#you may think petri whats stopping you

[babypetri]

I miss sending funny videos to my friends

[serickswrites]

Lonely Place of Longing

Master post here (includes character bios, summary, and chapter links)

Warnings: restraints, blood, cut, wounds, hurt/aftermath, hurt/recovery, caretaker and whumpee, captivity of sorts

“Welcome to Scutus, Halle Corvus,” Samuel Rex, spokesman of Scutus, said, his hazel eyes crinkling at the corners.

“Thank you very much for giving me this opportunity,” Halle said enthusiastically. Halle had always wanted to make a difference with her life. She knew that Scutus—with their unprecedented efforts to keep the world safe—was the best way to do so. Though she had limited military training, and absolutely no background in technology management, somehow Halle had managed to get the job.

“Let me take you to your team. You’re going to be assigned to Alpha Team. They’re our most active. I’ll let Thomas Petri fill you in on your duties. He is your direct superior, team leader, and you are to report to him.”

“Understood. Thank you, Samuel.” Halle hurried along to follow Samuel. Though Samuel’s hair was grey and thinning, he was surprisingly spry for a man his age.

“There are several teams. But Alpha has the most unusual members. Ah, Thomas, there you are,” Samuel stopped in the hallway as he almost collided with a hulking figure. Thomas easily stood a head taller than Samuel. And a head and a half taller than Halle. He looked down at Halle with warm, dark eyes.

“You must be my new medic.”

Halle nodded vigorously. “Yes, sir! I won’t let you down.”

“I’ll introduce you to the rest of the team. They’re in our portion of Tectus. What has Samuel told you about our team?” Thomas walked quickly. Halle had to half jog to keep up.

“That you are very active as a team. And that you have…” Halle’s voice trailed off. How would Thomas take to having his team called unusual?

“We have a pretty big team. I’ll introduce you to them all in time. But I have to warn you. We have something assigned to our unit that makes us indispensable. Your job will be to manage and take care of that thing.”

“I won’t let you down. I promise,” Halle said eagerly.

“Do you know what a living weapon is, Halle?” Thomas asked, completely ignoring Halle’s promises.

Halle stopped walking. A living weapon. She had heard of them of course. But never in her wildest dreams did she think she would ever see one, let alone work with one. They were supposedly the most dangerous assets Scutus had at their disposal. Their enemies, of course, also had living weapons. A great number of them. Weapons were allegedly easily corruptible. Weapons were typically very, very evil. They had to be kept under lock and key at all times. Halle nodded. “They’re a human, well they were human to start with. And they’ve been imbued with…”

“With powers that make them more dangerous than an army of regular soldiers.”

Halle swallowed. So it was true. Living weapons really could level a city by themselves.

“We have one. He’s called Dylan. Your job is simple, Halle. Keep Dylan alive. Patch him up when we bring him back. And keep him in his quarters. He isn’t to be trusted with any freedom. No matter how much he asks, you can never let him out of our quarters unsupervised. Do I make myself clear?”

Halle nodded.

“And, Halle, please remember he is dangerous. He is deadlier than any gun, knife, or projectile you will ever see. Please remember that.”

Halle nodded again and continued to follow Thomas. She half heartedly listened to Thomas introduce her to Alpha Team. Over a dozen names and faces to memorize. But none of them were the weapon. And Halle’s mind kept drifting to the weapon. What was he like? What were his powers? Would he hurt Halle? Would he try to escape and hurt the rest of the team?

After what felt like hours of introductions, but Halle realized it may have only been half an hour, Thomas was leading her away from the rest of the team. “Dylan’s room is down this hall. I hope you don’t mind, it’s where we had to put your room.” Thomas looked a touch embarrassed. “No one wants to stay down here near him. I’ve put in a work order to repurpose our library into a living quarters. Once that’s nearly ready we can convert your room to the library and then you can move. I’m sorry.”

No one even wanted to sleep near the weapon. How evil was he? “It’s ok. I’m sure it won’t be that bad. Thank you.” Thomas knocked loud and hard on a door at the end of the hall.

“Dylan! Open up!” Thomas called gruffly. “You have a new keeper. Come meet her!”

The door swung open to reveal a small, spartan room. A bed was tucked into a corner, blanket neatly tucked in. A desk was not too far from there, a small stack of books and papers in the center. Halle could see a small balcony, opposite the door, that overlooked Tectus’s grounds. Halle swallowed as she realized the balcony was caged in. The other window had bars. There was no escaping this room.

Thomas strode into the center of the room and turned to face the door. “Dylan, meet Halle Corvus. Halle this is Dylan.”

Dylan leaned against the wall. His pale blonde hair curled softly at his collar and he watched Halle with icy blue eyes. He was tall and lean, though his build didn’t betray the power that lurked beneath. His clothes were plain—black shirt tucked into black pants, with black boots. The only thing adorning him were the silvery cuffs at his wrists—cuffs that Halle knew kept him from accessing his power.

“Nice to meet you, Halle,” Dylan said, his voice surprisingly soft. Halle fully expected his voice to be low, grating. She didn’t expect a soft, pleasant sounding voice.

Halle swallowed twice before replying. “Nice to meet you, too.”

“I’m going to leave you two to get acquainted. Dylan you are to give Halle a run down of your medical history and what she may need to know to be better than your last keeper. Actually, you can also let her patch up that cut from our mission this morning. It’s a small one, Halle. Won’t take you that long. I’ll check back in with you, Halle, in,” Thomas looked at his watch, “an hour. I have a briefing with Delta Team to get to.”

Before Halle could protest, Thomas left. Halle stood in the center of the room, her heart in her throat. Thomas left her alone. With a living weapon. A being so dangerous he was kept in a room that was essentially a cage. And he had his powers suppressed at all times.

“Are you afraid of me?” Dylan asked quietly. He hadn’t moved. Hadn’t attempted to get closer to Halle. Hadn’t tried to run out the door behind Thomas.

Halle licked her suddenly dry lips. “Yes.”

Dylan nodded. “Good. You should be.” He crossed the room and flopped onto his stomach on the bed. Halle could see a long, still bleeding cut, running the length of the weapon’s back from his left shoulder to his right hip.

The weapon propped his head up on his arms. “Don’t worry, I won’t hurt you unless Thomas tells me to.”

“Do you always do as Thomas asks?”

The weapon lay his cheek on his arm. “Yes. I am to always listen to Thomas.” The weapon sighed. “The last one didn’t last long. There’s no shame in quitting. I won’t blame you.”

“What?”

“My last keeper. He quit after three days. It’s ok if you are too scared. You can quit. Everyone does eventually.” The weapon seemed to say the last more to himself than Halle.

“Where’s your first aid kit?” If she got to work she could ignore the weapon and his ice cold eyes.

“In my med bay.”

“You have your own?” This unit was much fancier than Halle thought. Each member got their own private med bay. Just how large was this space?

The weapon closed his eyes as though he was suddenly very weary. “No one wanted to share with me.”

Halle was silent. What do you even say to that? She looked around for the door to the med bay.

“You don’t need to dress it, Halle. It will clot soon. Probably.”

“You’ll ruin your sheets.”

“Isn’t the first time. Won’t be the last time.”

Halle very much did not want to be alone in the room with the weapon any longer. But she had a job to do. So she crossed the room to a door that she thought might lead to another room. She was right. The med bay was well stocked. She grabbed some gauze and anti septic so she could dress the wound.

Halle worked in silence. And the weapon was silent. Halle expected him to fill Halle in on his medical history while she worked. Expected him to say anything. But the weapon merely lay there and let Halle clean and dress the wound. “I don’t think it needs stitches. But I could glue it if—“

“It’s fine, Halle.” The weapon pulled his shirt off and over his head. His back and chest were littered with scars, some older, some newer. “Here’s my medical history. I can’t get sick. I can’t remember if I did before…before I came here.”

Halle marveled at the scars. How was the weapon still alive? Some of them were serious, grievous wounds. “Anything else I should know?”

The weapon shook his head. He opened another door to reveal a small closet. He tossed the soiled shirt into a bin. He pulled another shirt from the drawer and put it on. “I am glad to meet you, Halle. No matter how long you stay here.”

Tags: @beomsstudio @mousepaw @keeper-of-all-the-random-things @eyehartart @corbytheking

@seysposts @cosmic-butterflys @wormjerky @godnessofmagic

@daddyslittlestgirlll

@thatlittlefirestarter @defire @jthecalmone @shook-skull @sagencrafts

@theforeverdyingperson @bilightningwhumper @cryptid-potato @fox-fox234 @deepfriedpan

@4-err0r-4 @half-duck @bigmiki @amberconnverse636 @penguin4473-blog

@abbyreader23 @lateuplight @firelan @octafi @paingoes

@xo7-parad0x @whumpandcomfort @kazekunai @pedro-pedro-pedro-pedro-pe @soul-of-a-local-bard

@dragonkales @kitarajy-kari @carosbee @celestialsoyeon @knightinbatteredarmor

@kay-kayxb177 @alwaysjaywalking @decayanddie @demetercabingreen-thumb @never-enough-novels

@whump-a-bear-workshop @sizzlingtigerwerewolf @urmum-11 @velcrostrip @rattypop

@lexiebiss-blog @whumplump @geozone430

[contemplatingoutlander]

These moments totally happened at the GOP primary debate

WaPo satirist Alexandra Petri add her spin on the Republican primary debate. This is a gift 🎁 link so that those who do not subscribe to The Washington Post can read the entire article. Below are some excerpts. Enjoy! 😁

If you said, “Would you like to watch Ron DeSantis, Vivek Ramaswamy, Nikki Haley, Tim Scott, Doug Burgum, Mike Pence, Asa Hutchinson and Chris Christie talk to each other for two hours? FYI, the place where they’ll do so is hotter than Beelzebub’s armpit!,” I would have said, “No, thank you.” But if you said, “The alternative is watching Donald Trump talk to Tucker Carlson on the website formerly known as Twitter,” I would say, “I can’t wait to hear what Ron, Vivek, Nikki, Tim, Doug, Mike, Asa and Chris have to say!” [...] Here is approximately how it went. Bret Baier: Hello. We have brought a bell just because we enjoy the sound of a bell. Martha MacCallum: Feel free to speak over it; it will give the evening a fun, musical vibe. Baier: Yes, and speaking of music, candidates, the number one song in America is something called “Rich Men North of Richmond”! Governor DeSantis, introduce yourself by providing a close reading of the subtle lyrics of this song. DeSantis: Hang on, first I have some prepared remarks! Joe Biden’s basement! Hunter Biden’s paintings! “Rich Men North of Richmond”! Taxes! Florida! Baier: Chris Christie, why would you be better as president? Christie: Bret, I have spent the last four years sailing around sharpening my traffic-cone harpoon for my hated foe (from hell’s heart I spit my last breath at him!), and the one question I did not expect was about a scenario where I could actually become president. Uh, I was governor of New Jersey? So, take that for what it’s worth.

[See more under the cut.]

Scott: I have come to this debate with some specific numbers at my fingertips! I was told everyone would be excited about specific numbers! If not, I would really like those hours back. Ramaswamy: Hello! You may be wondering, who is this skinny guy with a funny name? I’m not a politician who is going to offer you a series of prepared, meaningless platitudes. I’m a businessman with no political experience who is going to offer you a series of prepared, meaningless platitudes. Isn’t it time we stopped running away from things and started running toward things? I am not running for president so much as I am running for the title of Favorite Grandson of your Fox News grandmother. Have you ever considered that people don’t love God anymore? [...] Pence: Hello! I am here to recite scripture and keep referring to the Trump-Pence administration, and I’m all out of scripture. That was some Mike Pence humor; I will never be out of scripture! I am unquestionably the best-prepared person in this race, the single individual with the experience that is closest to being the president, with no exceptions that spring to mind. I have been in the hallway. I have been in the White House. Do you like what my administration did with the Supreme Court? [...] Ramaswamy: You think now is the time for incremental reform. I think it is the time for actual revolution. Pence: Good Lord, no thank you. I do not have any revolutionary proposals. I believe in mild, small, incremental change. Except for a nationwide 15-week ban on abortion, which I want to implement because I promised it to God. Haley: Let’s be realistic! Women hate hearing this. Let’s just admit that it will never happen. But we’re all going to say we want it to happen! But, ladies, it’s not going to happen. [...] Young Person: Please tell me that anyone on this stage believes in climate change, the only issue I care about because I anticipate living on this planet for at least 60 years. I am starting to get worried. Can we have a show of hands? DeSantis: No! We are not schoolchildren! We will not raise our hands or acknowledge the existence of science! Ramaswamy: As the only one on this stage who is not bought and paid for, I have a thought. Christie: I have had enough of a guy who sounds like ChatGPT and stole his opening gambit from Barack Obama. I came here to bludgeon Donald Trump verbally, but Trump is not here and I have a lot of verbal bludgeoning built up. [...] Baier: Why do we have homelessness, drugs and crime? Pence: Because Democrats talked about defunding the police, and everyone knows that if you say “Defund the police!” into a mirror three times, crime appears. It’s just science, or, as Governor DeSantis and I prefer, religion. Christie: I disagree. Crime went up because Hunter Biden did it.

Please use the gift link above to read the rest of Petri's cutting satire.

Just one thing I would like to comment on though. I grew up in NJ... BEYOND the exits on the Turnpike. Why does there always have to be a NJ joke?🤦🏻‍♀️There really are nice parts of NJ. Really. I mean it. 😉

[edited]

[the-blue-fairie]

Emprex’s Horror Movie Challenge: Salem’s Lot (1979)

So, I knew that my track record for completing these challenges was very bad, so I decided to jump in and start watching the Salem’s Lot miniseries last night. I ended up watching all three hours – not exactly because I was on the edge of my seat, but because the halfway point was where things started to pick up and I didn’t want to stop at 90 minutes of lethargic pace.

The thing about the first half of this is that it is slow – and that makes sense; it’s a miniseries and everything. I have a deep fondness for the childhood sections of the It miniseries – and the adult sections have their kitschy charm – so I was hoping for something like that with this. Like the It miniseries, the kids were the characters I cared most about, but the adult main character had none of the endearing charm of any of the adult cast in It. Likewise, Tim Curry got the chance to be big and splashy in It, while James Mason in the first half of this is relegated to Ominously Being There.

You know something bad is going to happen. You know the suspense beats when they show that large crate and you’re like, “Oop, Dracula time,” but the miniseries format makes everything overstay its welcome. That being said, it was fun seeing a who’s-who of, “Hey, it’s that guy!” and “Hey, it’s her!” in the cast. Hey, an elderly Elisha Cook is in this, that’s neat! Okay, Fred Willard is here. HEY, it’s the Baron from David Lynch Dune/the racist cop from Ragtime! And he’s a cop here, too!

Those scenes with the undead children scratching at the windows, wanting to be invited in, ARE incredibly effectively eerie, however. I know Hooper can do horror, and those moments are just STEEPED in atmosphere.

Mark Petrie is more likable as a character than Ben Mears is – and I’m not just saying that because Kerwin was in my favorite episode of Faerie Tale Theatre. Mears feels like a somewhat smug King stand-in and… like, I’m a writer too and I get what it feels like to be dismissed for being a writer, but his character just felt so self-congratulatory. The boy, meanwhile, feels more relatable because he’s a kid, he’s vulnerable, and we get to see him watch his parents die in one of the most effective scenes. Also, the portrayal of Petrie’s outsiderhood – with the monster movie posters on the walls, with the model kits – resonated more. And, if the boy is a creative, like the adult author is, we SEE him struggling to come into his own – working on pageants and so forth, whereas we just hear about Mears doing the same.

When the Count Orlok-style vampire shows up, that’s where things get fun. I dismissed Mason as just Ominously Being There in the first half, but I want to amend that statement and point out that he brings a smooth, quiet menace even to those scenes – and that blossoms into perfectly effective menace in the master vampire’s face-off with the priest. He’s a Renfield that carries the weight of the horror, and I think that’s cool.

I loved the green hues of the Evil house. I loved the Orlokian makeup on Barlow. It has a funhouse spookiness while also conveying this is something ancient and threatening. I loved the glowing effects on the vampires’ eyes in general.

Overall, this was not as enjoyable as I was hoping, but it has charm, especially in the last half. I might check out the remake to see if the pacing is more to my style, but I also feel the remake will lack the old-school TV miniseries charm that gave this version what spark it did have.

(Also, I realize that calling this film "too slow at the start" when my favorite film is a 5-hour miniseries that begins with a 90-minute Christmas party episode may seem hypocritical - but the characters at that Christmas party have infinitely compelling and complex dynamics with each other and that first episode could be a movie on its own and a masterpiece.)  

@thealmightyemprex

@piterelizabethdevries

@ariel-seagull-wings

@themousefromfantasyland

@countesspetofi

[toastful]

can you write a poem about my muppet crack addiction and how it is symbolized by a ravaging wold who consumes all of my relations but hides in the dead skin of ab innocent fawn to attract my lonesome self back to its sharp jaws? pretty please i will give you red 40 and a line of muppet crack [not from my jfk muppet no sir! hes mine... *growls menacingly*]

Hmm, very abstract. A very bold request. I shall do this for you, muppetjokerfannumbernineandeleven. I shall accept the red 40 in the form of a package of only red skittles. I was a bit of a red 40 maxxer back in my day, but I have cut back since my previous doctor told me it was contributing to my worsening IBS. You may keep the crack though…. I am still proudly in the DARE program. I must urge you to rethink your relationship with such a substance. Hopefully this poem can help….

Fawn Response

By Greg Schmitty

Mundane

Repetitive

Day in and day out

The cars drive on their streets

Stop on red

Go on green

Slow on Yellow

Abide by the rules

They’re there for a reason

Stay inside the lines

The people are the same

They wave

You wave back

Same job

Same friends

Same conversations

Same coffee

Same commute

Same home

Same

Same

Same

Something’s off

Something’s still there

From before the mundane

Empty

Cold

Throbbing

Pain

You continue with the mundane

A routine to mask

To keep busy

To forget

But you can’t

The feeling quiets

But it’s still there

Looming

Growing

Green

You go for a walk to clear your head

To keep busy

Despite your best efforts

The feeling follows

You walk faster

Still behind you

A little faster

It’s gaining speed

You run

So does it

Despite your best efforts

The feeling keeps it’s speed

Always gaining

Never slowing or stopping

But you keep going

You see something in the distance

Yellow

Slow down

You come closer

In the thick grass

A small shape

A fawn

A small helpless fawn

Watching you

With large black eyes

Like puddles of ink

Sitting in its sockets

You feel tense as you approach

A sense of fear

Danger

But for what

It’s just a fawn

What harm could it cause

You get closer

The sense of danger grows

Ringing in the back of your head

Flashing sirens

Another feeling emerges as well

An urge

An urge to reach out

And pet the fawn

Red

RED

Everything at once

A petri dish of feelings

The urge to approach the fawn

To feel it’s fur under your hand

It’s probably soft

It’s probably warm

Then the siren

The danger

Danger

DANGER

DANGER!!

Red

Do not proceed

Do not pass go

Do not collect $200

Do

Not

Go

Behind all of this madness

A familiar feeling

The pain you’ve been running from

It’s still there

Despite it all

It throbs

And aches

You think

Could this fawn help

Could it stop this feeling

Even for a moment

The sirens blare as you approach

The fawn stares

You feet enter the tall grass

The wind has stopped

Everything is still

Except you

As you approach

Red

You get closer

Red

And closer

Red

The fawn is at your feet

RED

You reach out your hand

RED RED RED RED RED RED RED RED RED

You place your hand on the fawns head

The feeling starts to numb

You feels it’s weight leave your shoulders

You feel your chest loosen

You can breath

You feel better

Better then you had felt in years

You feel better

Why were you worried

This is fine

Everything is fine

You look down at the fawn

Something’s changed

The puddles of ink in its eyes ooze

Dripping down it’s face and onto the grass

It’s whole form oozes

Melting into a blob

You try to pull you hand away

But you are stuck

You try to pull

And pull

And pull

It’s no use

You’ve fused with it

This beast

Its shape rives and contorts

It shapes its self into something new

The shape grows

Your eyes follow it

Once a small fawn is now towering over you

Now a grown wolf

Your hand between its sharp teeth

It’s snarls and drools

It’s spit is like acid

Burning your skin

It’s eyes are red

It bites down on your hand with a loud crack

You’re too shocked to scream

The sirens are silent now

They were there for a reason

You wished you had heeded their call

The wolfs mouth opens

It’s jaw unhinged like a snake

In its mouth

More and more rows of sharp sharp teeth

In lunges towards you

In a moment

You find yourself in its maw

It’s closes it’s jaws around you with a snap

The teeth pierce you

Like an Iron Maiden

Your lungs are punctured

Your throat ripped

Despite the pain

You can not scream

The knives continue to dig into your flesh

It tears

And ruptures

You can’t free yourself

No one can save you

You’re stuck in the wolfs jaws

Time blurs

The pain continues

On

And on

Forever

And ever

Is this it

Is this eternity

You find yourself on the ground

In the tall grass where you found the fawn

The wolf is gone

Your body is fine

No punctures

No tears

Nothing

You pick yourself up

And look around

The sky is grey

The air is smog

You walk back to town

The streets are cracked

Cars flipped over

The street lights blink yellow

You walk

You pass people

They do not wave

They avert their eyes

You have changed

You lost your job

Your friends look at you with disgust

You have nothing to say

You can’t afford coffee

You live in your car

A new mundane

A lonelier existence

A worse life

The old feeling from before

The one you tried so hard to escape

Has returned

Worse then before

Louder

Pericing

Still growing

Unbearable

Green

You walk again

And then you run

Maybe you can out run it this time

You run

And run

And run

Till your legs become rubber

And your throat turns

To burning sour milk

But the feeling is still there

Despite your best efforts

No matter your efforts

It’s still there

Always

There

You come to that field again

Yellow

And see a fawn in the distance

Red

Sitting in the tall grass

Red

Red

Red

Red

Red

RED

[catchyhuh]

Thoughts on Pops' sidekicks? Yata, Mariya, Melon, that glorified babysitter from island of assassins, etc etc [places ask before the beasts' cave and slowly backs away]

[the beast sniffs the air, catching a faint whiff of tokyo crisis and bolts out of the cave like its prey drive has been activated] i may or may not have a particular favorite one off girl that i have been studying like bacteria in a petri dish for years, and this ask may or may not have looked like this to me

BUT YES!! I HAVE MUCH TO SAY

i think the secret to a good backup lupin character is to emphasize how mundane and comparatively normal they are IN A GOOD WAY OF COURSE! your supporting character needs to SUPPORT and the easiest, funniest way to do that, is to have them be just some guy. they can be weird, but they can’t be weirder than our main features. they can be cool, but they can’t be cooler than our main guys. you get it? 

and since it’s so fucking easy to make ANYBODY seem normal standing next to zenigata, you’d have to work pretty damn hard to beat the first point, so the most important thing HERE is to have them resigned to their fate. you will not stop him. it is impossible to stop him. he will not even acknowledge that you DID, in fact, try to stop him. really, the most you can do is catch the back of his coat before he accidentally steps into traffic when he's on autopilot

melon is probably the funniest in terms of this resignation because if anything he delights in having a front row seat. he’s not stopping shit! and you got like the old men that were just grinning and not even TRYING to keep him alive in episode 0 and twilight gemini, which i guess makes them beat out melon in terms of “it is what it is.” and then in the middle mariya is like, “ok, not letting him die but also he’s just not fucking listening to me and honestly when else am i gonna get a chance to partake in a car chase!! let’s go.” and then yata is slowly approaching the mariya level of stress because he’s clearly begun to realize if he has a panic attack every single time zenigata almost gets himself killed he’ll die of a heart attack before hes even 30. and. oh god i watched island of assassins and i remember proto-yata but i can’t even think of his name now. something very american. jimmy? BUT HE NEVER ACCEPTED THE FACT HE COULDN’T STOP ZENIGATA hence his Weakness in comparison. i also am vaguely aware that one special has this cop lady working with him but she ends up secretly being evil but i haven’t seen that one yet and also she’s. evil. so i imagine she wouldn’t count anyway so WHATEVER THERE’S OUR RANKING OF THE PEACE THEY’VE MADE WITH THE SITUATION

you can ALWAYS give pops a weird tagalong. it is ALWAYS correct! there’s four thieves and only one of him, which means you gotta give him SOMEBODY to work off of! i will always be pro-sidekick just because it makes him funnier or even adds a tiny bit of unexpected depth (him telling yata he understands if he quits the case, really everything he does in response to learning about mariya’s father/childhood, etc), and as a bonus, you might even get a really good character in their own right! all because they thought “damn. this is a little unfair isn’t it. have this guy follow him around for an hour” 

i have the science of this down pat. IN FACT THIS WHOLE THING IS PROBABLY WHY I’M SO #PROYATA I LOVE GOOD DYNAMICS! THE BEAST THANKS YOU FOR LISTENING

[magicinavalon]

I just think that hob gadling would make an amazing stem professor. Don't get me wrong, I love history and literature professor hob just as much. But this is a man who is so incredibly passionate about discovering new things, and with the science and technology boom of the last century you just know he was curious to learn more. He has all the time he could ever need to explore, and to apply what he learns; to write research papers and publish findings and keep reaching and reaching into the well of science that never runs dry.

Imagine Hob in a lab coat, grinning like a madman over a pair of petri dishes when his microbes do the exact opposite of what he was expecting, Ahh, but I will figure you out yet my friends!

Or Hob tirelessly tracing out blueprints for an orphanage. He's going to get this right dammit, he may not have been able to save his siblings from plagues and hunger, but with a little structural engineering and the latest in materials science, he will save the lives of today's hungry, lost kids.

Or Hob the astrophysicist, constantly discovering new stars and galaxies and black holes. He cried while watching the moon landing and he spends his days puzzling over string theory and dark matter and why doesn't the universe behave the way it should.

(Dream loves watching him theorize by the way, because what is a hypothesis but another sort of dream?)

Also Hob the (dare I say it) marine biologist! He's intimately familiar with coral reefs and has made friends with a few sharks and what is down there, in the deepest darkest blues of the ocean, anyway? Look at this brilliant new species of jellyfish, do you see that bit of light there? What is that? Bioluminescence? Remarkable!!

Oh and Madame Curie? What an exceptional mind! Hob is so glad to have known her for the short year that he did. Thomas Edison, on the other hand, was a real piece of work. The one time Hob met him he nearly punched the man's lights out (ha).

I could go on forever, but I'll stop there. Hob Gadling would make a brilliant scientist.

[blurglesmurfklaine]

Stick Season (9/14)

Summary: After Finn dies, Kurt leaves everything he knows behind without a trace. His hometown, his family, his boyfriend. When his dad has a medical scare, he returns to Lima, one year after breaking Blaine’s heart with no explanation.

A non-chronological series of one shots and drabbles set in this universe

Tropes/Genres: Angst, Reconciliation, Grief, Alcoholism, Mentions of Major Character Death, Mental Health

Track 1: Northern Attitude // Day 9: Same Old Country Song

Words: 1162

Kurt has forgotten how to be a fucking human being, apparently.

He wants Blaine, loves Blaine, never stopped loving Blaine. Kurt wants him close so dearly, but can’t help except push him away. It’s infuriating.

He wants what they used to have, the waves of security that washed over Kurt whenever he was nestled safely in Blaine’s arms. He wants the laughter shared through inside jokes, like how Let’s have a Star Wars marathon actually meant Let’s dip and go make out in your room. Kurt wants everything to go back to the way it was, but that isn’t possible.

He’s not the person he used to be. There’s been efforts on his part, to get back to who he was before bitterness jaded him into the cynic he is today. He quit drinking, and though he’s fallen off the wagon a few times, it’s been nearly half a year since his last sip. A few stumbles, however, were to be expected when he didn’t really stop to better himself, but out of guilt and shame. 

If you were to put shame into a petri dish and shove it into the dark and damp crevasses of your mind, anxiety would grow on it like a deadly fungus. Everyone thinks that only depressed people turn to the bottle, but Kurt’s nerves prove otherwise. A coping mechanism is a coping mechanism even if you think you’re just a kid who gets a little too nervous in large crowds. It’s a coping mechanism when you think you’re just having fun with some friends. It’s a coping mechanism when you take a sip because you’re stressed about school, and wake up face down on your boyfriend's lawn.

It’s a coping mechanism even when you insist it isn’t.

He’s changing. He’s trying. Fuck, is he trying.

But what if it’s not enough? 

What if, after the last year, Kurt’s soul is missing the shine that was there before grief dulled it? Blaine would be foolish to want him back when he’s this broken.

If Kurt gets too close and he isn’t how Blaine remembers—how he hopes—he’d have every right to just up and walk away. Kurt can’t even forgive himself, how can he expect Blaine to forgive the old attitude he’s adopted after spending a year in the dark?

So why the hell is he here, standing out in the cold and staring at Blaine’s familiar figure, playing the guitar through the frosted windows of the Paper Tiger? 

He’s in the middle of a set, so Kurt is able to sneak in without distracting him, feeling the winter chill thaw, like just being around Blaine lights a fire in him.

He plays some cover about gay cowboys that Kurt can’t help but smile at. The crowd is a little less receptive, but not angry or outraged, which honestly is about as much progress as Kurt could have ever hoped for.

Blaine looks so happy, so in his element here. Despite what he may think, from what Kurt can see, he’s better off without him. 

He should leave. Again. Go farther this time, and maybe he won’t be such a nuisance, such an unpleasant disruption to Blaine’s healing process. What the hell is Kurt even doing here, in a bar, when he's feeling so, so anxious and there are so many people and they’re all drinking around him and god, he wishes that were him, he wishes he could just have one drink—just one, and maybe the raging fire scalding his nerves would be doused for even just a seco—

“Alright, so, I know you guys usually like my covers of the classics.”

Blaine’s voice cuts through all the noise, and for the first time in too long, the static in Kurt’s brain is silenced. 

“But, uh… I’m gonna play something original for you tonight. It’s a really special song to me. It uh, started off as an anniversary present that I never got to give, and over the past year has morphed into something totally different and unexpected but uh… You know what? I think I’ll shut up and just sing for you.”

When the audience’s laughter settles, Blaine starts plucking at his guitar’s strings, and Kurt prepares himself for the worst. Sure he’s about to bear the brunt of all the anger and confusion he’d caused in Blaine’s life. Leaving lima, then showing up at his house. Their conversation at Sam’s party, and Kurt leaving. Again. 

Kurt forces himself to stay, smothering the cowardly little voice in his mind that wants so terribly to leave. He should hear what Blaine has to say, even if it hurts.

You try covering the cracks in your walls with paint But I love staring at them so beautifully shaped Everyday I wish you’d see what I could see And your hand in mine fits so perfectly

I’ll never want a new lease I’ll never trade you in You’re the home that I want Perfectly imperfect

I’ll come home to you I’ll come home to you

Even though you’re gone I’ll leave the light on Hopefully you can see The path back to me

I’ll never want a new lease I’ll never trade you in You’re the home that I want Perfectly imperfect

I’ll come home to you I’ll come home to you

You try covering the cracks in your walls with paint But I love staring at them so beautifully shaped

It’s not what Kurt expected, and he swallows down the lump in his throat. He’ll be damned if he breaks down in the middle of a bar full of strangers.

Watching Blaine pack up his set, Kurt pulls out his phone and goes to his recents, knowing all the calls he’s been dodging from Blaine will be at the top.

“Hello?”

“Blaine?” 

On the other side of the room, Blaine freezes, and Kurt’s heart goes still. “Hi.”

“Hi…” He repeats dumbly. Because he’s an idiot. He’s forgotten how to human. Still, he hasn’t forgotten how to love Blaine. That’s something etched into his heart forever. “You at Paper Tiger?”

“Yeah, just finishing up, actually.”

“How did your set go?”

“About as well received as it can be in a town like this. No one heckled me to try and play Wonderwall, so, progress.”

Kurt can’t help but let out a small chuckle. “I really liked that last one,” He finally admits. “The one about home being a person.”

Blaine smiles, and even if there’s a trace of sadness behind it, Kurt’s heart swells. “Thanks… Full disclosure, uh, you’re the inspiration on that one.” He pauses, apparently barely processing Kurt’s words. “Wait. What do you mean you liked it?”

“Turn around.”

Blaine turns around in a flash, dropping his phone from his ear to his side and staring in awe.

Kurt swallows. “Hi… again.”

“Hi.”

“Can we talk?”

[yr-obedt-cicero]

“Sir,

There is the second; shall a third be? I dont know, but you know. When I have wrote and sent an epistle, I am always imagining the history of it; I fancy to see it was telling, arriving, read, and answered; I Keep in my memory its date, I calculate the time of its arrival, and I impatiently expect the time of receiving an answer. This longed for answer arrives at length; then I am contented, and beginning another letter I prepare myself for enjoying still such a pleasure. But—if no answer… What must I think? I am concerned, sometimes a little angry. How does my friend do? Is he sick, absent, or idle in answering? Suspense is a hard thing.

I have wrote to you on the 24th of December, you have not yet answered. If you are guilty of negligence, pray do not aggravate your fault by a longer delay. Fault, I say; indeed I think it to be a fault to let pass over a great time without answering the letter of one who deserved answer. There is the end of my chiding, and I hope my thanks will soon began: I mean, that my second stroke shall get me an answer. Indeed, I would be sorry if your continued silence would hinder me from setting pen to paper a third letter.

More, who will be leaver of that, will acquaint you of all which may be worthy of your notice; and ___ also will lay to you all what you will wish to Know; then I let my two named friend speak, and only I'll tell you what particularly effects me. What then? Almost nothing. All what I have Said in my letter to you is still lasting; my workings with ___, my ___, ___ beloved Kinloch, my various occupations with the last, my lecture on English, my delight in English author, my concern for the affain of the America, and for all in in what you have lost interest; all what continues the same, or rather indeed grows higher. I have been twice to the Parliament; the first time I understood only those who Speak Slowly, and the second I observed with astonishment and pleasure that I understood almost all what has been Said; even I was tempted to vise [page is ripped] tempore.

M. Petrie has nothing to be sent to you, but his com-pli-ments. Kinloch will not write to you, as he says, being a little angry with you because you dont answer his letter: and I (no less angry than he) conclude in saying that I am sincerely yours 

affectionate 

L. de Vegobre”

(source — Louis de Vegobre to John Laurens, [February 18, 1775])

This letter had me laughing my ass off the entire time while writing the transcript. Vegobre's sarcasm and overall pissed tone that Laurens was the 18th century equivalent of that friend who always leaves you on read. So much so; his friends were just going to straight-up stop writing to him in petty resentment.

The last bit is also funny with Kinloch also refusing to write to Laurens until he gets a response too.

[jumpscaregoose]

good to see another fellow SK fan (and hororen fan <3) on tumblr! :D i hope you dont mind me asking but who are your favorite characters and ships?

there may be like six of us SK fans on this planet but we are most certainly dedicated. thank you for giving me an opportunity to geek out your efforts have not been in vain.

(answers to your questions under read more because I'll probably go on for 3 years and several tangents down there)

my all time favourite character is definitely Yoh but he's too favourite for it to really count. (it's unfair to every other character with how much I love him basically)

after Yoh my favourite is probably Horohoro. I basically forgot he existed until they started teasing his backstory and then I realized how great he is and now I draw him too much (I have a tier list of all the 2021 anime episodes and you can definitely tell by what I put in the top tier)

other than those two I like Hao for being the antagonist of all time (still lowkey mad at the anime for cutting the random baguette he brought to a match), Ren because haha edgy emo guy, and Jeanne because I want to study her in a petri dish

my favourite ships are hororen (because it's me), yohna (because I think it's well written and makes me mad at how renmei was written in the sequels because oh my god renmei shippers y'all are in the trenches with the nonwriting of that I am so sorry. o7). I also like tamajeanne because I think they're neat

I just really like shaman king ok. and to my non-SK mutuals I am only mildly sorry, you should watch it. my SK mutuals I appreciate you because it means I get to stop forcing my friends to watch some rando show they don't care about just so I can explain why lyserg diethel should have been named after an opioid

[mondscheinprinzessin]

take a breath and softly say goodbye bts pls 🥰

Alright, my whump loving anon.

I think the whole of the second chapter is my favourite, but that would be a lot, so I’ll chose this part:

Lauri fixed him with a look and came close enough that Aleksi had to look up at him. “You love to talk back, open your big sassy mouth, maybe it’s time to stuff it to shut you up for good.” Aleksi’s eyes widened at the hidden implication and Lauri laughed. “No, no honey, not that kind of filling, not with people watching, not that you would mind.” He whispered the last part and traced a finger along Aleksi’s chin and mouth. “Although it would have been lovely to have you again.” He stopped in his speech again, staring at Aleksi’s face and seemingly deep in thought before taking his hand away and putting some distance between them, but not nearly enough in Aleksi’s opinion. 

It just had to be something with Lauri in it because who knew writing an evil character could be this fun. But trying to think of how Lauri saw Aleksi and what kind of a person he is in general was a cool challenge. All in all Aleksi was just a toy for him he could use and you can see that he never really cared for him but how easily manipulated he was, and now he’s angry that Aleksi is back to his old self that Lauri had tried to get out of him to make him a puppet for his own enjoyment. He’s angry that he lost all that, and he doesn’t feel bad in any way to remind Aleksi what he had “allowed” Lauri to do with him, just for his sick amusement. He’s demeaning him for his past work but of course, even though Lauri participated in it too, only Aleksi is the wrong-doing part in it all.

“But well, you can’t have everything you want, now can you? I hope Hokka will realize that soon enough.” His mouth turned into a smile that Aleksi could only describe as devilish, but it didn’t surprise him too much as he had gotten to know Petri’s loathsome side often enough. 

For Lauri Joel is competition, and it is even worse because Lauri didn’t even like him from the beginning, so losing to him out of all people doesn’t sit right with him and all the time he couldn’t let it go, seeing it as humiliation to have lost Aleksi to such a man. So if Lauri can’t have him then Joel shouldn’t either, and Lauri obviously would do everything to assure that and go so far as murdering someone just so he can show the power he has (because he has nothing else).

But pulling Joel into this was one step too far, may he do everything to Aleksi but leave Joel out of this, whatever his plan was.

I would guess Aleksi is a self-sacrificing bastard who would do anything to help Joel, I can easily see him jumping in front of a bullet because for him Joel is everything and he wouldn’t be able to live if anything happened to him. But he definitely doesn’t have the same worries about himself. In his mind he’s not of the same importance as other people.

[…]

“I think it’s a shame really. I don’t want to do this to you, but I have to.” Aleksi kept on frowning, not understanding what Lauri was talking about. Why couldn’t he just say what he had planned? “It all could have been avoided, but you just had to ruin this for yourself. You’re always ruining it for yourself, can’t see that you’re making the wrong decision until it’s too late. But barely anyone is without fault and you’re no exception.”

Aleksi wanted him to stop talking, to just shut up, stop feeding into his insecurities that he had just so managed to get under control with Joel around. But they were still there, right under the surface and he knew Lauri was right, he knew that he always fucked everything up, that everything always was his own fault.

Lauri still tries to control Aleksi and he knows the best way to achieve that is to make him think he’s weak and dumb. He could have just killed him, but Lauri had to let his power over Aleksi play out, break him again before he dies.

Because after all he was just some stupid, stupid boy. 

There was no one to blame but him that he was now bound to a chair, facing his old boss and abuser as Joel had called it. It was just too easy with him. 

I want to believe that despite everything that has happened it was Joel who told him upfront what Lauri is. I think Aleksi knows what happened to him, but he locked it up somewhere safe in his mind because he had to survive and didn’t allow it to get too close to him or he wouldn’t have been able to live with himself. But Joel who has this rough relationship with his family, and gets physical with his brothers and emotionally abused by his father knows exactly what it is, he probably had enough talks with Olli about it, and he also tried his best to make Aleksi realize that he’s not to blame of anything. But Aleksi is a perfect example of a victim pulling all of the guilt on themselves, which is easy with his already low self-esteem. I just want Joel as this great supporter who does his best to build up Aleksi’s confidence and that includes making him think differently about himself and confronting what happened to him.

A hand stroked over his shoulder, and he snapped out of it, lifting his head to see Lauri looking down at him with an almost remorseful expression, but his eyes betrayed him, and Aleksi knew him too well to believe that side of Lauri. Because Lauri didn’t possess such a side. Nothing in him had ever been caring or affectionate, why should he start now?

I just wanted to throw his caring and affectionate trait in somewhere to once again highlight the difference between Lauri and Joel, and that while yes Aleksi started out with willingly having sex with Lauri and it did go on for a while, it is entirely different to how Joel is with him.

Punishment was all Lauri knew to do, and now Aleksi had to endure another one of these.

“I am not the one to kill you tonight, Alex. The one guilty for your death is solely you.” Lauri said and then laughed briefly before apologizing. “I was about to say ‘remember this’ but where you’re going you won’t be able to.” He explained and Aleksi felt sick. How could Lauri just laugh into his face with what he was about to do? “Oh don’t look at me with those doe-eyes, they may have worked on me in the past but there is nothing that can convince me to stop this.”

So this whole conversation reminds me of all these evil speeches in movies where the villain goes on and on because they have to taunt the hero (here Aleksi) and when they finally reveal their plan (here killing him) the backup group would chime in and rescue the hero, so I also really wanted to give Lauri the stage to show his character because he has such a big role in Aleksi’s life and in this big plot point. But well, the rescuing is obviously missing.

At least now he knew what Lauri’s intention was, confirming Aleksi’s suspicion from the beginning.

He was going to die.

As simple as that. This morning he had woken up with a text from Joel, had taken a shower, had eaten breakfast, had broken his promise towards Joel a tiny bit and cleaned his bathroom, waited for Joel’s call and made himself ready to go out.

No joke, when I wrote those these lines, I had tears in my eyes😭 I was like, “oh god what am I doing to him??” and I didn’t even start with the torture, but I just how would you feel when you learn you will die right now just when you thought your life was getting better, and now you will lose everything and your love, and oh god, I want to cry again for Aleksi.

It all seemed to be so far away now as if it happened in another world; a shiny, happy world where his character had found true love and was about to live happily ever after. 

He shouldn’t have trusted all that goodness, nothing ever came without a price. Obviously it was his life he had to pay with now. But if asked if it had been worth it, those lovely few months he had had with Joel, then he would say yes. 

In Aleksi’s life he had to earn everything he had ever gotten (one-off being Robin’s friendship), he never got anything for free and never experienced much good, knew he would have to work hard to achieve anything. With Joel he had thought it was an exception and now he learns that because he had chosen Joel he will die, isn’t that great?

[tellthemeerkatsitsfine]

Been down a bit of a(nother) rabbit hole, one that is, at the moment, distracting me from being furious about things, but specifically, being furious about other people being too conciliatory and being fine with things and expecting me to be fine with things and what happened to the righteous anger that fuelled us so much in our youth? And sure it's great that you're more successful now and have to go off and mingle on big international trips with those people who have been ruining lives of people I love for most of my life, and you can smile and be respectful and diplomatic and we'll get more done by understanding that sometimes we have to work with people we don't like, but actually as much as I joke about my petty grudges it's not just petty and it's not just a joke, I hated these things for good reasons and I hate the idea that in our thirties we're supposed to just mature into thinking it's all fucking fine and get over our history. At what age does anger become an immature thing? I know I make a lot of jokes about how I was an angry rebellious loose cannon teenager, but I was in fact a teenager who'd been abused by adults in authority and failed by a system that should have protected myself and the people I loved from it, and I dedicated my adult life to trying to create a better place than that, and yeah sometimes make jokes about how the other guys suck, but that doesn't mean it really was just a silly teenage rivalry that I should mature out of now and be fine working in a terrible system and go back to get emotionally invested in more young people just to watch them get abused by the same system because we're all mature enough to work within it now, and sin of vagueposting on social media isn't so bad if you do it somewhere that you're anonymous and none of the people involved could possibly see it, right? Because I know it's a sin but I've been furious all day and needed to vent.

Anyway. Anyway. I might have been looking for someone to be angry for me in my music collection today, and I may not have found any about my specific situation (not a lot of crossover with the arts there), but I did enjoy realizing I have two songs in a very specific niche: musician who has toured with comedians and hangs out with comedians so much that they're sort of an honourary comedian, may in fact have even done some comedy, wrote a song about the 2015 UK general election to express fury about the results, but not just general fury at Tory politicians, specific frustration with the people who could have stopped it but failed to care enough to do so. Quite specific type of song.

Anyway, this rabbit hole also brought me to a Facebook livestream that Gavin Osborn did in 2021, and listening to an hour of Gavin playing gentle guitar songs is definitely a good way to calm down a bit if you're furious about things. He did some chat between the songs with the guy who organized it, and I cut out this clip where he explains the origins of his inclusion in the Chocolate Milk Gang, a story I knew but it's always fun to hear again. And they talk for a while about how great Isy Suttie is.

[fenomenologia22]

Culture - Defining, Identifying

Culture - When I hear the word, I picture a petri dish in an biology lab.

Recently, I met a former colleague from work at a social event. I asked him about his new job. He replied, "Great, the culture is completely different from where you worked before." We met at the same company. I was there when he left, but remained with him. Culture. I was curious.

Italiano What is it exactly? Culture is a concept that you hear first. It refers to a distant people, an ancient civilization, or a land from another time and place. Think about the food they ate, how it was cooked, their traditional clothing, how they were dressed, the music they made and the folklore that they shared with their guests at their evening entertainment. You are then asked by someone, "Where do your work?" They ask you to tell them. They then ask you, "What culture is that?" You stop dead in your tracks. Culture? What does culture mean to you? That's all I meant.

Over the years, I was fortunate to have worked for many companies. Little did I know that each company I worked for had a different culture.

My first job was at a tech startup with 23 employees. They hired me and I was fired three months later. They went bankrupt. Yes, I quit a stable company with good pay and benefits, as well as a great team of techies like me. Another tech startup was the one I interviewed with three times. Yes, that's correct - three times. The president and his VP made me an offer a few days before Christmas. After I requested several days for a decision, the president looked at me for five seconds and then pulled the letter from me. He said, "Terry. I think I am going back to my offer." I never got to see the letter and didn't get to flip it over. The multinational defense contractor was established many years later. After only three years of being there, I realized that they were notorious for not hiring people when contracts were inked and then letting them go once those contracts expired. The large service provider is the one that has many departments and is process-driven, but very informal in its processes. Each group completed very similar tasks, but there was little consistency in the process. Each of the four companies mentioned were displaying a part of their "culture". The first company was a gun-slinging employer despite having accumulated debts for several years. The second company expected all employees to give up their lives and do what the president asked, no matter whether it was Monday, Saturday, midnight, or holiday. The third company rode its contractual wave without losing a single day of their employees through any dry spells of work. The fourth was able to create an environment that allowed employees freedom to think and act as they please, regardless of any standard practice or process.

It is evident that culture does not come from faraway lands or distant pasts. It's right in front you, today and now. It may be something you don't think about or believe only at festivals and international events. Your workplace is a great example because of the repetitive hours you work there every day. Culture is defined by the amount of time you spend there. It's possible to hear the phrase "Company ABC", which means that employees work 70-hour weeks. Most organizations, regardless of how small or large, have a culture. It may be difficult to recognize cultural characteristics because we might spend less time volunteering. This may be due to the fact that the environment is not always the most welcoming. Most workplaces have a culture. Certain environments are known for their cultural characteristics. These traits are what they use in public advertising, literature, taglines, and company literature. There are also hidden, unwritten, and hard to identify traits. These are the traits employees don't talk about. You may be told, "Come work here and spend 10 years as I did" You may not be able to see patterns in other environments. It may take years to recognize a characteristic or aspect that you can call culture.

There is both good and bad culture. Good Culture - "Continual learning and development, regardless of our roles, are part of our culture." This is how many companies advertise their positive culture. This is usually found in the company's statement, branding, and public advertisements. What about their "bad culture?" As an employee, you will gradually have to witness, observe, and confirm their "bad" culture. This information will not be provided by your employer. This is what employees will call "experience". Some companies will defend their bad culture so hard that they lose their employees, lose money and fail to develop their products or overlook new opportunities. As an employee, you have to decide if you are able to accept and work in a culture that you don't agree with. Although it may seem easy, if you feel that the culture trait you dislike is preventing your growth, learning, advancement, morals or personal excellence, you might decide to leave. It is not worth it to live in a negative culture.

Many companies have fallen because of bad culture. Instead of making positive changes that will ensure the company's long-term survival and prosperity, the focus has been on justifying the culture, denial of any problem, looking the other direction, and not dealing with the negative aspects of the culture. It is possible for companies to not acknowledge bad culture. If they do, then they must do something about it. It is difficult. It can be difficult to change culture. Culture can be influenced by how they manage their employees and day-to-day operations. There is the possibility that some negative characteristics of culture will be eliminated and treated. It is a good thing if the positive traits are stronger than the negative ones. To make up for the negative traits, you can add more positive traits. Some companies even use the term "culture" as a "safe harbor". All attributes and traits, both good and bad, are unified under the umbrella of "culture". Negative traits are now a "hands-off" topic. Companies do not need to act on this "safe haven". It is not necessary to lead and drive change. Change is risky and some might say that it's bad. Each company needs a culture. Culture is good. We don't need to do anything, it's "our culture". It's accepted simply because it is good to have a culture. End of story.

One time, I was the only person responsible for managing and leading a project that was assigned to me. I was responsible for analyzing trends and identifying broken links. Then, I designed a process to address those broken links. Document it, then roll it out to all the groups. Key users were also educated. My manager and me met frequently to discuss the project. I would find out where resistance was coming from in the affected groups and what we could do to help them. My manager started to defend the group with which I was having difficulty on two separate occasions. He was not supporting me but defending them. I was shocked, perplexed and disappointed by the lack of support. His actions were impeding, if not delaying my efforts. My project was doomed for failure. This was the "culture" I found at work. It was a large, multi-service company with an oligopoly. It didn't like change or the speed at which my project required it to. The broken links continued and staff used the same process they had always used, no matter how inefficient. Managers were expected to be friendly with each other and not cause them any headaches. Because of this negative cultural trait, it was necessary to invest extra effort and time in reshaping the rollout. Roll out was slower and less effective than it should have been. It started to look more like a personal project, where I was trying make a name for my self and not as a fully-mandated project. It was rightly so that many didn't take it seriously, or even buy into it at the beginning, which cost me months of progress. It was a huge cost to adapt to their cultural bias.

[fenomenologiablog]

Culture - Defining, Identifying

Culture - When I hear the word, I picture a petri dish in an biology lab.

Recently, I met a former colleague from work at a social event. I asked him about his new job. He replied, "Great, the culture is completely different from where you worked before." We met at the same company. I was there when he left, but remained with him. Culture. I was curious.

curiosità What is it exactly? Culture is a concept that you hear first. It refers to a distant people, an ancient civilization, or a land from another time and place. Think about the food they ate, how it was cooked, their traditional clothing, how they were dressed, the music they made and the folklore that they shared with their guests at their evening entertainment. You are then asked by someone, "Where do your work?" They ask you to tell them. They then ask you, "What culture is that?" You stop dead in your tracks. Culture? What does culture mean to you? That's all I meant.

Over the years, I was fortunate to have worked for many companies. Little did I know that each company I worked for had a different culture.

My first job was at a tech startup with 23 employees. They hired me and I was fired three months later. They went bankrupt. Yes, I quit a stable company with good pay and benefits, as well as a great team of techies like me.

Another tech startup was the one I interviewed with three times. Yes, that's correct - three times. The president and his VP made me an offer a few days before Christmas. After I requested several days for a decision, the president looked at me for five seconds and then pulled the letter from me. He said, "Terry. I think I am going back to my offer." I never got to see the letter and didn't get to flip it over. The multinational defense contractor was established many years later. After only three years of being there, I realized that they were notorious for not hiring people when contracts were inked and then letting them go once those contracts expired. The large service provider is the one that has many departments and is process-driven, but very informal in its processes. Each group completed very similar tasks, but there was little consistency in the process. Each of the four companies mentioned were displaying a part of their "culture". The first company was a gun-slinging employer despite having accumulated debts for several years. The second company expected all employees to give up their lives and do what the president asked, no matter whether it was Monday, Saturday, midnight, or holiday. The third company rode its contractual wave without losing a single day of their employees through any dry spells of work. The fourth was able to create an environment that allowed employees freedom to think and act as they please, regardless of any standard practice or process.

It is evident that culture does not come from faraway lands or distant pasts. It's right in front you, today and now. It may be something you don't think about or believe only at festivals and international events. Your workplace is a great example because of the repetitive hours you work there every day. Culture is defined by the amount of time you spend there. It's possible to hear the phrase "Company ABC", which means that employees work 70-hour weeks. Most organizations, regardless of how small or large, have a culture. It may be difficult to recognize cultural characteristics because we might spend less time volunteering. This may be due to the fact that the environment is not always the most welcoming. Most workplaces have a culture. Certain environments are known for their cultural characteristics. These traits are what they use in public advertising, literature, taglines, and company literature. There are also hidden, unwritten, and hard to identify traits. These are the traits employees don't talk about. You may be told, "Come work here and spend 10 years as I did" You may not be able to see patterns in other environments. It may take years to recognize a characteristic or aspect that you can call culture.

There is both good and bad culture. Good Culture - "Continual learning and development, regardless of our roles, are part of our culture." This is how many companies advertise their positive culture. This is usually found in the company's statement, branding, and public advertisements. What about their "bad culture?" As an employee, you will gradually have to witness, observe, and confirm their "bad" culture. This information will not be provided by your employer. This is what employees will call "experience". Some companies will defend their bad culture so hard that they lose their employees, lose money and fail to develop their products or overlook new opportunities. As an employee, you have to decide if you are able to accept and work in a culture that you don't agree with. Although it may seem easy, if you feel that the culture trait you dislike is preventing your growth, learning, advancement, morals or personal excellence, you might decide to leave. It is not worth it to live in a negative culture.

Many companies have fallen because of bad culture. Instead of making positive changes that will ensure the company's long-term survival and prosperity, the focus has been on justifying the culture, denial of any problem, looking the other direction, and not dealing with the negative aspects of the culture. It is possible for companies to not acknowledge bad culture. If they do, then they must do something about it. It is difficult. It can be difficult to change culture. Culture can be influenced by how they manage their employees and day-to-day operations. There is the possibility that some negative characteristics of culture will be eliminated and treated. It is a good thing if the positive traits are stronger than the negative ones. To make up for the negative traits, you can add more positive traits. Some companies even use the term "culture" as a "safe harbor". All attributes and traits, both good and bad, are unified under the umbrella of "culture". Negative traits are now a "hands-off" topic. Companies do not need to act on this "safe haven". It is not necessary to lead and drive change. Change is risky and some might say that it's bad. Each company needs a culture. Culture is good. We don't need to do anything, it's "our culture". It's accepted simply because it is good to have a culture. End of story.

One time, I was the only person responsible for managing and leading a project that was assigned to me. I was responsible for analyzing trends and identifying broken links. Then, I designed a process to address those broken links. Document it, then roll it out to all the groups. Key users were also educated. My manager and me met frequently to discuss the project. I would find out where resistance was coming from in the affected groups and what we could do to help them. My manager started to defend the group with which I was having difficulty on two separate occasions. He was not supporting me but defending them. I was shocked, perplexed and disappointed by the lack of support. His actions were impeding, if not delaying my efforts. My project was doomed for failure. This was the "culture" I found at work. It was a large, multi-service company with an oligopoly. It didn't like change or the speed at which my project required it to. The broken links continued and staff used the same process they had always used, no matter how inefficient. Managers were expected to be friendly with each other and not cause them any headaches. Because of this negative cultural trait, it was necessary to invest extra effort and time in reshaping the rollout. Roll out was slower and less effective than it should have been. It started to look more like a personal project, where I was trying make a name for my self and not as a fully-mandated project. It was rightly so that many didn't take it seriously, or even buy into it at the beginning, which cost me months of progress. It was a huge cost to adapt to their cultural bias.

[kaiwewi]

May I please request a part 2 of guilty conscionse? I loved it! Preferably one where hero finally breaks and as villain is trying to save them, they are crying and begging them not to hurt them.

Thank you for the request, I hope you'll like it! Unfortunately (for the hero mostly), there won't be any rescue attempts in this one yet. But we'll get there eventually xD

Guilty Conscience #2

[Masterlist: Renegade Rescue Squad] [Part 1]

Synopsis: neither the little hero nor Villain are enjoying their stay in Other Villain's torture dungeon.

tw: whump, captivity, talk about torture, needles

“You’re quite right, birdie,” Other Villain said with a shrug. They’d put the magnets back into a pocket of their lab coat. “A less fatal approach is indeed preferable. I should learn to not be so wasteful; such beautiful specimens are hard to come by.”

Villain suppressed the furious urge to scream.

The hero was a person.

And what a person they were – fuelled by foolish hope and ardent convictions, a daredevil spirit in a teenager’s body. Calling them a specimen… Other Villain was a sadistic monstrosity, even more so for thinking themself a scientist.

“We do have more sustainable options.” A smirk spread on Other Villain's face. This psychopath Villain had so recklessly allied himself with was circling the little hero again. Prowling. Assessing. Scrutinising. “We can take our time, get to know each other. I could familiarise you with my rather extensive collection of bacteria colonies, all stored in adorable little Petri dishes. One of my favourite hobbies – my pride and joy.”

The hero looked calmer than they should be. How could they listen to this and remain sane? The gleam in Other Villain’s eyes alone made Villain nauseous enough as it was and he wasn’t even on the receiving end of their attention.

He shouldn't be here. This entire alliance had been an enormous mistake, but he only had himself to blame. He’d been aware of his colleague’s reputation from the start. But since this was going to be just a temporary team up, he hadn’t though… well.

He hadn’t thought.

Oh, how convenient it had been to turn a blind eye to tales of horror when he hadn’t yet had to witness any such atrocities in person, when the likelihood of taking prisoners during their limited time working together had seemed so slim, when Other Villain hadn’t expected him to stand by and watch as they ripped apart a living breathing human being.

And if he told them to stop, would he be next? – Possibly.

He cursed silently.

The hero started squirming in their bonds with renewed vigour when Other Villain stepped closer and loomed over them, gleefully jabbing a finger into the hero’s upper arm. Other Villain started listing bacteria they could infect their poor victim with and instruments they might use to accomplish the task.

“Now, a subcutaneous injection with so-called ‘flesh-eating’ bacteria…”

Villain had stopped listening. He was observing the rise and fall of the hero’s chest, keeping count, calculating. Their respiratory rate was definitely above 25 breaths per minute. Elevated. Perhaps close to hyperventilation, though the breathing seemed too shallow. Their pulse was probably—

“No!” the little hero shrieked.

Other Villain had produced a syringe with a clear liquid from their pocket and was trailing the needle tip down their trembling captive’s arm, taunting.

The hero shook their head. “No, no, no, don’t…”

“Not to worry,” Other Villain said, their tone a mockery of reassurance, “it’s going to be just fine. While an untreated infection might result in your death within a week or so, if you start begging early enough – and trust me, you will – I could still save you with antibiotics. For the right price.” They smiled, self-satisfied and cruel. “This method has the additional advantage of being repeatable.”

The hero looked about ready to faint or spiral into mindless panic. One more ghastly tale or mention of bacterial infections might push the poor thing over the edge for good. Yet somehow, they appeared to have retained a modicum of self-possession, because even now they managed to narrow their eyes and glare.

“Why are you like this?” they asked, and the wobble in their voice did not undermine the venom in their tone, though tears had begun to roll down their cheeks. “You’re seriously screwed in the head, you fucking freak.”

“I think” – Other Villain cackled – “you might have a point there.”

They thrust the needle into the hero’s arm.

[Part 3]

[lonelyridesinecto-one]

Sleeping Arrangements

Egon Spengler • She/Her Pronouns • GB!Reader • SFW/Smol Angst (injury)

With shifts, sleeping arrangements should be easier. Dating Egon while on opposite shifts of him? The arrangements are…different

“Hey, Egie…” Y/N enters the lab still in her jumpsuit as she had already taken her boots off upstairs by her locker.

“Hi, are you just getting back?” Egon asks looking away from his microscope to look at his partner.

“Yeahhh…Winston is getting the multiple traps cleaned as we speak while Ray fixes a tire” She rubs her eyes a bit once she sat in the chair beside Egon. “Ray was talking food on the way back, Chinese?”

“Works with me, but you should get some sleep before your next shift. Wouldn’t want you to fall unconscious during a call” He gently moves the hair away from her face as she pouts when he pulls his hand away. But was immediately pulled closer to him receiving a forehead kiss.

“But I wanna be with you” Y/N smiles only for the small moment to be ruined with the alarm. “Spoke too soon…”

“Good luck honey” Egon smiles watching her get up quickly heading to the stairs.

His partner suddenly stops making his expression soften before peeking up when she ran back to him giving him a small peck on the lips.

Egon couldn’t help the smile to form on his face after Y/N did that.

•

After a couple of scheduled calls, Egon returns to the firehouse late with an annoyed exhausted Peter. As Peter headed upstairs groaning when Egon said he’ll take care of the traps, Egon quickly did such before thinking he could get away with staying up a bit longer in the lab.

But was immediately met with Y/N fast asleep at one of the workbenches. She was testing a slime sample while waiting for Egon to come back and managed to fall asleep without getting any of the open Petri dishes onto her slump-over hair.

The scientist carefully maneuvers around her to clean up all of her things before carefully picking her up bridal style.

“You shouldn’t wait for me, lovely” Egon whispers as Y/N snuggles closer into his chest making him fall in love with her all over again.

Egon was careful when bringing her to the beds, and extra careful with the snoring Peter in one of them. He laid Y/N down gently and before the thought even crossed his mind, she held onto his jumpsuit giving him a look with no added words to explain that she wanted him there. He took his boots off before climbing in beside her in the full-size bed as Y/N instantly brought herself to lay on top of him.

“Mm…I love you”

“I love you, honey”

The two were then startled by the loud obnoxious snore coming from Peter. He heard them and did it on purpose.

•

“I’m fine yknow”

“Mhm sure. Just wait till Egon sees what happened”

“I got tossed. That happens to all of you all the time. Can’t predict that stuff”

“Fair…But the rest of us aren’t dating Spengler. He may not show it very often. But the man is protective of you. He’s gonna be glad we caught the bugger that tossed yea but he’s going to watch to check you out. So don’t hide anything”

“Ray.”

“Yeah?” Ray smiles glancing over to Y/N who has a bandage on her left cheek and a few bruises formed or slowly forming on her arms.

“Do I really need to say the obvious?”

“Nope,” Ray continues to smile as he pulls into the firehouse. “You can go clean the trap. I’ll distract Egon”

Y/N rolls her eyes as she unbuckles to leave the car. Ray was the first to leave Ecto-1 to give Peter the ticket from the job while Y/N struggled to get to the containment unit without alerting Egon as he did another numbers check.

“You’re not very quiet in combat boots”

“Okay…just don’t turn around. I’m indisposed”

“…I’m your boyfriend, I have seen—-“

“Stop! We aren’t the only ones in the firehouse and Peter doesn’t get to know the details of what we do behind a closed door” Y/N felt her face heat up as she started the cleaning process. “I thought you would be sleeping”

“As much as I do enjoy some moments alone, I would rather spend them with you. Besides. There are several medical benefits to sleeping next to your partner” Egon states as he sets his clipboard down before noticing Y/N with the top half of her jumpsuit wrapped around her waist revealing the few bruises on her arms and not to mention the bandage on her cheek being the first thing he saw. “What happened, I thought this was another slimer case”

“It was. But he got away and as we were heading back we got called onto another job…granted I should’ve slept a bit longer or I would’ve responded quicker to the ghost heading straight toward me. Then maybe I wouldn’t have been knocked off my feet so quickly” Y/N frowns pulling the empty trap out and setting it on the pile carefully while Egon was quick to take his light pent out to check her ocular response. Making her take his hands to stop him. “I’m fine. Just a little banged up”

“Mmm. I’ll tell Ray to continue the shift with Peter. You are benched”

“Hey you can’t—-“

“Oh but I can. If you’re not going to let me run all my tests, the least I can do is observe” Egon states making his way to the main part of the firehouse leaving Y/N slightly annoyed but she kind of liked how protective he can be. Even if his monotone composure doesn’t radiate such.

As the shift continued without Y/N, she found herself dozing off right beside Egon as he worked on a few kinetic tests on the slime. Every moment he’d turn to her seeing her perk back up to show that she was awake and all he wanted for her to do was go lay down in the beds upstairs but she didn’t want to leave. They rarely have quiet moments just themselves.

•

“I hate that you asked me to do this”

“Needed to do it when Y/N was out of town. You would think with the weight of the proton packs it wouldn’t be this difficult to carry something like such downstairs”

“You do recall the five-year gap right?”

“No excuse to not maintain good exercise”

“What are you, my trainer Egon?”

“If you had one” Egon rolls his eyes leaving Peter to ponder his words to join Ray and Winston on a few jobs.

•

As Y/N returns late from visiting her parents, she immediately went down to the lab since Ecto-1 was in the house meaning they should be back from however many jobs they did. Plus the snores of Ray echoed throughout the firehouse if you listen carefully.

The lab light is still on… Y/N worries about her partner’s sleeping habits but when she finally entered the lab…

She couldn’t help but smile at the sight of sleeping Egon on a couch he had got just so she’d have somewhere to sleep but still be close to him if he wasn’t.

Y/N removes her coat setting it on a chair, slipping out of her shoes and gently joining Egon on the couch as he instantly wraps his arms around her sighing blissfully.

“You didn’t have to”

“Mm…” He kisses the top of her head, slowly turning toward the couch with her to be sandwiched between the backrest and her partner. “It’s so you can be close to me and sleep comfortably”

“Well I found you sleeping peacefully until I joined”

“Then it became perfect” He kept her close not ever wanting to let go and she was okay with that.

These are reasonable sleeping arrangements.