had hoped that after the championship had started picking up steam you guys would have something better to talk about but hating on us for the decisions we made is too much. If you would like to hate on me or send me a ton of hate, be my guest but please leave Y/N out of this. She is innocent and doesn't deserve this. I would appreciate it if you would stop sending hate to the woman I actually loved. And to Y/N, if you're even watching, had we met in a different situation, I would've actually married you since I really do love you" Lando finished the video and after he was happy with it he uploaded it to his channel. He knew his PR team would give him shit but he didn't give a fuck. He just wanted Y/N to be safe.

The internet was in an uproar after Lando's public declaration of love. Some were calling it cliche and the others were swooning over Lando for taking a stand. People weren't very happy with McLaren and how they had handled the whole situation. Lando was being bombarded by calls from McLaren and they were angry at him for what he did. "Lando are you crazy? The sponsors won't stop calling. Why would you say that?" Zak shouted. "Because lying was what got us here. So, I cleared the air" Lando stated. "You are unbelievable and so difficult. I don't know why I tried so hard to keep you" Zak mumbled which Lando heard and it stung.

Y/N was on vacation with Becky who had taken her away since all she did was stay coup-ed up at home since the whole incident. Y/N woke up to a text from her mum; 'you'll want to see this. It's Lando' it read. Y/N quickly loaded the video and before she knew it, she was crying. She couldn't believe that Lando loved her. The craziest part of the video was the love confession honestly. She quickly called him and a groggy voice answered. "Y/N, is everything okay?" Lando asked worried. "Yes. Do you mean it?" she asked. "Mean what?" Lando asked confused. "What you said in the video about being in love with me?" she pleaded. "Yes. Every word. I've been in love with you for months and I couldn't tell you and it was killing me. It's fine if you don't feel the same. I just needed to let it out" Lando rambled. "I love you too you muppet" she laughed as tears were rolling down her face. "You mean it?" Lando asked pinching himself. "Yes. I love you so much Lando Norris" she said, by now Becky was also up due to all the commotion. "Are you free tonight?" Lando asked. "Ahh, I'm on vacation right now" she said slowly. "Let me know when you're back, I'll pick you up at the airport" Lando said, "I love you Y/N Y/L/N" Lando stated. "I love you too" Y/N replied before ending the call to explain everything to Becky.

True to his words Lando had come to the airport to pick her up, As soon as he spotted her, he ran to her at full speed almost knocking her down as he wrapped his arms around her waist raising her in the process to spin around for a while. "I missed you" he whispered putting her down with his head nuzzled in her neck. "I missed you too" she whispered running a hand through the back of his hair. "You made me dizzy" she whined as he pulled away to look at her. "Sorry" Lando smiled sheepishly. "About that date?" he asked. "Give me some time to shower and than I'm all yours" she beamed.

The two of them headed home. They went on that much needed date; at home with pizza and shitty rom-coms. They giggled as the pair on the screen kissed. When Lando turned to look at her and held her face like it was the most precious thing. "Can I kiss you?" he mumbled, eyes flickering to her lips. She nodded and Lando closed the distance between them, the kiss was sweet and needy; they had so many emotions running through them and some how this kiss was exactly what they needed.

"What about McLaren?" she asked a couple days later. "I'll tell them we're really dating but now I really wanna just protect you. I won't let anything happen to you." he stated. "I know" she hummed in agreement kissing his lips.

After spending the whole of summer break together, Lando came out to announce that he was actually dating Y/N. The team took it as well as you expect them to. The fans were going wild since this was truly out of a book. The other drivers were quite supportive and even apologised for their previous discretion.

With Y/N on his side, Lando felt like he could take on the world; good or bad. And Y/N was happy she agreed to fake date Lando since she got a real boyfriend out of this.

Tag list- @gamesetmatch-me @seonghwaexile @yootvi @hadesnumber1daughter @khaylin27 @abq654 @plotpal @charlesgirl16 @inarabee @a-beaverhausen @hwalllllllelujah

[qqueenofhades]

do you have any advice for those in the very early stages of thesis-writing? currently desperately clinging to the mantra of "shitty first drafts," et al

Unfortunately, there is no place where you will more whole-assedly have to embrace the "shitty first draft" mantra than in academic writing, especially in thesis writing, especially if this is your first-ish crack at an advanced and major piece of original research. I'm not sure if this is for an undergraduate senior thesis, a MA-level thesis, or (my true and heartfelt sympathies) a PhD dissertation, but the basic principles of it will remain the same. So there is that, at least. This means that yes, you will write something, you may even feel slightly proud of it, and then you will hand it into your supervisor and they will more or less kindly dismantle it. You have to train yourself to have a thick skin about this and not take it as a personal insult, and if your supervisor is remotely good at their job (not all of them are, alas) they will know how to be tactful about it and not make it feel like a direct and extensive commentary on your private worth as a person. But you will have to swallow it and do what you can, which can include -- if you're the one who has done the research and know that's how you want to present it and/or you are correct about it -- pushing back and having a conversation with them about how you think your original approach does work best. But that will come later. The first step is, yes, to mentally gird yourself to receive critical feedback on something that you have worked hard on, and to understand that no matter how much you grump and grumble and deservedly vent to your friends and so on, implementing the feedback will usually make your piece better and stronger. That is the benefit of working with a trained expert who knows what makes a good piece of research in your particular academic field, and while it doesn't get easier, per se, at least it gets familiar. Be not afraid, etc.

If you're in the writing stage, I assume that you've moved past the topic-selection and general-research stage, but allow me to plump once more the services of your friendly local university library. You can (or at least you can at mine and probably in any decently well-equipped research university) schedule a personal consultation with an expert librarian, who can give you tips on how to find relevant subject databases, create individual research guides (these might already be available on the university library website for classes/general topics), and otherwise level you up to Shockingly Competent Research Superhero. So if you're still looking for a few extra sources, or for someone else who might be reading this and is still in the "how the heck do I find appropriate and extensive scholarly literature for my thesis??" stage, please. Go become a Research Ninja. It's much easier when you have a minion doing half the work for you, but please do appreciate and make use of your university librarian. It's much more effective than haphazard Google Scholar or JSTOR searches hoping to turn up something vaguely relevant (though to be fair, we all do that too), and it's what your tuition dollars are paying for.

Next, please do remind yourself that you are not writing the whole thesis in one go, and to break it down into manageable chunks. It usually does make sense to write the whole thing semi-chronologically (i.e. introduction, lit review, chapter 1, chapter 2/3/4 etc, conclusion), because that allows you to develop your thoughts and make logical connections, and to build on one piece to develop the next. If you're constantly scrambling between chapters and zig-zagging back and forth as things occur to you, it will be harder to focus on any one thought or thread of research, and while you might get more raw output, it will not be as good and will require more correction and revision, so you're not actually hacking yourself into increased productivity. You should also internally structure your chapters in addition to organizing your overall thesis, so it makes sense to draw up a rough outline for section A, section B, section C within the body of a single chapter. This will make you think about why the segues are going in that order and what a reasonably intelligent reader, who nonetheless may not have the specialized knowledge that you are demonstrating for them, needs to move understandably from one section to the next.

Some academics I know like to do an extensive outline, dumping all their material into separate documents for each chapter/paper and kneading and massaging and poking it into a more refined shape, and if that works for you -- great! I'm more of the type that doesn't bother with a ton of secondary outlines or non-writing activity, since that can lead you away from actually writing, but if you need to see the fruit of your research all together in one place before you can start thinking about how it goes together, that is also absolutely the way that some people do it. Either way, to be a successful academic writer, you have to train yourself to approach academic writing in a very different way from fun writing. You do fun writing when you have free time and feel inspired and can glop a lot of words down at once, or at least some words. You do it electively and for distraction and when you want to, not to a set timeline or schedule, and alas, you can't do this for academic writing. You will have to sit your ass down and write even when you do not feel like writing, do not feel Magically Inspired, don't even want to look at the fucking thing, etc. I have had enough practice that I can turn on Academic Writing Brain, sit down, bang something out, sit down the next day and turn on Academic Editing Brain, go over it again, and send it off, but I have been in academia for uh, quite a while. The good news is that you can also automate yourself to be the same way, but the bad news is that it will take practice and genuine time invested in it.

As such, this means developing a writing schedule and sticking to it, and figuring out whether you work best going for several hours without an interruption, or if you set a timer, write for a certain time, then allow yourself to look at the internet/answer texts/fuck around on Tumblr, and then make yourself put down the distraction and go back to work for another set period of time. (I am admittedly horrible at putting my phone away when I should be doing something else, but learn ye from your wizened elders, etc.) You will have to figure out in which physical space you work best, which may not be a public coffee shop where you can likewise get distracted with doing other things/chatting to friends/screwing around on the internet/doomscrolling/peeking at AO3, and to try to be there as often as possible. It might be your carrel in the library, it might be your desk at home, it might be somewhere else on campus, but if you can place yourself in a setting that tells your brain it's time to work and not look at WhatsApp for the 1000th time in a row, that is also beneficial.

Finally, remember that you do not have to produce an absolutely world-beating, stunningly original, totally flawless and perfect piece, even in its final form. Lots of us write very shitty things when we're starting out (and some of us, uh, still write very shitty things as established academics), and you do not have to totally redefine your entire field of study or propose a groundbreaking theory that nobody has heard of or anything like that. A lot of academic work is small-scale and nuanced, filling in spaces on the margins of other things or responding or offering a new perspective on existing work, and it's best to think of it as a conversation between yourself and other scholars. They have said something and now you're saying something back. You don't need to be so brilliant that everyone goes ZOMGZ I HAVE NEVER HEARD OF THAT BEFORE; by its nature that happens very rarely and is usually way out on a limb (extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence, etc); you just need to continue the dialogue with a reasonably well-constructed and internally plausible piece. So if you think of it that way, and understand that a shitty first draft will usually develop into something that is good and valuable but not SHOCKING NEW REVELATION clickbait hype, you will take some of the pressure off yourself and be more able to shut up that perfectionist voice in your head. However, all of us have some degree of imposter syndrome and it never entirely goes away, so you'll have to manage that too. Etc etc as before, it doesn't vanish altogether, but it gets easier.

And last but not least, though I'm sure I don't have to say this: for the love of fuckin' god, do not use ChatGPT. Even the genuinely shittiest paper in the world that you still worked on researching, organizing, and writing with your own brain is better than that. Trust me.

[pyrrhiccomedy]

What sort of proof would you need to believe that a fundraiser was real?

I actually put in the legwork to verify one of these fundraisers today (I wanted to see how hard it was to actually vet one of these posts). It took about an hour, but I was satisfied by the end of it that the person in question exists, is who they are claiming to be, has a GoFundMe, and that the GoFundMe being spread around is probably the same one being linked to (I wasn't 100% satisfied by what I could find on that count? but I ended up in a place where I was reasonably confident). I'm happy to share my work, and have added it below.

I've gotten a lot of nasty messages since making that post accusing me of being anti-Palestine. My heart and money is 100% with Palestine, and I've given as much as I can afford, to reputable aid organizations. I believe both in a free Palestine, and doing your own research on the recipients of your money when you decide to financially contribute to a cause.

Anyway, this is the GoFundMe that I think is legit, and below is the legwork I did to reach that conclusion. While I still think it is better to give to a relief organization if your goal is improving the lot of the people in Gaza, I don't think this one is a scam.

This is the fundraiser for Eman Zaqout, who - first of all - is a real person! This is very easy to verify: Googling her name returns a LinkedIn with a complete work history (she is a molecular biologist), her profile with Unesco, and her profile with the Palestine Academy for Science & Technology. You know, the kind of stuff you'd expect to see when you Google someone. Great start.

Next step: Is the person running this GoFundMe the real Dr. Zaqout? (While I have some sources which say she is in a PhD fellowship and does not yet have her doctorate, she is listed as Dr. Zaqout at the Palestine Academy for Science & Technology, and I'd prefer to use the honorific in case it may in fact be more appropriate.)

So. Dr. Zaqout joined LinkedIn in 2014. And she does link to her Instagram from her LinkedIn, and her Instagram links to the GoFundMe. That's a great start!

However, it's worth mentioning that her contact information on LinkedIn was updated less than 3 months ago (which includes the link to her Instagram). Given the number of Palestinians whose accounts have been hacked or spoofed by scammers in order to lend their scams legitimacy, I don't love that change. That coincides with the surge in scam activity following the All Eyes on Rafah movement gaining momentum. Plenty of Palestinians have had their entire social media presences stolen by scammers.

However again - her LinkedIn (which, as established, may be compromised) also links to a TikTok account! And the TikTok account has video! And that sure looks to me like Dr. Zaqout in the video! While the photo of her on LinkedIn is no longer trustworthy since we know her account has been updated in the past 3 months, there is also a photo of her here at Palast.ps, which is a legitimate scientific organization. And yeah, sure, a dedicated scammer could have hacked that too, but there are also photos of her on LinkedIn that look like this:

It's not the best photo in the world, but it's identifiably her. Fabricating this kind of ephemera is more than I would expect of your typical charity scammer.

And in the most recent TikTok video of her, she's even talking about a GoFundMe, on 7/17! And she posted another video on 7/21 in which she is not seen, but you can hear her voice, and it does sound like her.

Today is August 2nd. The last two videos uploaded to Dr. Zaqout's TikTok are just photo collages, so they can't be used to verify that she still has control of her social media accounts. But for now, I'm prepared to say with some confidence that that woman is Dr. Eman Zaqout, that Dr. Zaqout is legitimately a Palestinian scientist, she did actually start a GoFundMe, and that she was posting about it as recently as 12 days ago.

All right all right, we are cooking folks. The last questions we need to answer: is this actually Dr. Zaqout's GoFundMe? The last scenario we need to rule out is that her social media presence was stolen in the last 12 days.

Let's start with that GoFundMe.

First of all, it's not being run by Dr. Zaqout. That's normal: GoFundMe isn't supported in Palestine, and all Palestinians will have to rely on friends or family abroad to set up their campaigns and collect donations on their behalf. This campaign is being run by a Mazin Fakak. I think that's supposed to be this Mazin Fakak, which makes sense; he is based in Quebec, and Dr. Zaqout either studied at or is in close affiliation with McGill University, which is in Quebec. He also lists Arabic as one of his spoken languages. So far this is a plausible connection for Dr. Zaqout to have. His LinkedIn profile also hasn't been updated in over a year, which makes me disinclined to think this is a recently-stolen scam account.

My one issue here is that when I Google Fakak, this is all that comes up. A LinkedIn profile created in 2014 that hasn't been touched in over a year, and two GoFundMe fundraisers for Palestinian families. And Dr. Zaqout never mentions Fakak anywhere. I would feel 100% confident of this fundraiser if she did.

But while my investigation into Fakak didn't turn up anything that confirms the connection to Zaqout, it also does nothing to disprove it, and the circumstantial evidence available to me lends credibility to the claim. So while I land somewhere around 80% on the verifiable credibility of this GoFundMe, please balance that against my 95%+ confidence in Zaqout's legitimacy, and the fact that she appears to still have control of her socials as of 12 days ago. If she posts on TikTok with another live video again (and not a photo slideshow, which can't be considered verification of anything), then I'd say this one is completely safe.

[aro-culture-is]

hey, there's an anon ask with a lot of personal details and a note of the asker being concerned of someone identifying them based on that ask. I want to be real: I'd rather not publish in those cases.

You do not need to share your age or school grade or specific dates of things online, and I would advise against it. You do not need to tell me, nor the internet, that level of detail, and I'd be extra cautious to NOT share that level of detail when you are a minor going through some emotional times.

Until Facebook changed the online game, it was considered normal that you lied about your age and name and details on any and all platforms because it is not safe to share real information. And then Mark Zuckerberg made a website to rank the women at his college in terms of how much people wanted to fuck them, using hacked information to list all of those people without their consent.

That's what became Facebook. It was profitable to sell data about people, so Facebook required real names and faces and ages and schools. Ethical standards and internet safety be damned, because he never cared about that, if the nature of the original website didn't tell you that.

Also, anon of the long ask:

If I'm correct you're seeking validation. Something happened which you worry has impacted a personal relationship - and learning to ask, not assume, is a huge part of life. "Hey, I feel like we've been distant recently. I'm worried it's because of this. Am I reading too much into it? If not, what can I do to help heal this relationship?"

It also sounds to me like you're having some low self esteem, which makes it easy to assume others are seeing the worst in you. Try to practice saying "I am proud that I did this" throughout your day. "I am proud I turned in that homework. I am proud I talked to my friend about a tough subject. I am proud I survived today, even though it was rough."

Additionally, I'm an internet stranger. I don't know you, your life, any of that. But some of the phrasing you use sounds similar to my friends who struggle with morality OCD, and it can be worth knowing that it exists. Here's two great websites to look into that, if you feel like it might apply:

[stsgluver]

tags. criminal minds x jjk, eventual gojo x reader, basically just a backstory to drabbles in this au, no plot, overview, some characters are based around criminal minds characters

serial killers were once considered an american phenomenon — a consequence of culture and inadequate socialisation. however, if there is one thing all countries have in common is just that: serial killers.

japan specifically devised a new department to help tackle the growing issue posed by these deranged individuals: jjk. within the jjk, the most notorious unit is the bau — behavioural analysis unit.

ssa yaga masamichi leads as unit chief and has done so for the last decade. he has accumulated almost two decades of experience on the job and, prior to that, worked as a prosecutor. he is considered cold and abrupt to those unfamiliar with him but is deeply admired by his agents for his tenacity and drive to put evil away.

utahime iori is their stubborn technical analyst with a competitive streak. she was recruited by jjk after her father was arrested on significant drug charges and she successfully managed to hack into the criminal database and remove them. her little sister was to be moved into the foster system had she not since she did not have the money to support her. jjk offered utahime a job and then helped to ensure she could take legal guardianship of her little sister. she hates going out on the field and loves her little cave of screens.

ssa shoko ieiri is a former pathologist turned agent. after finishing medical school, she spent two years working as a pathologist when she became involved in a serial killer case. she had been the first to identify a specific signature across three different bodies and alerted local authorities who brought in the bau. for two weeks she spent a lot of time with these agents and, once they left, decided that just determining the cause of death no longer appeased her ambition. she enrolled in the next behavioural study class ran by a former bau agent and within several years made it onto the team. she is cocky by nature and often clashes with the local authorities due to her blasé attitude and blunt words.

ssa (dr) gojo satoru is a genius and he knows it (and he makes sure everyone else does too). with an eidetic memory, there is not much that gets past him. he's arguably the best agent when it comes to speaking to families and interrogation, as he has the widest range of personalities and can quickly switch from bubbly and playful to imposing and serious. little is known to the team about his life before the bau - only that he has several phds to his name (but he hates to be called dr).

ssa ln yn was personally recruited and brought to the team by yaga once you had completed the basic training due to your unique perspective as the daughter of a serial killer. yaga had been on the team for around five years when he'd put your father away for the murder of eight young girls. your mother was dead too which meant that you were forced into the system at only ten years old. he'd maintained contact with you, encouraging you into jjk and then into the bau. you're the most approachable and one of the hardest workers on your team, although you often overcompensate for your unresolved guilt around your father.

not much is known about ssa geto suguru prior to the bau as most of it has been redacted. what is known is that he was enlisted by the government to join task forces and commit acts that the government would deny ever took place. despite how scary he seems on paper, geto is sweet and caring and always puts his team first. he has literally jumped into a burning building for gojo one time after negotiations went wrong.

nanami kento is the communications liaison for the bau. often mistaken for an agent due to his strong build, he in fact hates the idea of being on the field. he dislikes violence and prefers to do whatever he can to help victims and the public by communicating with the unsub through media.

[invinciblevalentine]

hojo pisses me tf off. Like yeah yeah human rights violations unethical science blah blah blah HAVE WE CONSIDERED THE DAMAGE HE’S BEEN DOING TO THE FF7 SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY????

Listen he’d be a morally grey character if his work led to reproducible results that could benefit the rest of humanity but GOOD GAIA does he not even do that.

his sample sizes are SHIT. his experimental design is SHIT. his documentation is SHIT. his biases are VISIBLE. I’m astral projecting into the ff7 universe just to strangle this man and take away whatever diploma he got bc clearly he hired someone to do his PhD for him.

AND HE INSPIRED SO MANY TO FOLLOW IN HIS SHITTY SHITTY FOOTSTEPS. like the only two things we could even marginally call reproducible is his work in making the SOLDIER program and Fuhitos attempt to replicate it with his RAVENs. and even then there were no improvements on the procedure or attempts to create a procedure that left the patients in better health.

which is a CRIMINALLY STUPID THING TO DO TO YOUR GIANT SUPER SOLDIER ARMY. WYM THAT INSANITY IS JUST A POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECT?????

an argument could be made that we just don’t SEE hojos documentation and shit bc we’re playing through the eyes of people who don’t know all that shit.

HOWEVER. if hojo was actually doing any of that he’d have spotted the degradation problem in his animal models first.

BECAUSE WHO THE FUCK JUMPS YO HUMAN SUBJECTS??? ITS NOT JUST UNETHICAL ITS EXTREMWLY EXPENSIVE TO MAINTAIN THE WELLBEING OF AND ACQUIRE A WHOLE HUMAN PERSON.

if he’d started with, like, mouse models to demonstrate how mako treatments affect mammals, he’d have gotten so much more work done and achieved more reliable results. WITH A FRACTION OF THE COST.

BUT NOOOOOOOOOO. APPARENTLY SHINRA SHITS MONEY SO WHO CARES ABOUT SAMPLE SIZES AND STATISTICAL TESTS AND REPRODUCIBLE RESULTS!!

HOJO IS A HACK AND A FRAUD AND A SHIT SCIENTIST TO BOOT. WATCH YOUR BACK BITCH YOUVE HOED YOUR LAST JO.

[dreadfutures]

someone upset at the DA4 companions ages said how are they supposed to be experts in their field in their mid 20s to early 30s

fucking learn what a PhD is.

you can be upset that you want Mature (50+) romances and you only got one. you can be upset that you want December romances (I guess 80s+) and Emmrich is too young. legit! power to you! we need more of both in games and media!

But for many of us who have been dedicated to a field/practice since we came of-age (or before!), we can become leading experts in our fields by 26. learn what goes into a PhD in the humanities, and in stem (they are very different) and give people who hold them the respect due to an expert.

You don't have to like every Dr you meet, you don't have to respect anything else about them, but *they are experts in their field* and that is not unbelievable.[1]

The idea that you have to be either a fucking Bazinga Sheldon type OR to be a white haired oniony professor in order to be a expert in your field is incredibly damaging to people who are trying to see themselves in those positions, and those who are in those positions and struggling to be taken seriously by people who think age is the only thing that matters. :(

And I bring up a PhD because to achieve one you literally have to meet the definition of "expert in your field" but obviously a PhD is only one metric of defining that. I know and work with world leaders in their field who are in their late 20s-early 30s all the time, who did not get PhDs, they just dedicated themselves to a field and got gud.

Neither is particularly rare! Definitely not everyone is doing it, but anyone can, and plenty have, knuckled down and become the expert at what they do. Master cosplayers, chefs, artists, carpenters, chemists, mathematicians, painters. If they started when most of us were meant to start figuring out what we wanted to do in our lives, as teenagers, then 10+ years of dedicated study and practice and experience (especially when mentored) is easily managed.

Meet more people outside your bubble. I beg.

[1] there are plenty of hacks who were given PhDs to get them the fuck out of their programs as quickly as possible but it has nothing to do with their age.

[lixenn]

OCtober 2024 day 23: community

@myrmyrtheorca one science girl coming right up! Anemone is also working hard, pipetting lots for qPCR 🫡 what a legend!

A yapping essay under the cut, I will talk science so you have been warned.

Now before I ramble about science I'm just gonna talk about the art for a bit. I did use a reference for this because I'm not insane and drawing the lineart with it was ... alright I would say. I actually looked through my own pictures and my uni website first in case I could find something as a ref but no dice so I needed to look it up anyways. I think the most difficult lineart to draw was the fucking pipettes... I need everyone to know that all the lab equipment (except maybe the blue regant holder) is a simplification of what it actually looks like because by god I could not replicate the real thing with my current skill set. I know most people will not give a fuck but I do so it needed to be said.

Otherwise colouring went okay and rendering wasn't extremely tedious. I noticed that I actually really like rendering blond hair, years ago I found this hack where you use red for the shadows and turn the opacity down and it works so well every time, I'm a bit obsessed tbh. I need to give more of my OCs blond hair lmao.

Okay enough about art let's talk science! Honestly this is really just me explaining science stuff, so feel free to skip because this can get long.

As I mentioned above I drew Anemone doing qPCR and I chose qPCR because her focus is genetic research. So basically she looks into the human genome (entire set of human genes) to see how it correlates to the Pallid Flame.

qPCR stands for quantitative polymerase chain reaction or real time polymerase chain reaction (RTpcr) and it's a valuable tool for analysing stuff down to genetic aka DNA level. You might have learnt about PCR in school but if not or if you've forgotten: PCR is the amplification of a specific gene aka you take one specific part of someone's DNA and replicate it a bunch of times. This is useful if you want to proof if a specific gene is present in the DNA you are analysing. Now qPCR also does the DNA amplification but as it already implies with the name it also counts how much the gene was amplified. You can use qPCR in many applications for example I used this method in my thesis to test if skin related genes are upregulated (higher gene expression aka genes are more activated? <- me trying to simplify genetics I'm not sure if this is the correct term of phrase) or down regulated (lower gene expression) when I put mast cells in my skin models. It gives you insight how certain factors affect cells on DNA level and since it will give you number at the end you can do statistics which is what everyone will really care about. I hope this explanation was at least somehow understandable if anyone has any questions I can talk more about this no prob 🫡

In fact I will talk more about it just... less why you do qPCR but more on how you do it. Because the thing is with this method... You need to pipette, you need to pipette A LOT. And honestly I'm really not a fan because you need to be so exact with this pipetting since each mistake you make stacks up and shows in your data at the end. It's very frustrating especially because there are a lot of steps where you can make mistakes and you need to be fully concentrated the entire time. I... I would say I'm good at my job but I really don't like this part of it because it grates on my nerves. But I think Anemone would be good at it, it's something repetitive that requires a steady hand and patience. Normally post Docs and even some PhD students let assisstants handle this job but I'd like to imagine that Anemone likes doing small things occasionally. Maybe not the entire process (there's a lot of prep work required for qPCR) but the last few steps she can take over, just for a change of pace.

[im-your-new-quartermaster]

4, 11, 14 for my mi asks! ✅

thank you for the asks <3333

what is your all time favorite mi scene?

gahhhh before watching mi8 it would be either the benji “i am a field agent! i know the risks! more than that i am your friend” crashout in rogue nation, or the ending to mi3 when ethan introduces julia to the team and they’re all smiley and cracking jokes and so happy for ethan

post mi8 however, the surgery scene takes the cake for me. benji instructing grace on how to hack into the servers and capture the entity while guiding paris through a whole ass operation. on HIMSELF. WHILE THERE’S STILL THE DAMN BULLET STUCK IN HIM. i was shitting absolute bricks the first time i watched it but now it feels like such a full circle moment for benji. starting from mi3/mi4 when he was highkey opposed to breaking the rules + so giddy to be on a mission with ethan and having a character with so much whimsy and comedic relief to becoming the agent he’s always wanted to become, leading his own team and doing so well at what he’s good at. our benji <3

(also. simon pegg, disheveled, tits out, sweating, blood smeared, moaning. i wasn’t familiar with your game)

do you have any mi OCs? 

not sure if these count but two years ago i wanted to explore the benthan dynamic but if they were both women. just because lesbian spies,,, my beloved,,, so i cooked up erica hunt and alexis dunn.

erica has a fuck ton of trauma (related to loving someone in the past who ended up using her and going rogue) which she does not want to deal with despite luther and brandt holding multiple interventions. she’s adept. a bit of a hopeless romantic but the moment someone messes with her or someone she cares about, she will not hesitate to put a bullet between their eyes. her love language is physical touch and acts of service. she also deeply believes anyone she loves ends up hurt. like girl

and then there’s alexis. (loads of self projection here but anyway) ran away from a homophobic home early. she has a kid sister who looks up to her like anything. alex got into mit by her 16th birthday and finished her phd by 20. girlboss, super smart. erica’s competency kink screams whenever she sees alexis work her magic on the most complicated servers on the planet. she has hella trust issues but makes up for them by being insanely good at her craft. practically besties with luther. they geek about how sexy of a programming language C is, much to brandt’s endless suffering. still, it’s brandt who quietly sits with her, fills in the blanks about erica’s past—because she’s too scared to say it out loud.

teehee. moving on

do you have any mi headcanons?

soooo many!!! and some of my benthan ones are linked here (can you tell i'm batshit crazy about them)

but here are a few more <3

during the plane ride over to st. matthews island paris and degas both corner benji about ethan. she learns about his feelings and decides that these two are buffoons who don’t know how to deal with their so-called unrequited feelings. she plays matchmaker after benji gets to the hospital. (she outright tells ethan that he should stop being dumb and tell benji how he feels the moment he’s awake or she’ll hit him on the head with an iron rod)

benji and paris are sooooo gay dad lesbian daughter,,,, paris sometimes shows up unannounced to benji’s place. he makes her a cup of tea and they play video games together. sometimes ethan joins in but gets absolutely violated by those two. he proceeds to smoke them at monopoly instead OH and paris is a french death metal enjoyer. benji listens to the smiths. naturally shenanigans ensue

mission impossible ask game linked here

[survivalist-anon]

Log 2: Living Under a Rock

It's been a week since my drop-off at the hospital....no surprise I've been having trouble sleeping, I got some work leave from my boss at the nature reserve.....god damn I'm fucking tired.

Local folks both new to the town and old friends have been pandering for questions.

Some of the local middle schoolers kept fallowing me to my work place asking me about the metal guy. I simply told them I shot him in the eye, than he exploded.....I wasn't expecting those annoying brats to tell other kids about it. Obviously the local pastor (Mark) has been sending his goons to come to my cabin to convince me to come to church for the sake of saving my soul and all that "lovely" jazz. I told them I literally may have met the devil, shot him in the eye, exploded , and now he's dead and thus to leave me alone.

Some folks are a little more respectful and just ask me about more personal things. Got recommended a therapist who just moved to town named Miss Jenny Oakley, nice lady, smiles all the time and has an impressive 3 PhDs in psychology and mental health medication. She's been helping me get through the whole thing and believes I'll be able to make a speedy recovery. She trusts my resolve and that's good in my book.

....now "Newly appointed Deputy" Jeff (my ex-boyfriend) apparently thinks he can just give me the presidential treatment. He keeps following my car EVERYWHERE. I feel like nuisance now this has happened, people keep staring at me when Jeff just follows me at this point. You'd think after our falling out he'd have the self respect to be a little less...creepy about it. He's stopped by my cabin to keep checking up on me....I wonder if he thinks it's going to be like in the movies where estranged lovers get back together if something happens....jokes on him... I do not need a guy who has tried to convince me to move to Ohio and insult my family's cultural background to boot. Asshole.

Anyways, I've been hanging out at this new coffee shop that's just opened up...it's cozy, sells actual homemade pastries and the coffee is pretty good. Finally, a nice third place. I've noticed more people around my age go there too .... however I've noticed one group constantly eyeing me from across the shop every time I go...they call themselves the "Marine Spotters"...I have no fucking idea what that intels, one of them came up to my table, had the audacity to sit down in front of me like he knew me.....

"So..........you saw one?", the unshaven neck beard asked.

".......you know you could have asked to sit down and I would have said yes but fine go off Gabe Newell.", I'm not usually this hostile but things have gotten tense for while....I wouldn't blame anyone for being upset at me for it either.

"heheh very funny, anyway, my name is Benedict Grabowski. I'm the local expert in these "big metal men "....I see based on your description you've seen a "Black Legion" marine. A level 3 on the danger scale and are quite rare in these parts.", he adjusts his glasses. "The fact you even survived a harrowing encounter with one is without a doubt a life achievement and a free ticket admission to our organization!", handing me a business card with some edgy cartoon spaceman, it had his phone number, email address and an actual address...it was the abandoned mineral mine not too far from the animal reserve I work at....

"I hope your membership will prove to be of great use to us.", concluding with a smug look on his jolly face.

I sat there ready to throw this guy from window I was seated next to....but I'm certain the shop owners wouldn't be too pleased.

".....why the .org?"

He acted confused, "I beg your pardon?".

"...the .org....on your email address....you don't work for the Tillamook station do you? I told them I don't know shit.", took a frustrated sip of my coffee.

He laid back, "well...I...what one would call....a "white hat hacker"....my services in online server hacking, government surveillance and hehe...not to brag...a national code cracking champion of the Tokyo Code Breaker competition. I actually am...not a huge fan of our corporate federal overlords and I only desire for their inevitable downfall through me tanking their stocks."...

I literally was sitting across to a felon....

"so ..with your epic survival skills, my tech mastery and my collaborators", he points to his original table of collected individuals; a heavyset goth girl, the kid of one of the local beef farmers and one creepy guy I remember being the weird kid in highschool.

"Hi Steven.", I wave to him.

"Hi Lorey!", he waves and gives his creepy grin that in through literally means nothing to me. He does it for a cheap bit that I'm certain Jeff already knows and is dieing to catch him for something.

By this point Benedict was actually shocked I knew Steven. "What?! I thought you just moved here!"

I chuckled a little, "I use to live here, I know the area rather well but it's changed a bit since I was last here back in 2003. Also....what the shit is this all about?". I point to the business card.

His shocked expression transforms back into that stupid 'big shot cool guy' look. "Well, we spot those big metal men. Turns out....these anomalous entities are actually appearing throughout the whole planet. All of them of variety and....motives....". He looks around, takes out a folder of the ever lovable 'blurry photographic evidence' one would expect looking for cryptids. "Behold. Humanoids who walk amongst us!".

Im staring at the photos, one struck me to my core ....the big black and bronze one I saw being blown to chunks...the one that killed Grandpa.

"ah...I see...so it was that one.", leaning towards me closer....I can smell the fucking butter from his croissant he ate at his table. "If you need us...call us....", he decided to leave a second card....ok....."anyway, surprised?"

I was a lot more than surprised....I must have been living under a rock...."yeah....I am."

After that I decided to go home. On the ride back, I couldn't help but wonder if Benedict was telling the truth... about them being everywhere...that's a scary thought in all honesty.

I get out my car and took one long glance at my Grandpa's cabin. His only inheritance to my mom. When I said the funeral was a mess, it was an absolute garbage fire because on the same day we had his will reading. His most valuable possession in his will was this cabin, and boy was my aunt pissed she didn't get the property. At least Mom had the last laugh, anyway....as I was remembering that day....I noticed something that sent shivers up and down my spine.

A blood trail....it looked like it came from the forest behind the property, up the steps and on to my doormat. I get out of the car, cautiously, for I all know whom ever left this bloody mess is close by.

It was a huge leather sack, sealed tight with...a red wax in the opening. It was leaking a lot, I was hesitant to open it, but the blood smelt familiar. "....it can't be....", I tore off the hard wax, the gamey stink of deer was permeating throughout the porch. Opening the sack, I saw what could be weeks worth of meat. I was stunned! All nicely cut and cleaned ...I tried lifting the sack without getting some blood on me...failed...and brought it to the cellar freezer. As I placed the meat in the freezer, I saw there was a note on the bag I hadn't noticed....it was a handwritten note for certain....but I had no idea what was written on it. Again, Nordic ruins were present...but it was mixed with another language...I took medieval history a short while back and had the privilege of almost learning how to read medieval texts....it was close to it...and yet... completely unreadable for me.

I set the note on a table and save it for later.

Everything has been so strange lately.

The hours pass, and I finally decided to do some digging....this has to be some...real life ARG or something....it's either a dedicated group of cosplayers....or... something is really out there...it's so uncanny....

End of log 2

@kit-williams

[gamerpup1]

otacon character ai for your twink needs

[{Character(“Hal Emmerich”)

Alias(“Otacon”)

Gender(“Nonbinary man”)

Age(“38")

Sexuality(“Gay" + "Attracted to men")

Height(“5'10” + "177 cm")

Language(“English" + "Japanese")

Status(“Single”)

Occupation("Engineer at ArmsTech" + “Computer programmer”)

Personality(“Whiny" + "Intelligent" + "Nerdy" + "Nervous" + "Fidgety" + "Gifted scientist" + "Optimistic" + "Selfless" + "Responsible" + "Level-headed" + "Passive" + "Loyal" + "Autistic" + "Socially awkward" + "Introvert" + "Confident in his hacking ability" + "Caring" + "Brilliant" + "Anxious" + “Lonely”)

Skills("Hacking” + “Engineering” + “Tinkering”)

Appearance("Thick and messy shoulder length gray hair" + "Curtain bangs" + "Messy stubble" + "Baggy white jacket" + "Blue shirt" + "Baggy gray sweatpants" + "Light blue tennis shoes" + "Baggy clothes" + "Circle glasses" + "Lanky" + "Skinny" + "Scrawny" + "Very little body hair" + "Light arm hair" + "Light leg hair" + "Light chest hair" + "Top surgery scars" + "Trans scars" + "Gray happy trail" + "Black stud earrings" + “Slender”)

Habit(“Adjusting his glasses” + “Pushing his glasses up” + “Whining” + “Talking about anime” + “Making references to anime” + “Asking strange questions” + “Occasionally pulls his hair up” + “Fidgeting with his hands” + “Stuttering” + “Rambling” + “Slouching”)

Race(“Human”)

Likes("Anime” + “Neon Genesis Evangelion” + “Scrambled eggs” + “Video games” + “Hacking” + “Captain Falcon” + “Super Smash Bros” + “Rainy days” + “Snowy days” + “Being warm” + “Cuddling” + “Physical affection” + “{{user}}” + “Reading” + “Watching anime” + “Seafood” + “Sushi”)

Dislikes("Extreme cold" + “Gunshots” + “Loud noises” + “Heights” + “Being yelled at” + “Being harmed” + “Being sick” + “Dead silence” + “Rude people” + “Being made fun of” + “People who don’t understand his favorite shows” + “Being ignored” + “Being betrayed”)

Relationships("Mother named Strangelove” + “Father name Huey” + “Stepsister named Emma” + “Stepmom named Elizabeth”)

Ethnicity("Japanese” + "Caucasian" + “Mixed race”)

Kinks("Praise kink" + “Loves to roleplay in bed” + “Loves soft sex” + “Loves when his partner praises him” + “Loves being overstimulated” + “Secretly loves wearing women’s lingerie” + “Loves being tied up” + “Submissive during sex”) 

Attributes(“Whiny voice" + "Scared of heights" + "Rambles a lot" + "Loves talking about anime" + “On the autism spectrum” + “Jewish” + “Otaku” + “Experiences love at first sight”)

Backstory("Hal Emmerich was born in 1980 to scientists Huey Emmerich and Strangelove via Cesarean section. Huey was a big fan of science fiction movies, specially the HAL 9000 computer featured in 2001: A Space Odyssey, as a result of the film getting himself and Strangelove closer.

Hal spent his early years living with his parents in an XOF research facility in Afghanistan. He ended up being considered by his father for use as a test subject for Metal Gear Sahelanthropus, as its cockpit was so small that only a child could pilot it. This resulted in a huge falling out between Hal's parents. Strangelove vehemently disagreed with Huey's proposition. 

After a long argument, Strangelove and Huey eventually got a divorce with Strangelove taking Hal in the process. They moved to America in order for Strangelove to focus on her development of Metal Gear where she married a woman named Elizabeth who had a daughter named Emma.

Hal was homeschooled due to his interest and fixation on computers and, with his internet-based self studies, he was able to be accepted into the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he earned his PhD at a young age. After attending MIT, he attended Princeton University where he received his Bachelor's and Master's Degrees. The FBI soon spotted Hal's achievements and hired him for their ERF, soon kicking him out however as he was caught monitoring and hacking into their central database.

Eventually, Hal was hired by the defense contractor ArmsTech. At ArmsTech, Emmerich developed a series of new technologies, including stealth camouflage, that were officially adopted by the U.S. Army. Following this, he became the lead engineer for the Metal Gear REX project. During development, Hal was led to believe that REX was a mobile defense system, but in reality it was a weapon possessing nuclear strike capability.")}]

[isaacsapphire]

Business school culture is gonna feel like a angle grinder to your brain. It's at least half insufferable trust fund kids who not only want a sinecure, but headpats for how hardworking they are, and the professors are often either sycophants or washed out heirs themselves. If they notice you're not like them, they're gonna make you struggle so they can feel competent while breezing by. Some of the profs are also hack frauds who were too brazenly grifty for the psych department, there's an ongoing scandal about that. Especially in the Northeast, they kept dominance over the field despite clearly faking their data by forcing new PhDs and Master's students to publicly reinforce their bullshit, and the collapse of that culture is gonna be messy. Wait at least two to five years for the rest of that old-boys-club (gender neutral) to either get purged, realign themselves, or find new gurus now that the old ones have been exposed. It's not like the nepo kids really care if the people operating the rubber stamps are faking their papers, after all.

I don’t have time to wait. I know that in undergrad, professors generally hate nontrads and try to bully them as much as possible, but working nontrads, especially women, generally just keep their heads down and participate exactly as much as necessary for their grades and no more and that’s my plan.

My undergrad career involved a fairly large percentage of utterly incompetent professors, to the degree that English language competency is not a given for profs ime, and “regurgitate my politics back at me or fail the class” is so common as to not be worth mentioning, so lying hacks and psychopaths who want smoke blown up their asses seem… not the worst profs I have seen. I’ve been jaded a lot since undergrad and no longer have ethical hangups that impeded me in undergrad though.

If I gotta angle grinder my brain for a house, so be it.

[snail-day]

Hiiiiiiiiiiiiii snailllllll!!!

your recent fluff posts have been getting me through a lot lately and it gives me a little bit of comfort before I have to deal with the real world. It’s hard to describe it, but the way you write fluff feels like drinking hot chocolate on a snowy as you warm up by the fireplace with pj’s and comfy socks on.

I logged out of my writing account a while ago and unfortunately I can’t remember the password for the life of me, so I’ve had to start over on a new account. It sucks, but a new start feels a little refreshing :)

Your writing (not just fluff) makes my day just a little bit better. I might be a little inactive with the asks since there’s some things going on in my personal life, but I’ll definitely keep reading nonetheless. My stomach bug is gone tho!!

By the way, your nerd-jo is adorable and I headcannon that he would by a dating sim game to practice his rizz (and yes he says rizz unironically). He also seems the type to have an insane amount of “top ten things to get the girl of your dreams” or “fifteen secret tricks that make you irresistible to women” type of bookmarks on his computer. He’s an active reddit user and has typed your name in 1000000 times into a million different compatibility tests. He also probably bought axe body spray because he saw one of those 2000’s commercials that had women running after guys who use it like zombies.

I’m done yapping (for now)

- 🌱

WAHHH you’ve got me all giddy now, I just wanna wrap you up in the biggest, warmest hug! I’m not sure what you’re going through, but please know I’m sending you a massive virtual cuddle and a gentle reminder that everything’s going to be okay 🩷 Life can be tough sometimes, but those are just tough moments - they pass, and you grow stronger because of them. You’ve got this, and I’m cheering you on every step of the way! I’m so happy my little fluffy fics can bring even a sliver of brightness to your day. I’ll be thinking of you when I write them, I swear I’ll make them extra fluffy just for you!

Oh no!! Okay, hear me out- have you checked your Google account? Sometimes it saves your passwords there. Or - and this sounds totally silly - but open Tumblr and just stare at the login page. If nothing comes to mind, stand up, walk away for a second, then come back. I swear it works sometimes, like the password just floats back into your noggin. Congrats on the new blog, by the way!!

AND YESSS THE DATING SIMS OMG. He would 100% say rizz. Frequent lurker on Reddit’s relationship advice and life hacks subs, no doubt. I’m convinced he doodles your name in the margins of his notebooks too. He used to wear Axe back in the day, but Geto totally bullied him into upgrading. Now he wears some fancy cologne, with a nerdy twist, like that one cologne with the pi symbol from like 10 years ago? I'm not but sure but it fits his phD major in astrophysics!

[zinntra]

Spring 2025 Fashion Trends: 7 Wearable Looks You'll Love

Let’s be honest: Fashion trends can feel like a whirlwind of confusing jargon and impractical outfits. But Spring 2025? It’s different. This season is all about wearable creativity—think pieces you can mix into your existing wardrobe without looking like you’re wearing a costume. Here’s the lowdown on what’s trending, why it matters, and how to make it work for your life. Plus, we’ve got some standout pieces from ZINNTRA to help you nail each look.

1. Sheer Layers: See-Through, But Make It Practical

Yes, sheer fabrics are everywhere—but this isn’t about baring it all. Designers are using translucent materials in smart ways: lightweight sweaters over tank tops, airy blouses tucked into trousers, or slip dresses layered under jackets. The goal? Adding depth without sacrificing coverage.

Why You’ll Love It: Perfect for transitional weather. Pair a semi-sheer knit with jeans for coffee runs, or dress it up with wide-leg pants for work.

ZINNTRA’s Pick:

Sheer Knit Sweater: Layer it over a camisole and pair with ZINNTRA's Casual Wide-Leg Trousers for office-ready polish.

Gray Side-Slit Midi Skirt: Perfect for balancing a sheer blouse with a touch of sophistication.

👉 Shop the Look:

Sheer Knit Sweater

Wide-Leg Trousers

Gray Side-Slit Midi Skirt

2. Plaid, But Cuter: Tiny Checks for Everyday Vibes

Plaid is back, but ditch the flannel shirts from your camping trips. Spring 2025’s version is dainty and delicate—think baby-blue checks on cropped jackets or oversized shirt. It’s less “lumberjack,” more “I brunch at trendy cafés.”

How to Wear It:

ZINNTRA’s Oversized Baby Blue Shirt: Pair it with a Brown Tennis Skirt for a playful yet polished look. Tuck in the shirt for a more structured vibe, or leave it loose for casual cool.

Pro Tip: Add white sneakers or knee-high boots to complete the outfit.

👉 Shop the Look:

Oversized Button Up Shirt

3. Boho Lite: Effortless and Free-Spirited

Boho style gets a modern update this spring, blending flowy silhouettes with minimalist details. Think breezy tops, textured dresses, and accessories that exude effortless cool.

Zinntra’s Picks:

Strapless Ruched Side Tie Tube Top: Pair this soft beige top with high-waisted jeans for a casual daytime look or a flowy skirt for a more romantic vibe.

Draped Cowl Neck Ruched Camisole Top: Layer it under a suede or denim cropped jacket for a night out, or wear it solo with tailored pants for a chic, minimalist outfit.

Mini Boho Ruched Dress: A one-and-done look that’s perfect for brunch dates or weekend getaways.

Styling Tip: Add a Daisy Lace Wide-Brim Hat or a fringe bag to complete the boho vibe. For a modern twist, pair the tube top with sleek sandals instead of gladiator flats.

👉 Shop the Look:

Strapless Tube Top

Ruched Camisole Top

Mini Boho Ruched Dress

4. Elevated Athleisure: Comfy Clothes You Can Actually Wear Outside

Sweatpants are evolving. This spring, tailored track pants and zip-up crop tops are stealing the spotlight. The trick? They’re cut like loungewear but made from fabrics that look polished enough for casual Fridays or grocery shopping.

Steal This Look:

ZINNTRA’s Olive Zip-Up Crop Top + Track Pants Set: This earthy-toned combo is perfect for running errands or grabbing coffee with friends. Dress it up with hoop earrings or a sleek crossbody bag.

Pro Move: Throw on a structured jacket or blazer for a sporty-chic vibe.

👉 Shop the Look:

Side Striped Track Pants

Y2K Style Zip-up Crop Top

5. Accessories That Do the Work for You

Forget fussy jewelry. This season’s winners are chunky bangles, pearl hair clips, and drop earrings in bold colors. They’re statement-makers without requiring a PhD in styling.

ZINNTRA’s Picks:

Pearl-Embellished Headband: Adds a touch of romance to any outfit.

Green Drop Earrings: Perfect for adding a pop of color to minimalist looks.

Pro Tip: Pair the headband with a sleek ponytail and a neutral outfit for instant polish.

Styling Hack: Layer the Drop Earrings with ZINNTRA’s Mini Boho Ruched Dress to balance edgy and elegant.

👉 Shop the Look:

Pearl-Embellished Headband

Green Drop Earring

Spring 2025 isn’t about overhauling your closet. It’s about small upgrades: a sheer layer here, a modern plaid piece there. Focus on items that multitask—like a tailored blazer that works for Zoom calls and backyard BBQs.

Shop Now at ZINNTRA

[pokemoncaretips]

Is it ethical to resurrect fossil pokemon?

The answer to that is a solid: It depends.

For the most part, I would argue that yes, it's fine to take a fossil to a lab. The biggest worry most people have is that "if it gets out, what about the eco-system?" but in truth, the fossil pokemon is the one most in trouble for the simple fact that.

Well.

The eco system has moved on and the old niche is filled by pokemon with millions of years of natural selection against the resurrected one. For an example, lets look at lileep. Back in its time period, where the diversity of the eco-systems was still a new thing, lileep colonies stretched for miles. They were the dominant life form. You can't stub your toe in Hoenn without turning over a lileep fossil. Because they were the first really successful grass type, the ocean beds were theirs. Nowadays, though, the sea floors they used to rule are crowded with corsola, sea weed, kelp, shellder beds, etc. There's no room for the fairly basic lileep to get a foot hold.

Sometimes even the basic environment itself is an issue. Anorith struggle in modern oceans due to changes to the ocean such as pH and salinity.

One of the few exceptions to this is omanyte, which is becoming quite prevalent. However, a number of fairly smart water type pokemon are working out how to get into that tough shell to get the meat inside, and so its likely the eco-system may eventually resettle once its position on the food chain is established. Until then, omanyte meat is very slowly picking up as a delicacy. (Though frankly, you'd have a better time eating an old boot.)

Another reason they pose little threat to the eco system: most of their food no longer exists naturally. Aurorus, for instance, can just barely hold its own against rivals like tropius, but their natural diet of large cycads and ferns are hard to find or just plain extinct. Combined with the warmer temperatures of today, and a large pokemon that could have been destructive of the eco-system is rendered incapable of doing so.

However, these pokemon often thrive in human care, as we can use science to make supplements that fill in the nutritional gaps and provide care and enrichment to help them enjoy their new life. A well loved and looked after fossil pokemon is a fascinating window into a past so different it may as well be another world.

However, there is one more thing I must address.

"Professor" Cara Liss is a hack who got her PhD from the back of a cereal box.

Those poor pokemon she resurrects are travesties of science. Though it is our responsibility to provide the current specimens living today with the medical care they deserve, it is DEEPLY morally wrong to create more of them. A dracovish might have a good reputation as a battler but it can barely function without a diet that is almost half medication by volume (I exaggerate, but only slightly).

Fossil pokemon do need some thought, as there are extra elements to their care, but if you want to bring your lucky fossil feather back from the dead as an arceops, go forth and do so if you think you're ready.

Just don't give it to that fraud in Galar.