#so basically dentistry in the us

[0dotexe]

I've had four root canals done in a period of two weeks - this is not an exaggeration

How did I get here? Well… The starting point of this story is a bit hazy. I only have a handful of tooth related incidents that happened in the US that have been remedied or are going to be remedied in Mexico. I wanted to reflect on this this week.

Come join me as I talk about the fractured system of dental healthcare in the US and how Mexico is saving my mouth from disaster.

My dental health has always been between sub-par to terrible.

No matter what I did - or didn't do - my teeth would literally fall apart at the seams no matter what. I lost a lot of my baby teeth very early on (all of them having some cavity of varying intensity) and a lot of my adult teeth didn't really properly develop (there are some where the roots do not show up in x-rays) I also have had a ridiculous sugar addiction from the age of 6 to now (which I am desperately trying to break with varying success)

Unfortunately for me, I also grew up poor. I had to rely on a system that was severely underfunded (LaCHIP for those interested, it was terrible.) There's a really great video that I highly recommend watching to understand how these programs work, because I do not have the time or language to explain it better than how she does. I will admit, this video made me cry from how similar my experiences were in relation to the Medicare portion of this video.

Think of a procedure, and I've probably had it done. I've had numerous root canals (even before now), extractions, I have a bridge, I have metal fillings, I have these weird metal teeth protectors, some veneers somehow. Needless to say, my mouth is a mess, and it continues to be a mess. My dentist is trying everything in her power to not resort to dentures because of my age and also because of my autoimmune disorders (which, funnily enough, are becoming less and less disabling since I've been getting work done)

However, for perspective, a lot of dental work that was done on me was done with really low quality materials and undertrained staff. Especially during a time where things like depression and autism weren't as understood in their ability to severely impact how ones dental health can become without the proper precautions and alternatives.

You see, for 20 years, I didn't brush my teeth. This is also not an exaggeration. This happened partially because every time I tried to it hurt like hell because of sensory issues, but also because no one really taught me how to without being condescending about it in the first place. Don't worry, I'm brushing them almost daily now!

Now, I want to share with you a handful of stories.

For a good portion of my dentist appointments in the US, I was rebuked for my poor dental health. One time I told them I didn't know how to brush my teeth, and they just laughed in my face about it. From that point on I lied about brushing my teeth. At one point I was even asked if I was doing crack cocaine because of how bad my teeth were, and one of my teeth got so bad it turned completely black and stayed that way for 5-6 years. One of my front teeth got "fixed" four times before it completely broke and had to get a bridge over it. A metal filling I have has caused one of my molars to start to dissolve, probably because they used mercury. But out of all of these, the most offensive of my tooth stories has to be my broken molar.

During the middle of 2021, I had a molar that broke. It exposed the nerve and everything, and the tooth was disappearing at an alarming rate. I looked for a local place in town that could do emergency dental work without insurance, but was put on a two week waiting list because COVID restrictions were only just slowly being lifted. "Fine," I thought, "Not the worst."

It got worse. About a week in, the tooth basically lost 90% of its mass, leaving the exposed nerve even more exposed. I ate something, and bam, the nerve had gotten pinched. It was honestly one of the worst pains I've ever been in. It radiated from my jaw to my ear, making me lose hearing for a bit. Any time ANYTHING touched that area, I would go into an uncontrolable shaking fit and had to alternate between ice packs, heating pads, and waaaaay too much pain meds. I would never wish this pain on anyone.

Finally, the appointment day arrives. I'm excited to finally get this taken care of before I'm set to fly out and get married. People file in and out of the place, as expected. When my turn arrives, I'm given the standard x-rays, then looked at by some nice dental assistants who look at my gums and plaque (and cavities too)

Then, the dentist arrives. I've shown everyone else my vaccination card to ensure that I am safe to work on. The dentist says, "I'm not afraid of some virus," while looking at my chart. 'Okay…' I think to myself, already realizing what kind of dentist this is, as I've seen types like him many times before.

As I tell him that I have a severe issue that literally needs to be taken care of right now, he gives it a glance, says, "That's pretty bad, but it looks infected so we'll have to put you on antibiotics before we can do anything about it." And then leaves before I have a chance to protest.

At this point, I am fuming. I came here for an EMERGANCY, my root is EXPOSED, my ear fucking HURTS. And this joke of a dentist says "We'll get to it when we get to it." No.. No fucking way. As I wait to be called to another room so they can set up another appointment (one I was hoping was sooner rather than later) I tell my now husband about the ordeal.

Because this was the free appointment, I didn't have to pay anything, but they did show me the amount it WOULD have been. Let me tell you, it made me even more frustrated. It would have been approxamately $200 for that appointment, and the appointment after that would have been anywhere from $1500-2000 just for the root canal of the problematic tooth. And the date they wanted to set it for? The day after I flew out to Mexico.

I, being raised to not make a stink to people just doing their job, declined their invitation to come back. Giving them my valid reasoning of literally being out of the country during that time. They gave me my x-ray and I left, absolutely chuffed.

That very tooth that I'm talking about? Just got a root canal done on it yesterday, in January 2023. For a fraction of the price it would have ever been in the US if I had decided to trust that slimy dentist. I am aware that not all dentists are like this, but almost every single one I ran into in the US mirrored this dentist in some way or another. Prescribing an unnecessary amount of medication, overcharging for basic procedures or even just being looked at, having a condescending tone about them.

It's no wonder I have had shit teeth for so long.

At one point, I was even begging to get dentures because I could barely eat or drink anything without a substantial amount of pain. I have an unusually high pain tolerance too, so if it was bad enough to send my pain receptors into overdrive, who knows how long or how much it would have cost to be able to do half of what my dentist here in Mexico has done.

I am honestly forever grateful for her. She has been taking her time with my teeth to make sure nothing shifts my mouth too much, she has been extremely understanding of my situation, and has even felt shock at the stories I have told her about my teeth and the dentists I had to deal with in the US. She has literally inspired me to try my best to keep whatever bone I have left in this poor excuse of a mouth. I can deal with the pain of a handful (we're up to 6 now) of root canals and future extractions (which is expected to be 2 or 3, depending)

Medical tourism in Mexico is a huge thing, especially for dental work, and it's no wonder. If you are a dentist or wanting to be a dentist in the US, I beg you to be kind to your patients. Especially the poor, disabled, or underprivileged ones. It makes all the difference between if your patient has perfect teeth for decades or has next to nothing left after a quarter of their life.

If you're like me and struggle to keep up with your dental health because of sensory issues or depression, here's a fantastic video about alternatives.

That's my piece. Feel free to respond with your own experiences.

⬖.Exe

[commissions4aid-international]

Help Ahed get to safety!

[Art by @monmonp0k]

Hey everyone! Allow us the pleasure of introducing you to Ahed (@ahedalshaer), a 22-year-old dentistry student from Gaza! She dreams of becoming a dentist, and was working very hard to achieve this dream until the occupation destroyed her university and her home. She was forcibly displacing multiple times and now lives in a tent, which lacks basic essentials such as food, water, medical care, or adequate shelter. She is now looking to evacuate, and right now she is quite low on funds.

So let's help her out! Remember that every single bit counts - donate anything you can spare to her, and if you can't spare anything, you should be sharing this post and boosting her campaign however you can.

[Verified by the Butterfly Effect Project (line 407) | €2,145 of €80,000 goal]

[sayruq]

Hi , My name is Shahad ABUMOUSA ، I am 20 years old ... I' am from GAZA.. and I am studying dentistry in my third year. my family members are 7 For 158 days we have been living in bad conditions in this war. The ways to die in this region have differed, but death is inevitable in the end. Starvation, siege, and difficult financial conditions have been practiced for all families. No electricity, no water, no food. We have all lost our memories, everything. One of us lost a friend, a family member, etc.Like any person, I am a dentistry student. I had a private life. I had a dream of my own and I sought to achieve it in all available ways. I had relatives and friends, and suddenly, without warning, I lost all of this. I could no longer take any step forward because of the occupation and because of everything that happened. happening around me,One of the most basic human rights is to complete his education and continue his life from where he left off, but here the situation is completely different. There are different ways to preserve life, but since when has human life been compared to money? Help me to get me and my family out of Gaza and escape death. This may be the last chance to survive. I hope that all friends ,all charities ,and kind -hearted people will help me in an emergency..So I urgently need your help so that I can continue my future from where I left off and I and my family can evacuate to a safe place where we can live a life similar to life as any person in this big world. Help me by spreading and donating. Little can make a difference and change reality

Guys please do what you can for Shahad and her family

[lonniemachin]

Shahad reached out to me to help boost her fundraiser. She is a Palestinian dentistry student urgently trying to help her family of 7 evacuate from Gaza. She has only made $399 of her $40,000 goal so far! Please donate, and if you can't please share!

From Shahad's GFM:

Hi , My name is Shahad ABUMOUSA ، I am 20 years old ...

I' am from GAZA.. and I am studying dentistry in my third year.

my family members are 7 For 158 days we have been living in bad conditions in this war. The ways to die in this region have differed, but death is inevitable in the end. Starvation, siege, and difficult financial conditions have been practiced for all families. No electricity, no water, no food. We have all lost our memories, everything. One of us lost a friend, a family member, etc. One of the most basic human rights is to complete his education and continue his life from where he left off, but here the situation is completely different. There are different ways to preserve life, but since when has human life been compared to money? Help me to get me and my family out of Gaza and escape death. This may be the last chance to survive.

I hope that all friends ,all charities ,and kind -hearted people will help me in an emergency..

[weaponsofclairvoyance]

Wafaa is a 21-year-old dentistry scholar from Gaza. Her family includes both parents, two brothers (one of whom suffers from macular dystrophy), a pregnant sister in her third trimester with her 3-year-old son, and her husband.

Wafaa’s main concern is the safety and well-being of her family, especially her young nephew and pregnant sister. She dreams of a better future for them, where they can live without fear and have access to basic necessities and healthcare.

She says, “We have endured so much hardship and uncertainty. It breaks my heart to see my family suffer. We are desperately seeking a way to reach safety and provide a better life for our children. Your support means the world to us and gives us hope. We are eternally grateful for any assistance you can provide.”

All the funds raised through this campaign will be used to pay for the fees required to cross the border into Egypt (6000$ per person), where Wafaa and her family hope to find safety and stability. Time is of the essence, as their current situation is dire.

[2sgf]

Solstice ☀️ Sol ☀️ Sunny

he/him ⭐ they/them ⭐ she/her

28 years old ; tme two-spirit first nations wo/man

@mermen is my moonlight 🌙

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more about under the cut! ^^ not necessary to read

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☀ my final message...... peas and lov on planet erth....... goodnight

[twistedwonderlandshenanigans]

Concept Cards??? + Vignette Ideas

We really need twst hobby cards to come out eventually (Read As: I want a card where Cater gets to skateboard lmao) But like...

Riddle - Tending the Garden: His vignette is about trying out new hobbies, but needing to start slow, so rather than just pruning the rosebushes he tries to grow his own plants for tea because it seems manageable/maybe growing an herb garden on his windowsill bc he again, needs to start small and manageable so his schedule isn't thrown off and he doesn't feel like he's sacrificing academics for leisure

Trey - Old Habits: His vignette is basically him and Deuce talking until Deuce brings up he has a toothache. We basically get to see Trey take a deep dive into dentistry and the extent of his knowledge because he manages to identify the issue and solve it, and it's revealed that when he's bored of doing school work and too tired to bake he just loves to study dentistry best he can without schooling on the matter.

Cater - ???: His vignette is him leaving a clone at Heartslaybul so he can escape for a bit and clear his mind while on his skateboard because things were getting too tense for him and he's got nobody he trusts to confide in. We get to see him relax and cheer up while he's out. Alternatively, his vignette could be more about running out of paint because he's trying to customize his skateboard.

Deuce - They're Called What?: In which Deuce's friends find out about gremlin bells and gift them to him. (Gremlin bells are something motorcyclists use IRL, the legend is that someone used bells to scare away malicious spirits on the road, so when someone buys them bells they but them on the motorcycle as basically a reminder to be safe, but obviously in this case it would be for his blastcycle)

Ace - Just a Little Glitter: Ace gets a kick out of pulling pranks on people anonymously around the dorm because his brother told him about a prank he pulled in his time there and sent him a few small vials of glitter to help spice it up. Ace ends up mixing glitter in with someone's conditioner, or puts some between couch cushions so when someone sits down it makes the glitter fly up. There is a possibility for Riddle clocking him as the person who's done it, (likely with evidence from Cater), and instead of getting him in outright trouble, he tells him that the couch needs to be cleaned by hand, each piece of glitter meticulously picked up to get thrown out.

Leona - Once The Greatest: His vignette is about how he used to spar and train with his older brother and the general of the royal army, and how at one point he was able to disarm anyone in less than a minute, despite having been so young and not using magic to help him. Once he fell into depression he never really got back into it. (Maybe he sees Silver and Sebek sparring and calls out an error they've made?? IDK) Alternatively Prince's Gambit: totally not homoerotic at all ongoing chess game he has with Malleus slkdfhlksdjhflkjsdf

Ruggie - Only if You Get Caught: In which Lilia catches Ruggie stealing snacks from the teacher's lounge. We find out that he's managed to win over the paintings in the hall to not snitch him out to the teachers in exchange for him coming to read to them every once in a while because they are. Incredibly bored, and it lowkey reminds him of reading to his siblings at home. Lilia points out that he hasn't bought his silence yet and Ruggie reluctantly hands over a snack tax.

Jack - I Can't Let it Go: Jack gets devastated when his cactus starts showing signs of dying because he's done everything he can think of to take care of it. He takes it to Jade reluctantly because he knows Jade is botanically inclined and is horrified when Jade cuts it. Jade was actually propagating it, but keeps that to himself. He then explains to Jack that the reason it's rotting is because it's getting too much water and it's in too small of a pot. He gives him instructions on how to fix it and keeps the baby propagated cactus for himself lmao

Azul - GET OUT OF MY CLOSET: In which Floyd finds out Azul enjoys wearing dresses and owns plenty of high quality ones and never wears them in public. It's not until the eel is out of the room that Azul starts fussing over the state his dresses are in and goes to the vanity to start applying make up. He wants to do drag but doesn't have the confidence to do it in public yet.

Alternatively, same title but it's cosplays he and Idia have made but he's too shy to put on.

Jade - You Can't Hide: We Jade goes about collecting the first years information for Azul, we know that he collects info on: Home countries, Hobbies, Tastes, Least favourite foods, Worst Subjects and a catalogue of the students' Magicam accounts, including private or secret accounts. This vignette would be about a random first year who appears to have no Magicam account and is generally difficult to read. I feel like we would get to the point where Jade goes to the nurses office just to look through files for information he can relay to Azul. (I may be thinking about one of my OCs lmaooo)

Floyd - You Can't Run: We learn more about Floyd's shoe collection and the story behind a certain pair. We find out that at walking boot camp some shithead made fun of Jade. Since they were so confident in their ability to walk, Floyd took their shoes and essentially kidnapped them to leave them on a bed of pine needles so they would have to walk back to camp barefoot, letting them know they got off easy for coming after his brother.

Kalim - My Mom Taught Me!: Kalim invites the prefect to his dorm so he can give them henna on their hands, after having dealt with Jamil's OB. He gets to talk about how it was one of the things he remembers from early on in his life, and it was relatively easy to do. He does his siblings henna too. He ends up explaining how henna on the hands is meant to bring the prefect good luck and keep them safe. We find out after that everyone in his dorm got henna as well because he can't cast protective magic for that many people, so he can at least try with symbolism

Jamil - No Guarantees: Floyd approaches Jamil to ask him if he can teach him to dance a genre Jamil has NO experience with, but his insistence and Jamil's own interest get the best of him and he promises he'll try to find a way to learn it so he can teach Floyd. He ends up learning the basics + a little more essentially overnight and has a loose idea of how to teach Floyd, only for Floyd to tell him he doesn't want to learn anymore.

Vil - Wrong Notebook: Vil doesn't realize until he's gotten to class that he grabbed the wrong notebook off his desk before he left that morning. Rook inquires if he grabbed his design sketchbook instead, knowing full well he did, but just wants a chance to look at the most recent designs. Vil doesn't really care, he's mostly mad at himself for grabbing that instead of history notebook. Rook ends up sliding Vil the notebook he was missing, saying that he noticed that Vil's bag looked a few grams off weight or some shit and he went back to grab it.

Rook - It's Nothing Sinister: A two for one, Malleus can feel someone watching him from far away, and ends up confronting Rook. Rook explains while he does have a tendency to watch those he finds beautiful, this is different; he needed to keep looking at Malleus in order to accurately describe his beauty in the form of poetry. It's only at that point that Malleus sees the simple notebook Rook has, and asks to see it. Rook hands it over proudly, and Malleus can see that there are actually...multiple poems about him, about Leona, about the Leech twins, etc. etc. and finds it entertaining, asking Rook if he may make a duplicate so he can show Lilia.

Epel - Harder Than It Looks: We get to see Epel apple carving again. Ruggie and Jack approach him, and Ruggie asks him if he actually manages to turn a profit on it. Epel explains that back home, basic preservation magic is used, so tourists tend to find them cool and they can charge more for it. Ruggie asks if he can teach him, and Epel warns him that it's harder than it looks, handing him an apple. Ruggie just thanks him and says something's come up, pretending to look at his phone and walks away with a free apple, (Epel confused bc Ruggie could have just Asked for a snack), but Jack expresses interest as well. Jack tries to do it, (partially because he feels bad Ruggie just walked away), but trying to hold the apple securely enough to cut into it without the knife slipping makes him squish the apple too much, the sides kinda mushy and bruised. He and Jack get to have a laugh about it.

Idia - DON'T COME IN: In which Ortho knocks at the door and Idia panics because he is 110% in magic girl cosplay lmao Ortho ends up coming in and gets a giggle out of it because Idia is basically cosplaying young Epel's meemaw (and they both know he is). The worst part is the fact Muscle Red ends up hearing about it over the mic.

Ortho - I Don't Really Know...: Ortho realizes that he doesn't really have any of his own hobbies, all of them have been influenced by Idia, and film club is fun, but it's not a hobby. The first years each present him with different ideas for a hobby he can pick up. He has a blast, but ultimately still feels conflicted about enjoying a hobby his brother won't partake in. The first years start to argue over which hobby Ortho should join them in when Ortho notices Trey through the Heartslaybul windows, (the first years are outside), and the first years end up seeing him enjoying himself with Trey, who not only mitigated Ortho's worries but managed to take on a Different 'big brother' role. Also baking is all ratios and proportions and chemistry, and Ortho finds those fun and easy, and gets invested quickly.

Malleus - I've Run Out Of Ink: Malleus does calligraphy when he's journaling and you cannot change my mind on either of those fronts. The vignette is him just going to Sam's shop, and someone ends up snapping a photo of him at the counter, finding it funny that The Malleus Draconia looks like he's going grocery shopping. Lilia ends up seeing the post and asking Malleus why he didn't just ask him for more ink, and Malleus admits he wanted to potentially run into the Child of Man just so he could pay for their groceries because of a modern romance story he read recently.

Lilia - It's Called Power Clashing: Vil finds Lilia's alternate Magicam and sees that grandpa is actually doing pretty well as a fashion influencer, with power clashing as his signature style. (AKA wearing patterns on patterns that are unconventional). Vil has Mixed Feelings on the style, but with another photoshoot coming up where he knows Neige will be his rival, he needs something to really set him apart and reluctantly asks Lilia if he would be willing to help him design a power clash outfit. And it's Vil so of course he kills it in the outfit Lilia suggests.

Silver - One Day They'll Work: Cater sees Silver at Sam's shop - Silver's buying energy drinks and Cater is getting cold brew kdfjhlskdjfhkljsdf but once they get to the counter, Silver asks Sam if he can have a box from behind him. Cater finds out that Silver collects prisms. He collects them so in the rare event there's sun in Diasomnia, his room is covered in rainbows and he gets to wake up in it, making him happy. Cater asks if it's ever been sunny in Diasomnia, and Silver admits it hasn't since he's been there, but he has faith that there will be sun there one day because he dreamt about it.

Sebek - IT'S NOT CHILDISH: Silver stops by Sebek's room before bed at some point, only to find him putting Malleus stickers into a notebook. Before he can even say anything, Sebek is defending himself, flustered and upset because he didn't say Silver could come in, (Silver is used to doing the courtesy knock and then walking in, especially because Sebek tends to just Bust into Silver's room), and goes off on saying that any media with Malleus cannot be considered childish, even if that media happens to be stickers. Silver swears not to tell anyone, but still finds Sebek's defensiveness amusing

THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A SHORT POST (like less than 100 words) SLDKJFHLSJDFHLKSDJF love y'all slkfhldsjhflkjsdf

[ms-demeanor]

I just saw your posts about dentistry and finally managed to see a dentist for the first time today since 2008 due to major health and financial issues, and they told me that I'm likely going to need a root canal on one of my teeth. I've never had one done, but my mom has ages ago, and I'm terrified of the idea of them. What are they like? How many people are involved? How long does it take? Etc. TY in advance!

So it's going to depend on the dentist!

The dentist I went to who placed my gold crowns worked solo in his office and didn't even have a hygienist; he usually took between one and two hours with a return visit to seat the crown.

The last root canals I had took quite a bit longer and I'm now seeing a dentist who calls in a visiting endodontist for root canals; in that office it's 2-3 people involved, but usually two, the dentist doing the drilling and filling and an assistant who helps with suction and cleanup during the procedure.

The process is basically:

Dentist drills out the center of the tooth and around the outside of the tooth, making it into a smaller shape than before and making it hollow

Dentist drills/files out the nerves (the roots) and removes infected tissue

Dentist cleans and fills the nerves with an inert material

Dentist seals the hole in the tooth with epoxy and seats a crown (may be permanent but more likely is a temporary)

If it's a temporary, it's in your mouth for a few weeks while the dentist waits for your permanent crown to arrive; then you go back and they remove the temporary crown and there is some minor filing/drilling/testing as they seat the crown and adjust the bite, then they will cement the crown in place with an epoxy that binds it to the tooth stump

They will use a lot of anesthetic for this because it's a procedure that is extremely painful without anesthetic. If they start drilling and it is painful, let them know right away. If it starts hurting after they have been drilling, let them know right away.

If everything goes well I generally don't find root canals to be as horrifying as a lot of people do. There are a few ways they can go wrong, most of which involve the roots being more complicated than expected or having adverse reactions to anesthetic. If the roots are complicated it's usually just going to take longer than anticipated. Sometimes it also means the roots are deeper than where a typical anesthetic shot will be helpful, but as discussed in the other post your dentist should have multiple levels of anesthetic to help you get through it.

But since you are worried about it you should definitely call your dentist's office ahead of time! Let them know that this is your first root canal and you want to know about the procedure before you're actually in the chair and ask them what the process will look like at their office.

If you are working with your dentist and they are managing your pain during the procedure it may be a *long* process but it shouldn't be a horrible process.

Good luck!

[chaotic-iguana]

Tease

Based on this ask here. Here’s my masterlist and ao3 link.

Summary: Reader teases Joel all day, seemingly getting away with it until a few days later when he decides to get his payback, with a little bit of angst and plot sprinkled in. based on above request. (no/pre-outbreak AU.)

Pairing: husband! joel x reader (no use of y/n)

Wordcount: 4k (yeah i know. i know)

Warnings: bondage, dacryphilia, edging/denial, overstim, mean daddy dom! joel basically just fixing your attitude, smut and fluff, a little angst but its ok he takes care of it, implied/referenced age gap, husband! joel, soft joel but also most importantly malewife! joel ofc. MDNI please

A/N: so i went way off the prompt here and fleshed this out into a whole fic (my longest one yet actually); i hope you dont mind. i did change some elements, but it is still a pre-outbreak fic with an established relationship, and joel does technically punish reader for the pool party. i sprinkled some (~2k words) plot in to sort of have the forgetting about it element yk? and also im just feral for husband joel so this was an extremely experimental fic. i really hope you like it! 

——————————————————————————————————

So far, it had been a really good day.  Your newly-moved-in next door neighbors invited you, Joel, and Sarah over (along with half the block) for their housewarming party. For the first two or so hours, you sat on a reclined chaise next to the pool, watching Sarah splash around with the kids down below while Joel sat next to the grill with the other men, drinking a beer and in a seemingly animated conversation with someone. 

You wanted to laugh at the scene, witty comments about white men crowding to gossip about one of their three common interests - football, grilling or women - sitting just on the tip of your tongue while you chatted with Mia, your long-time neighbor and friend. Lying in the sun with a mimosa in hand, a book on one side of you and a companion on the other made something itch in your brain; a need to break the comfortable lethargy that had set in your bones. 

You were just this close to melting into the lawn chair out of boredom - lifting your head to scan your surroundings for Joel again, squinting underneath a furrowed brow when you can’t seem to find him. He was just there. Huffing, you grabbed the overshirt you had on-his flannel, actually, and pulled it up over your head. Gesturing for Mia to pass over the sunscreen, you took some out in your hand before starting to rub it in circles all over your arms, chest, stomach and legs. 

You were about to turn and try and get some on your back as well, when a man you don’t remember meeting before walked up to you and asked if he could “help you out”. You stuttered and told him it was alright, your husband would do it for you, swiveling your head to find him but gritting your teeth when once again, you couldn’t find Joel. Growing increasingly irritated, you turned to your friend, rolling your eyes at her teasing grin. “Where is he?” you mused, equal parts irritated with Joel for going MIA and with the creepy man you could see still hovering just a few steps away. “Why don’t you go find him? I’ll look after Sarah and yell for you if something happens,” she offers, smiling with a knowing glint in her eye. 

He’d been busy with some big construction contract these past two weeks, and the one morning you thought he’d be able to spend with you was spent with him passed out on the couch; apparently Tommy had needed to be bailed out late the previous night and he’d slipped out while you were sleeping. You missed Joel. He should have been the one helping you with sunblock, not some random guy-John, you’d learned, from two streets down with a chihuahua and a dentistry clinic not too far-who also evidently lacked the ability to shut up, because now your head was swimming with useless things about him he’d offered up to catch your attention, obviously thinking your “husband” was an excuse to end the conversation. 

So maybe you conveniently forgot to put the shirt back on and decided to find Joel in your skimpy swimsuit. Maybe you even batted your lashes at a few of the men gathered on the other side of the pool, and laughed a bit too sweetly and easily at their terrible jokes and obvious flirting. Just as you were about to ask if they’d seen where Joel went, the man himself materialized behind you. You felt a possessive hand grip your waist as he peered at the guys you were talking to with something in his gaze  aggressive enough to suddenly make all the men stuttering, bumbling fools who were instantly unable to meet your eyes, sheepishly muttering excuses before turning back to each other. Suppressing a grin, you turned to him and brought a hand up to his cheek, peering up at him through your lashes. “So evasive, Mr. Miller. I was having such a hard time finding you, I had to settle for spending some time with other people, instead.” You watched his gaze get darker, hardening as he trailed it over your form. Got him. 

“Let me introduce you to my new friend, John. He’s a dentist and he has the cutest dog,” you grip his wrist and tug him behind you before waving at John enthusiastically and walking up to him. John, you found, was also a complete idiot, because he choked on a greeting when he caught sight of your nipples through the swimsuit. Nevertheless, you persisted. “Meet my husband, Joel.” You point at John, explaining to Joel “Y’ know he’s also really kind? Offered to help me apply my sunblock without me asking. I was struggling with my back and chest, wasn’t I John?” you turn back to the man in question with another deceivingly charming smirk, watching him wither under Joel’s scowl and nod meekly; mumbling an apology and slinking towards the drinks. 

Catching sight of Joel’s thunderous expression, you innocently raise a brow at him before stretching exaggeratedly, palming his bulge subtly as you move your hands over your head. “Sitting around in all this heat, think I need to cool off for a bit. See ya later” is all you offer to him, slipping into the adults’ side of the pool before he can retaliate, biting your lip in an effort not to snicker at the frustration teeming from him: clenched fists and tightened jaw, narrowed eyes and furrowed brows. He let out a long, shuddering breath before waving back to Sarah and stalking back to his friends. 

Overall, the party was pretty boring. But holding Joel’s gaze every time you bent forward just a littlemore than necessary, giggled at someone’s musings more than was warranted, or bit your lip in that way you knew drove him crazy before turning away from him and back to whoever you were speaking to? Priceless. You’d be willing to pay to do it again. 

His breaking point was when he saw you get out of the pool, water dripping from your hair and mascara smudged just enough to send images of you with his cock down your throat flashing in his mind - him slamming his beer bottle down before smiling tightly at his companions and thanking the hosts, grousing something about an early morning before his hand was around your wrist and Sarah bundled in his other arm - barely giving you any time for goodbyes as you were being dragged behind him in the direction of your home. 

Laughing at his desperation, you cocked a questioning brow at him before feighning naïvety to the situation. “What’s wrong? I thought you were kept plenty busy at the party, no? Why’re we leaving so soon?” you questioned, capturing your bottom lip between your teeth as you frowned at him and searched his face. “Not early. Been five hours, sweetheart. ‘S a school night, remember?” was all he remarked to you before opening the door and carrying Sarah up to bed. 

You honest-to-God waited for him in bed, but the fatigue from such a thrilling evening caught up quickly after the adrenaline faded. Before you knew it, you’d fallen asleep in your new set of lingerie, blinking awake when your alarm went off at 5 am the next morning. Blearily pulling yourself out of bed, you groaned in frustration at the fact that you still hadn't gotten time with Joel and it was Monday again. Which inevitably meant he'd be caught up in his important contract this week too; coming home late, leaving early, the whole spiel.

The week passed by in a monotonous blur, and you got increasingly snappier with Joel in the short minutes that you did see him, frustrated with the distance that had developed between you two. On top of everything at home, work had gotten more stressful lately as sales didn’t meet the quotas and your boss decided to take it out on all of you. Normally, it wouldn’t have bothered you; he was a dick to you most of the time, but you couldn’t even rant about it to your favorite person because you barely saw him. You needed Joel - not just on top of you - holding you, talking to you, comforting you as before. 

Friday rolled around, and turned out to be extremely shitty while it was at it. Your alarm didn’t go off, thanks to which you reached work thirty minutes later than usual after dropping Sarah off. Some intern had fucked up paperwork, and the fallout was promptly handed to you with a jeering tone and sharp glare as if it was somehow your fault. You’d forgotten lunch at home, so you had to spend the day on stale coffee and somehow bitter biscuits, and when you reached Sarah’s school to pick her up as usual they told you Joel had done it already. Feeling tears of frustration build up in your eyes, you dialed his number while climbing back into your car. Was it so difficult to communicate simple things like ‘I’ll pick her up today’? A text or quick call would have worked; saved you the trip and your boss’s biting remarks about your “priorities” while you walked out of the office to get to Sarah’s school in time. 

When he didn’t pick up, you drove straight home. Fuck going back to work. You needed your bed. And Joel, but he clearly was too busy to so much as pick up a fucking phone. Wiping your eyes, you slammed the car door shut and started trudging to your bedroom, too overwhelmed to notice that the door had been unlocked. Jumping, you gasped in surprise when you walked it and saw Joel sitting on the bed, holding two wine glasses and looking up at you. “What the fuck, Joel? What are you doing here?” you bit out at him. He blinked up at you, frowning at your anger and the tear-stains on your cheek while you glared at him with eyes red from crying. 

“Told the boys to handle it today, thought you looked a bit rough lately, wanted to spent the evening together. Dropped Sarah off at her friend’s house an’ was just about to call you to take the day off. You okay?” his tone was so gentle, concern evident in his voice as he reached a hand out towards you. 

“Call me? Oh, so suddenly you’re capable of using a phone?” you bat his hand away and continue “And I’ve been looking rough?” your laugh is bitter, but your anger morphs into something sharper. “Maybe I’d look less rough if I saw my husband more often or if he could just pick up the damn phone and text me when he’s picking our daughter up so I don’t get into deeper shit with my stupid fucking boss!” You’re yelling by the end of it, but you can’t stop the words tumbling out now. “And I’ve missed you so much, tried so hard on Sunday, but you just didn’t come to bed. This week has been absolute dogshit-fucking interns messed everything up and somehow it’s on me-and you’ve been so distant,so I’m so sorry for looking rough, Joel.” Your tears return with a vengeance, and you turn away from him as you feel them spill over your lashline, pressing your hands into your eyes as your shoulders shake.

And suddenly he’s in front of you, solid and warm and there again, crowding you into his arms and holding you tight against him. “I’m sorry, honey. I’m sorry. I know I haven’t been here, and it’s been tearing me apart too. Missed you every damn day, shoulda seen how I’ve been at the site all week. Been snapping at everyone left and right. And I’m sorry I didn’t pick up - my phone was chargin’ an’ Sarah was telling me a story the whole way there so I didn’t see you’d called till just now.” His hand cradles your head under his chin as the other strokes your back, and he’s so gentle you want to cry harder. 

You stay there for a while until you feel calmer, pulling back to look up at him. His eyes are wide, swimming with worry as he wipes your cheeks with his thumb. You sniff, bringing a hand up to swipe your nose, and grimace apologetically at the wet patch of snot, tears and makeup on his chest. At the quizzical way he raises a brow, you clarify, with a grin: “I’ve completely ruined your shirt.”

“Could think of better ways to ruin shirts, baby. An’ don’t think your effort on Sunday went unnoticed either. Was so damn ready to rip that lacy set off ya, but some idiot kid told Sarah a ghost story an’ I had to check under the bed n’ in the closet every two minutes till she fell asleep. By the time I crawled into bed, you were asleep and looking so peaceful I didn’t wanna wake you. ‘M sorry, honey”. His thumb was rubbing circles on your cheek now as he looked down at you, regret written all over his face. 

Softening, you reached up to press a kiss on the corner of his mouth. And another on the other side. And another, until you were just ghosting your mouth all over his face and jaw, giggling when his lips twitched into a smile. “There’s my girl” he whispered into the kisses, making you beam as your kisses got more feverish, more urgent. All the need from the past few weeks came rushing back, making you dizzy with desperation as you caught his bottom lip between your teeth and tugged, moaning softly at the hitch in his breath. 

Suddenly, your wrists were caught by one of his hands and he was stepping back. “Then again, honey, found it really fuckin’ difficult not to notice you at that party when you were teasin’ me all evenin’. Did ya enjoy putting on a show for our neighbors, hm?” his thumb trailed your jaw, fingers curling under your chin as you nodded. “That’s not something good girls do, is it now?” And then he was ducking his head, sucking bruises into your neck and soothing them with his tongue. He chuckled at the whimper that escaped you, his hand coming down to swat your ass. “Answer me, sweet thing. Do good girls go around begging for attention when they know daddy’s gonna take care ‘f them?” the rasp of his voice cut through the haze building in your head as you gasped when he nibbled your ear.

“N-no daddy. Plea-please take care of me,” you whined, trying to pull your hands from his unrelenting grasp as you felt him swat your ass again. He just gripped them harder, nipping at your neck before he pulled away completely, chuckling at your alarmed whimper. 

“Relax, sweetheart. Course ‘m gonna take care of you. But I gotta punish you, too, remember? Didn’t think I forgot John and his adorable dog so quick, did ya?” His smirk became animalistic as he nudged you to the bed, pawing at your clothes to guide you to take them off. 

“Wouldn’t know how it works at your age, old man. Thought your memory mighta started to go by now,” you coo up at him, eager to see him undone. His answering snarl prompted your smirk to widen before he looked down at you with a tight set to his jaw. 

“Got such a mouth on you, babygirl. ‘S okay, I’ll take care ‘f it,” was all the warning you got before his hands were everywhere, groping and grabbing at you while his mouth resumed its assault on your neck. His bites got harsher, making you yelp, and he grinned against your skin before lapping at the near-broken skin before trailing his lips downwards. 

He pinched your nipples harshly, rolling them between his thumb and forefingers before ducking down to catch one between his teeth and tug cruelly, making you release high-pitched moans as your back arched into him. Switching sides, he starts flicking the other one and smoothing over it when you whimper before trailing hot open-mouthed kisses into your sternum and moving down your body to settle with his head between your legs. Turning to the side, he started nipping the inside of your thighs; rolling the flesh between his teeth and sucking at it till they were matted blue and purple. Leaning back to admire his handiwork, he brought his mouth down to press kisses just above your mound, moving back to your thighs before you huffed and bucked your hips. His eyes glinting dangerously, he smiled up at you before tilting his head. “Need somethin’, baby?” his voice was laced with amusement as he drawled the question up at you, watching you buck under him. 

At the stubborn shake of your head, he laughed before dragging a thumb down your folds, holding it up for you to see the slick coating it. "Y'sure, pretty?" you could hear the cockiness creeping into his voice and it just made you needier, whining down at him to do anything. His mouth ghosted over your clit, stubble scratching right there before he moved down to your thigh again, making you wind a hand into his hair and pull, albeit harshly. Tutting, he pushed up onto his elbows. "Wasn't very nice, now was that?” his lips quirked to the side at the sight of your frustration before you stuttered out a pathetic "t-touch me, please", at which he laughed again. 

“Needy little thing. Let’s fix that attitude, hm?” and he pushed off entirely, stalking to the closet and pulling out a tie. Looming over you, he weaved the strip of fabric between your headboard and secured your wrists to it. “Too tight?” he checked, looking down at you to sense any discomfort. When you pulled experimentally to check and showed him it was alright, he went back to his earlier position. Blowing a breath over your cunt, he relished in your squirming before grazing your clit with his teeth and pressing down softly before lapping at it. Pressing kisses against you, he slid a finger inside you and began pumping it at an agonizingly slow pace. Feeling your orgasm approach embarassingly fast, you opened your mouth to warn him, but just as you began clenching against his finger, he pulled away to pull the hood of your clit back and blow on it again, making you keen. 

Smiling, he inserted three fingers into you roughly before using his teeth on your clit again, your sensitivity making you mewl and rock your hips away, but his other hand attached itself to your hip to pin you to the mattress before his fingers began fucking into you in earnest. Pulsating in his mouth, you felt yourself about to clamp down again before he pulled out and away once more. Whining and kicking your legs out in aggravation, you frowned down at him and watched him smirk at your tantrum. 

This time, he kept his head up to maintain eye contact with you while he ground his palm against your clit and squeezed three fingers into you again. Bringing you to the edge once more, he answered your devastated whimper at the denial by slapping your clit in rapid succession, each hit harder than the last and making your thighs twitch. 

He continued for what felt like hours. The sun went down, and with it the lingering scraps of your pride and expectation to come. He edged you until you were a mumbling mess, babbling broken pleas down at him; till your clit was painfully red and swollen and your slick was running down your thighs. Tears were flowing down your face as you bucked your hips in search for his fingers, but his merciless chuckle taunted you again as you sobbed. “P-please, please, ple-please, gonna be g-good, please…” Your voice broke with every word you wailed, and he contemplated for a second before nodding and entering you in a single thrust. 

You could feel the tip of his cock kissing your womb, overwhelming you to the point of pain. A wince marked your features, making him pause and strum your clit  before starting to fuck into you at a brutal pace. You were yanking against your restraints now, eyes rolling back into your head every time he entered into you - hitting the spot that made your thighs begin to shake uncontrollably. 

Your babbles were reduced to mono-syllabic moans, rendering you unable to warn him of the release you felt coiling in you. When you started clenching against him, he just doubled down the force of his thrusts and the movements against your clit, delighting in the way you twitched at the oversensitivity as he drew out your orgasm. “D-daddy, nnh-D-Da-Daddy” was all you could get out as the oversensitivity consumed you, making you go limp as his pace didn’t falter. 

He gripped your chin and leaned forward to spit into your open mouth, eyeing the drool dribble down your chin as your jaw hung slack. “What is it pretty girl? Use your words.” Another thrust. You opened your mouth to answer him, to beg him to slow down, but all that came out was a pathetically shrill “ca-can’t” as he rolled his hips into yours halfway through your word, making you choke. “Eager enough to whore herself out in public, but when she gets what she needs she can’t? Too bad, pretty girl, you’re gonna get it now.” He stopped for a glorious second, reaching down to rest his forehead on yours before planting kisses on your face and forehead to give you a second to breathe. Glancing up at your straining wrists, he pulled at the knot of his tie to free them, then resumed his previous speed. 

Raking your fingers down his back, your eyes fluttered shut at the continued drive of him impaling you on his cock, meeting his mouth in sloppy kisses as his fingers came down to flick over your clit again. “Again.” His command sent a jolt through you, pulling you taut as every cell in your body pushed itself to overdrive to obey and every sensation seemed to multiply tenfold. Joel was everywhere, consuming your entire being, and you felt your joints lock up as your hips arched off the bed before you were cumming devastatingly hard, soaking him with the force of your release. His fingers kept abusing your clit, your whole body jerking with the force of the hypersensitivity. He pressed in impossibly deeper, sobs hiccuping from you and weak hands pushing at his chest. He pressed into you languidly, in slow, deep strokes that left you ruined before gasping in your ear and cumming deep inside you. 

Going limp on top of you, he pressed his face into your neck and lay on you as you both caught your breath - ruining the peaceful moment by looking up at you with a boyish grin and a twinkle in his eye, glancing down at your joined forms and snickering like a child finding much-coveted candy. At the furrow in your brow, he elaborated - “Who knew all it took was a little edgin’ to make you squirt, huh?” And judging by the tone of his voice, you knew it wouldn’t be long before he was going to test that theory. And he did - twenty minutes later. And again. Over and over, until your cunt was convulsing and throbbing with oversensitivity - only then did he pull away, gathering you in his arms and holding you to him before suggesting softly, “Sarah wanted to stay over for the rest of the weekend. Let’s pick her up on Sunday, and how about you and me take some time to ourselves, hm?” You nod into his chest, voice too hoarse to reply, and hum in contentment as he starts stroking your hair. You needed to act out more often. 

hello loves, as always - thank you for reading. comment your thoughts or find me on ao3. stay hydrated and have a great day! taglist: @imherefordeanandbones @breakfastatjoels

[shibaincubus]

Dissecting the glow up pyramid

This post features an approach to apply Pyramid 1 (and Pyramid 2 combined to use their maximal potential to guide you for glowing up)

Credits for Pyramid 1 @prettieinpink

and Pyramid 2

idk who created this Pyramid

combined to use their maximal potential to guide you for glowing up.

Categorising the two Pyramids:

Well begin with the second Pyramid

Pyramid 2:

As you can see this Pyramid has 5 levels

Basic Health: Diet, Fitness, Sleep, Hygiene, Environment

Basic Grooming: Skincare Make up Fashion Hairstyling Shaving/Waxing Nails Accessorizing & Teeth Whitening

Professional Grooming: Manis/Pedis, Airbrushing; Waxing, Laser Hair Removal, Lash extension/lifts, Microblading, Brow Threading, Cosmetic Tattooing, Facials, Tanning, Hairstyling/Extensions/Coloring

Non Invasive Treatment: Cosmetic Dentistry, Threading, Botox Injections Filler, Laser/Peels, Cool sculpting/ Body Contour

Plastic Surgery

This Pyramid features basic and advanced methods of archiving a glow up without going into details especially in the two basic tiers

Pyramid 1:

This Pyramid also has 5 Levels but these Levels focus more on the basics and not the advance stages.

The Levels:

Health: sleep, exercise, oral health, healthy eating

Style: hair care, skincare, lashes&eyebrows, body-care, lips

Fashion: outfits, hair-styling, make up

Personalities: body language, posture, eloquence

Mind: mindset, mental health

Overall the two Pyramids are focusing on two aspects/levels of glowing up without going in great details on the other aspect/level

Here is a Pyramid with both aspects combined

How to apply the Pyramid in your personal glow up journey

The ground principal is working yourself up. Also the Levels work together to archive your glow up, If you did everything in Level 4 well but did not do everything in Level 2 good the glow up isn't as strong as when you worked your way up.

The first Level - Basic Health

This is the foundation of your glow up. You should not slack off in this tier, because they don't give you fast results like a facial for example because if you e.g want to try cool sculpting and you don't have a good diet and a fitness plan and you may not even reached your weight goal if you are overweight so the benefits are 0 and you've thrown your money out of the window.

The first step is it to access every point on a scale from 1 to 10. Be real in the rating. Maybe you are a 10 in oral heath but just a 4 in your mindset and so on. From there I would create a priority list with the things you have to focus the most. If you have many holes in this are I would try to just focus on these ones specifically but not let the other points out of your mind and sight.

Personally I would start with cleaning and organising your environment. A clean environment uplifts your spirit and also motivates you to accomplished your tasks.

If you think that you master the first level you can go to the second level

I advise you to really level up if you get a score of 7/10 but in the first Level you can already incorporate things from Level two but I would use discernment and be realistic.

The second Level - Basic grooming

Like in the first Level I would access every point on a scale from 1 to 10 and create a priority list and use the strategy like in the first level

you have to experiment with your makeup and make a data collection about things that work for you in this tier. These could be skin type, hair type and make up techniques that work for you and everything related to the points in the second level.

Example:

Hair type - oily ( On my Hair so und so Practices work do not work)

Hair porosity - normal … explanation

skin type - (Things that work on my skin)

Shaving doesn't work on my skin

etc.

If you can archive a score of a minimum of 7/10 you can Level up.

Final Thoughts on the Basic Levels

The first two levels are the foundation of attractiveness

You've already levelled a lot if you are in 8/10 in the first two levels as a whole.

Not maintaining the first two levels can negatively impact your attractiveness

The third Tier Professional grooming

These actions are like the icing on a cake to elevate your appearance to the next level.

In this tier you should pick 2-3 things which you think can 100% bring to the next Level. For example manis and Lash-extension.

The actions in this Tier can help to lessen the burden in the lower levels.

For Example if you do a Laser Hair Removal you don't have to spend as much time with Shaving/Waxing anymore.

I would also data collect treatments that work facials that work for you.

Disclaimer

The thing you can do in this Level and higher have a lot to do with your income and time but you have to remember that the first two Level alone can glow up from a dishevelled 4 to a confident 7 and these are just the icing on the cake

The fourth Level Non Invasive Treatment (NRI)

The vibe of this Tier is: 'you look Incredible but I do not know what to do'

It's about subtle changes and no drastic ones

Do not use the methods in the fourth Tier if you have no good foundation in the first three tiers.

Example: You are overweight and you are dieting and trying to loose weight and decided to make your face slimmer with Botox and fillers. When you loose the weight you face automatically gets slimmer and the filler can potentially change your face in a way that you don't like so loose the Weight first and then decide if filler is needed

The fifth Level Plastic sugary

It's self explanatory. But use your discernment. And look at the tips in the Pyramid

[texasdreamer01]

Atlantis Expedition: Science Division Departments - Medical Department

Continuing from my starting post here, I'm now breaking things down by department, beginning with the Medical Department.

I did end up heavily revising this department after the commentary on the general departments post, and also after a lot of looking up of the actual divisions of medical specialties. So, first, the (new) numbers:

> Head: Carson Beckett (later, Jennifer Keller, later, whomever) > Contains: Surgery, psychiatry, physical therapy > Function: Maintaining health of expedition members > Examples of function: surgeries, medical prescriptions, recuperation from injuries, mental stability > Personnel quantity: 1 (Head) + 10 (surgical team) + 5 10 (nurses non-surgical team) + 1 (psych) + 1 (phys. therapy) + 1 (anesthesiologist) (grouped under non-surgical team) = 19 23 total > A/N: Nurses have training in medications and physical therapy, surgical team also doubles as general practitioners

Information carried over from the first post, with struck text indicating revisions. The new total is 23, and the author's note is now irrelevant in light of new information. Mostly.

After doubling the amount of nurses, realizing "nurse" is a very broad category of medical professional with multiple definitions and aspects of job duties in multiple countries, I did a bit of renaming of the teams within this department: surgical, non-surgical, and miscellaneous (sorry guys).

Something I had realized was that this was not going to be a typical medical department (duh, in hindsight). These people are all going through the SGC, and the SGC quite likely not already has their own training protocols in place for dealing with SGC-specific situations, but also adapted technology from Goa'uld tech. What is Goa'uld tech? Appropriated Ancient tech, but without the gene component - fascinating, but also a post for another time.

This did inform how I revised which personnel to include, their specialties, and their duties. You're not exactly going to be shoving a whole MRI machine through a gate, so a radiologist isn't going to be a necessary specialty. Because of this, there's going to be a lot more cross-training, and more of a focus that's similar to what Atlantis would actually operate as: a forward operating base.

So, on to the teams (commentary included).

Surgical Team

> Personnel quantity: 10 > Minimum education: Doctorate in Surgery (ChM) > All of these people are already trained in basic medical knowledge and practices, and also overall surgical practices in different areas of the body

Specialties

> Neurosurgery > Dentistry | Oral and maxillofacial surgery  » In the US, trained to do general anesthesia and deep sedation > Orthopedics  » Musculoskeletal > Trauma surgery  » Can contain combat surgeons  » 2x of these > OBGYN > Urology > Cardiothoracic  » 2x of these, by speciality:   ⇛ Cardiovascular surgeon    ⟹ "involving the heart and the great vessels"   ⇛ Thoracic surgeon    ⟹ involving the lungs, esophagus, thymus, etc. > Surgical technologist  » "In the military they perform the duties of both the circulator and the scrub."  » Creates and maintains a sterile surgical environment  » Anticipates the work a surgeon needs to do  » Walking compendium of surgical techniques and stitches

I had wavered a bit on qualifications, and thus who to include - at the end of the day, it was probably going to be on an American standard, given the physical location of SGC. This meant I got to do a nifty thing of having my oral/maxillofacial surgeon be the dentist that's also an anesthesiologist, even if this is apparently considered odd in many other countries.

Mostly I wanted to go by section of the body, and see what kind of specialties there were, and what did and did not overlap. Surprisingly, it was more difficult to figure out who did abdominal surgeries than it was neurosurgery or dental surgery, hence two people in cardiothoracic surgery and two "general" surgeons in the form of trauma surgery because, again, forward operating base - they have no idea what Atlantis will be, so some assumptions will need to be made and better to err on the side of caution.

In a more delicate but still very necessary subject, one OBGYN (obstetrics and gynecology) and one urologist (aka urinary system and male reproductive system). For various obvious reasons, everyone's health in this area still needs to be taken care of, so it's better to have them on the team than politely handwave the idea.

Neurosurgery, for an obvious reason - it's highly specialized and without significant overlap, while also being a critical function on a surgical team with the demands the Atlantis Expedition will likely face.

Orthopedics are musculoskeletal, or deals with muscles and the skeletal system. A fair amount of what they do has overlap (see: trauma surgeons), but having someone specialized for the particularities of setting bones and handling surgeries on things like the joints is incredibly useful when presuming setting up camp in an active combat zone (which they really, really did).

Trauma surgeons are, more or less, the ones that you would see in an emergency situation - acute situations and their injuries are their specialty, and for this expedition likely the head of the surgical team by dint of their training to assess a patient quickly and develop a care plan very quickly. Because of this, I found the overlap of combat surgeons immensely helpful, which means that there's a significant probability that this surgical team has military personnel assigned to it. These surgeons are also the ones most likely to be SGC-imported, and trained to deal with things like injuries from Goa'uld and Goa'uld devices.

All these very highly-trained people, who are all probably very, very smart - who supports them? As it turns out, at least in the operating theater, not the nurses, but surgical technologists.

Surgical technologists main job, at least here, would be to set up the operating theater and anticipate whatever it is a surgeon needs in assistance. This includes things like training on a wide variety of surgical techniques (i.e. stitches), disinfection procedures, and medications such as anesthesia (ish). I included the quote about military duties because it saves money on how many people to include in the expedition, and penny-pinching is the backbone of any hiring process.

Now, the surgical team is all done! That's ten people right there, and on to the non-surgical team.

Non-Surgical Team

> Personnel quantity: 10  » 5 Technicians/Nurses, 5 Non-Surgical Medical Specialists

Nurses

> (Advanced Practice) Nurses  » 5x of these  » Registered Nurse   ⇛ As the general minimum educational and experimental requirement  » Perioperative nursing   ⇛ Assists surgical team, helps with pre- and post-surgical patients  » Emergency nursing   ⇛ Can do triaging, suturing, casting/splinting, local/regional anesthesia, and other doctoral skills as needed   ⇛ Likely the SGC training model incorporates all of the above, and also training on medical technology adapted from Goa'uld healing technology (which is really Ancient but without the ATA gene lock)    ⟹ Radiology tech    ⟹ MRI tech (which is radiology but a bit to the left)    ⟹ Other adapted diagnostic equipment

Non-Surgical Medical Specialists

> Pathology  » 2x of these  » Coordinates with Life Science Department to develop diagnoses for novel diseases (in the Pegasus galaxy) > Internal medicine | Internists  » 2x of these > Anesthesiology  » For everything the OMS people don't do in terms of anesthesiology  » See also: Anesthesia (topic)

Remember how I said the qualifications were a doozy, and that nurses were a broad category? ... Yeah, this is why. The medical field is probably current in flux right now, given the shifting priorities of medical personnel and so much research that is still in the process of being applied, but I waved my magic plot-fixing wand and assumed the SGC figured this out for me.

All of these nurses are likely to be SGC imports, and thus unbelievably well-trained in everything that the SGC needs them to do. These are the personnel who know how all of the Goa'uld tech works on a functional level, have gotten the goodies first from engineering, and are waving their handheld MRI and other diagnostic equipment over their patients like a fairy godmother in scrubs. As with a real world hospital, these are the people actually running the show, and likely making the surgical team look like hypercompetent show poodles.

As for non-nurses who are also non-surgeons, pathologists are the ones who work up what people will actually be diagnosed with, figuring out all the newest and shiniest diseases and cataloguing them for reference. Doctor Biro is a pathologist, for example.

The thought occurred to me that we still need something resembling a general practitioner, but in light of fancy things like handheld MRIs and other scanners, this role is much reduced in favor of people who pack a greater intellectual punch.

However, I found that internists not only fill this gap, but are also hyper-specialized in their own way, in the respect of their knowledge base being internal diseases and multi-system diseases. Ergo, two of them, because they're just that useful. They'd probably coordinate quite a bit with cardiothoracic surgeons, as those are overlapping areas of study based on region of the body.

One (1) anesthesiologist, because the OMS cannot - nor should they - be the only person to perform anesthesia. This person functions as a sanity checker, and also the thin margin of the anesthesia that the surgeon doesn't cover.

We still need to round out this department, though. So far I've managed to cover in-patient, out-patient, and the various surgical stages. What else?

Well, recuperation - patients can't actually linger in the infirmary for the entirety of their healing process, for such practical reasons as beds available and boredom of patient, so the transitional phase needs to be covered.

Hence, the highly uncreative placeholder section name of Miscellaneous:

> Psychiatrist  » 1x of these, because canon says so? > Physical therapist  » 1x of these, because canon says so?

Now while personnel such as nurses and internists are meant to convey educational material and instructions to patients about recuperation, it helps to actually have specialists on hand to make the patients commit to the bit.

Having only one psychiatrist on hand seems a bit of a Star Trek logical fallacy, but I'm once again waving my plot wand and assuming anyone that managed to get through the arduous employment process of 1) being told the Stargate exists (and coping with their world views being upended), 2) being employed by the SGC in general, and 3) passes their psychological assessment is probably mentally stable enough to only need one psychiatrist for the entire expedition.

(Yes, this does mean everyone on the expedition got their rubber stamp of sanity, and probably in grueling triplicate. Such as it can be defined a fanfiction-like world of scifi. I think they're coping pretty well with everything, no?)

With all the work that the surgical and non-surgical teams put into taking care of injured expedition members, a physical therapist is, as with everyone else here, very good at their job, but ultimately one of the last steps for patients that require longer term care. Think gaining back muscle after a broken leg, or more serious injuries that require months of guided exercise to be back to gate team-ready health (or general running for your life because Atlantis is just as dangerous).

Total Medical Department Personnel

Head of Department: 1

Surgical Team: 10

Non-Surgical Team: 10

Miscellaneous: 2

Total total: 23

I'll be going over headcanons on canonical personnel, such as Carson Beckett, Jennifer Keller, and Biro in their own posts, but for now this is a general accounting of the expedition's medical department.

Shout-out to @savestave and @stinalotte for the discussion and feedback on the original post!

[itsror9]

“Hello! My name is Ameer Azara, I am raising funds for my family in Gaza. My family and I are seeking your kindness so that we can evacuate to a safe place and complete our lives, our dreams, and live in peace.

The situation has become increasingly dire. Everything has changed, turned to ashes. Streets, buildings and people are all ash now. We have already been displaced within Gaza three times. The first time from our home, a large part of which was destroyed and is not fit for living, to refugee schools in central Gaza, the second time to Rafah without shelter, electricity, food and clean water.

Meet my family which consists of six people.

Ameer (me): I was working as a digital marketer in an advertising company. They destroyed my work office, my essential equipment, and the company I was working for.

Ahmed (father) & Asmaa (mother): My father used to work as a teacher at the UNRWA and had a family business (a grocery shop). The shop and his car were bombed during the war. My mother is a housewife.

Aya (sister): Aya is studying architecture. She studied for two years and has 3 years left to complete her studies. She was forced to stop studying due to her university being bombed. Her dream is to complete a bachelor's degree study and work in her field of specialization. She lost her laptop and engineering study tools that she used during her studies.

Afnan & Rafef (sisters): Afnan was in her last year of high school and was preparing to go to university to fulfill her dream of studying dentistry. Rafef is still a child in elementary school. She dreams to grow up in peace and complete her studies.

Ibrahim (brother): He is an international student studying in Hungary. He finds himself very far from our family, feeling helpless because he cannot help us through the hardships of the ongoing crisis in Gaza.

I have initiated this GoFundMe campaign to raise $45,000 to facilitate my family's evacuation to Egypt. Here's a breakdown of the funds:

$3,000 for Immediate Support: This portion will go towards providing immediate assistance to my family. It will cover their basic needs for accommodation, food, and other essentials during the transitional period.

$42,000 for Permits and Crossing Fees: The bulk of the funds, $42,000, is crucial to cover the expenses associated with obtaining permits to leave Gaza and the crossing fees required at the Egypt-Gaza border in Rafah. This amount breaks down to $7,000 per person.

Your support matters: Your donation, no matter how small, will make a significant impact and contribute to reuniting my family in a safe environment.

Please share this campaign with your friends, family, and colleagues to help us reach our goal and bring my family to safety. Your support means a lot to me, and I am grateful for any assistance you can provide during this challenging time.”

[doomdoomofdoom]

So like. The Internet does kinda suck about 70% of the time.

But.

There's an ongoing reddit story by a dentist who went to his parents house, and while looking at their new tile floor, he spots a humanoid jaw. Turns out the tile contains a slice of fossilized hominid! With the help of reddit, they get in contact with a bunch of archeologists/paleontologists and they actually manage to remove the tile with the fossil intact.

For now, all we really know about its origins is that it's from a quarry in Turkey, and they're still in the process of dating it and locating the exact quarry. But it's suspected to be a Homo erectus, of which we've only found about 50 (ish?) fossils so far, and the timeline of when they spread out from modern day Africa is still pretty unclear. (Because that was like 2 million years ago. That's. A long time.) That's why finds in Europe and Asia are particularly exciting

And thematically appropriate: Not only is there a tooth fully missing (implying it was removed through very old dentistry), but one of the molars has a fully intact crown! Analyzing teeth can give us insight into diet and lifestyle, for example. But it's also just funny because a dentist found it. (a large amount of hominid fossils are skull or jaw bones simply because they are more durable than other bones or something idk im not an archeologist)

This is really exciting stuff, and thanks to the Internet, we can watch it unfold in basically real time! Sometimes, this place is pretty neat.

[uwuowotf2waslife]

Inflict your misery on your blorbos! The mercs having to go to the dentist?

Based

Scout: that guy who swears he aint afraid , up and down hell preach he has never once cried at the dentist. But also the guy who once the appointment is over he is outta there faster than light.

Soldier: not really afraid, just hates how close the dentist is to his face. ( i can tolerate many things, but seeing each individual pore in someone face who is using a medieval torture device (lil scoop mirror) its something i cant).

Pyro: do they even have teeth?? Sorry lil firebug, but oh well, ya know sweets and pop tarts aint best food for your enamel ( basically a Spy but they needed to have crowns)

Demo: unironically most carefull person with his teeth. I mean yeah, life is tough when you are a one eyed black scotsman with a police record roughly the length of the entire city of Glasgow, you gotta have at least something gucci about your face. Homeboy has never had a single cavity.

Heavy: he isnt afraid per say, but gulag life never had dental care in the healthcare provider section. His idea of a dentist is using pliers on a tooth , so id argue based. Mouthwash guy who doesnt rinse because , he wants his breath extra fresh

Engie: sanest man in the whole group (not) but was forced to have the ugliest braces known to man so each time he prays he doesnt get flashbacks

Medic: he may have done some oral/dental healthcare (with or without patient consent) but he knows the basics of dentistry. Also forced to wear hideous braces becauSE hE iS. A nErD geT iT ??? ( nah homeboy just succed on em pacyfiers so hard his teeth were like a crater)

Sniper: crooked tooth police BUT he is amazing at dental healthcare. A dentists best patient. HE ACTUALLY FLOSSES DAILY, he isnt that unhappy about his teeth but he has a few of them chipped and in his opinion he makes him feel goofy

Spy: will use all torture training techniques in the dentist. Never flosses, never brushes but uses an obsene amount of mouth wash. Has semi trauma (his fake teeth were a necessity cuz imo prolly got them all taken out without consent -he is a spy; pulling teeth was a very common form of torture-) so yea he hates anything sharp/pointy/metallic touching his teefs.

[missjoolee]

This is a mixture of shower thoughts fic and lying in bed after taking a sleep aid fic, so is it good? who knows. but apparently ao3 is down so enjoy! lol

Warning: not proofread at all.

the band has been working diligently to make a name for themselves and while they have a decent following, they’ve all had to take day jobs

on one of the days they are all working, julie almost misses a call form a record label that recently saw them perform and would like to sign them on

she says she is excited by their offer but would need to speak to the rest of the band first, to which they are understanding and even offer to email a pdf of the first draft of the contract to them to review and they can set up a time to meet if things look satisfactory

she rattles off the band email before ending the call and texts the band group chat before heading back to work after her break

“a label wants to sign us! contract in band email. can’t wait to go over it with you guys! <3 <3″

she feels her phone buzz with an incoming response as she’s walking back to the front of the store she works at and quickly checks it.

L- yes! rock n roll hall of fame, here we come!

as she is reading that, another texts arrives and she laughs at Luke’s impatience

L- emails not there yet :(

back at the front, the afternoon rush hits and julie doesn’t have time to check her phone, but she’s felt it go off several times in her work apron and, while she’s never hated the customer service industry, she absolutely cannot keep a giant smile off her face the whole rest of her shift

so she’s a bit blindsided when she finally gets to check her phone again as she grabs her things from her work locker and the first message she sees is

L- I’m not signing this.

it must be a real bad deal then. her heart sinks as she continues reading

A- ?

R- oooo bad money deal?

L- money is fine.

L- not a good fit for the band

A- how do you mean?

luke didn’t respond and the next message comes 20 minutes later

A- F that. i’m not signing either

R- guys. what is going on?

R- oh

R- okay, yeah no

by now Julie’s anxiety is starting to climb because how could it not be a good fit? this label is known for signing bands in the pop-punk genre. What on earth would make the guys turn this opportunity down? an opportunity they have worked blood, sweat, tears and years to get. How could they dismiss it so easily?

she needs some time to think (but does she really? it’s the anxiety talking) so instead of responding, she pulls her bag strap over her shoulder and begins walking towards the exit, tying her hair up in a real messy bun to keep herself from picking at her fingernails

The clouds in the sky are pinkish purple against the darkening sky as the sun is low enough to be blocked by the surrounding buildings. heat still emits off the parking lot pavement, alluding to the Hot summer days thar have fallen upon the city.

Julie takes a deep breath before heading to the employee parking

Luke is leaning against the back of her car

"Luke? What are you doing here? Is everyone okay?!"

"Yea, Boss. Everyone's fine," he reassures her before pulling her into a hug. "I just wanted to see that million dollar smile."

Julie can't help but smile

She holds him tighter as her thoughts quickly jump back to the contract. She questions him about the group chat. How could they possibly all be saying no?

His arms tense around her, before letting her pull back to look at his face. He reveals that the contract actually starts off pretty decent. The label just had one stipulation that was a deal-breaker.

What? What could possibly be a deal-breaker when the rest is that good?

"If we sign it, they'd be able to force the band to undergo cosmetic dentistry."

"Oh." Her stomach drops. She wants to look away from the boy she's described as having the perfect smile. Alex and Reggie are basically right there with him. She forces her hands to stay put, but they scream to cover her mouth, her face. Her eyes drift down and stop on his Adam's apple. This is about her.

One of his hands gently cups the side of her face, tilting it so she is looking up at him again. His eyes are sad.

She can't stand it. She can feel tears welling in her eyes "I- I could do it."

He's shaking his head vehemently before she can finish. "No, Jules! You are perfect and beautiful just as you are. If they can't see it, then they aren't the label for us."

"But-"

His other hand moves up to cup her face in his hands.

"Be who you are, don't compromise, julie. Fuck them."

Julie is overwhelmed in that moment. Tears break free of her lashes, but a laugh rings out as she pulls his face to hers.

His lips ground her and she cant believe how lucky she is to have such a supportive boyfriend. She pulls back and remembers the others immediate refusal to sign as well. She couldn't ask for a better band and family. She thanks her mom for the millionth time for bring them to her.

She sniffles from the tears but a smile is back on her face as she teases him. "Did you quote our own song at me just now? What a dork."

He's grinning back. "Well, the gal who wrote that line is pretty smart."

He pulls her to the passenger door "let's go home"

[itstimewehavesomesoliddick]

Yeah, I guess fuck the uk right?

Good luck surviving at school tomorrow. 😅🖕

This is the angloid's brain after centuries of inbreeding and un-nutritious food, it immediately regresses to the primitive reptilian brain patterns reminding us that as closely related to us as they may appear, they are still many evolutionary steps away from the modern hominid, or else they would have discovered basic civilizational necessities such as rudimentary use of spices, preparation and consumption of vegetables, basic dentistry, refraining from wanton bloodlust when your local football club loses 5-0, and most of all, not immediately assuming that whenever someone (rightfully) spits at your existence for being an affront to God and all that is good, that they are from the wretched colonies spawned from your very own murky anglo genepool.

Truly, the day England sinks will be the day the world breathes a sigh of relief from finally not having to share a planet with the embarrassing genetic, cultural and civilizational dead-end that you are. I would wish you good day, but no day spent on that island is good, a penance befitting backwards troglodytes such as yourselves, so I wish you a pie and mash shortage and doctor who cancelation, die.