#this is what i do to not study for science

[transfemme-shelterdog]

Why do you know so much about Nazism and their symbols? Really suspicious of you to know so much about Nazi symbols around the world

I have a few honors degrees in the following fields:

1. Criminology with a focus on hate crimes against trans individuals, and religious extremism

2. Political Science with a focus on far-right ideology

3. Biblical studies (the aim of this was to get a more grounded understanding of the Bible so I can attach what I learn to my other degrees, to hyper-focus on Christian far-right movements and better combat their rhetoric)

So, yeah. That's why I know so much about far-right symbols and their history, I've studied it and talked to people who are members of some of these groups.

But sure "suspicious", gonna start accusing me of being far-right now? Already got the "cis gay man", "actually a trans man", "not really trans", "pedo for being ok with dating/intimacy with an agereg" accusations against me, might as well add another!

[crinj-central]

I'm nowhere near an expert, but I do struggle with severe adhd and am studying cognitive science and something that kinda sorta works for me is to weave in my brainrot special interests into as many tasks as possible. E.g. I struggle with writing about things I find boring, but u know what I don't struggle with? Writing fanfic about the scrimblo I'm currently obsessed with. So what I've been doing is writing a self-insert fanfic where I teach scrimblo about the exam topics I have to study for which in turn forces me to summarize and simplify the material which is *one of the most effective learning methods out there*.

It's not 100% foolproof though and I still struggle with derailing too much into my scrimblo disease, but it's giving me a fighting chance at the very least. And it's better than doing nothing and then getting stressed over doing nothing. At least I can try to condition myself into associating scrimblo with studying/work.

There's a bunch of adhd advice out there that's like "people with adhd tend to work better under deadlines due to the anxiety so here are ways to artificially induce a stress response in order to get you to get work done" and it's like well what if I don't want to be stressed out all the time in order to function

[pettysreverie]

Sorry not sorry, but I was just thinking about Married!Price who, as we all know, is a sucker for his woman. And now, finally, she has agreed to have a baby with him. His greatest wish, now finally granted! Woohoo!

CW: Dubious Consent(?), Age-gap (college student Reader), Surrogacy, AFAB Reader, Attempt at writing out accents (lol)

They’d always talked about having a brood of their own…but whenever it got down to actually going through with it, she would have one reason or another for not quitting her birth control or for not letting him go without a condom. So really, he’s super excited and eager for this next step of theirs.

And, okay, John understands. Childbirth is fucking scary, isn’t it? Actually, fuck the childbirth part! Watching as your body slowly morphs and changes, no longer being just your own, has to be a horror movie in and of itself.

So he gets it! He’s not going to push (although…whenever he passes by a baby or a seemingly happy family, his heart does feel a tug).

But then his wife agrees to have a baby…only she wants a surrogate.

And John is fine with that, too!

Again, it’s her body and it’s her choice.

It’s not as though she is infertile or otherwise unable to carry a child, but she just simply doesn’t want to—and he figures that’s fine. So long as he gets the family that he’s always wanted. Besides, all he’s got to do is nut into a cup and pass it off to the scientists or whatever, right?

Wrong.

His beloved Mrs. Price wants to get it done the old-fashioned way—sexual intercourse.

And that…that takes John for a ride.

“Ye wan’ me ta shag another bird?”He asks her, bushy brows raised nearly to his hairline.

His wife nods her head, seeming quite sure of herself. Says something about how babies that are born the natural way tend to fair better socially or something (he’s not sure that’s backed by science…but she showed him some mommy blogs she’s been perusing, so he figures she’s done enough ‘research’ to be sure.)

But the next concern is finding some woman that will be okay with not only being a surrogate, but being a surrogate in such a…unique circumstance such as this.

And that’s when his wife tells him that she’s already found one. You.

You’re the child of a friend of a friend. A college student in desperate need of a hefty payday if you want to continue your studies.

Truth be told, John feels icky about this. Feels like they’re taking advantage of you by doing this.

(“What do you think most surrogates do this for? The weight gain and health conditions?”His wife asks him with a raised brow. And you know what…that’s super fair. After that, he feels better…if only slightly.)

Meeting you, though, is something else entirely.

You’re a bit nervous, of course, but so beautiful. The most beautiful woman that John has ever seen in all his time on earth (though he’d never admit such, at least not in front of his beloved wife).

His wife is rather militant about the arrangement.

You two are to bang until there’s a baby in your womb. She wants to be there for every session. Not to mention that she is to be in complete and total charge of your pregnancy from there on (which includes moving in with them during your pregnancy so she can "protect" you), and when the baby is born you are to give up your parental rights immediately.

It’s…it’s an intense deal.

So one-sided.

John wants you to decline. Wants you to comment on how awful the conditions are. How controlling his wife is already being. How much of a useless sack of shit he is for agreeing to this—assuming that he sees you only as a hole to dump into.

He wants you to lash out.

But you don’t.

After a few heavy moments of complete silence, you agree. You ask to read over the contract but promise to have it signed by morning. And truly, that seems to be all his wife wants, because she smiles and agrees immediately.

And in the morning, you keep to your promise—presenting him and his wife with the signed contract.

This feels like such a lose-lose situation for you and honestly, John cannot just turn a blind eye to the injustice. But…he does really want a baby.

He can acknowledge that he is far too selfish to just simply end this agreement. But he promises to himself that he will make this as comfortable as possible for you. And that starts with him getting to know you.

If, maybe, he can make this a more pleasant experience, then he will.

“We don’t have to do anything until you’re ready.”He tells you, his conscious weighing him even as he speaks with sincerity and honesty.

You smile that pretty, yet still reserved smile of yours and nod your head. “Okay Mr. Price, thank you.”

Fuck…he hopes that he’s not making some big mistake by agreeing to do this.

[merakiui]

the parasites won,,, so anyway here are my very silly and scrambled college au thoughts for alfred and matthew.

the idea here is that it's their first year of uni and they're both loser virgins. something something alfred who is all talk: "dude, i am so gonna get laid!!! body count through. the. ROOF!!!" guy who joins a frat probably,,, halfway through uni he swaps his glasses for contacts because he thinks it'll make him look hotter if he ditches the glasses. he works out and plays sports,, maybe for the love of the game but also because he has keep healthy between the fast food he's eating. but also it is cute to imagine a chubby alfred.........

matthew who is your typical wallflower. alfred drags him to parties and then immediately forgets about him, so he's just left to stand and,,, exist. ^^;;; in my mind he's an environmental sciences major. it just feels right to me for some reason. he's a really sweet, shy guy who is often overshadowed by his brother, so it catches him by surprise when you meet and you call him by his name. he almost thinks you're looking for alfred and when he asks that you give him a weird look. "uh, no? i'm looking for matthew. you are matthew, yeah?" WAAAAA be still, his heart!!!!!! orz orz

very silly but alfred and matthew rivalry for you maybe!!!! and the only reason you're sleeping with alfred is so you can hopefully get closer to the professor (england or france) since he knows them beyond the classroom and can probably do you a solid. you have big goals (to sleep with your professor). your first conversation with matthew probably went like:

"so what do you like most about professor kirkland/bonnefoy?"

"he's hot and i need him to plaster me to the wall. next question."

and he's just like, "oh... um, okay......." T_T

matthew who falls for you because you're one of the few people who actually sees him and doesn't mistake him for his loud-mouthed brother. spending time studying (discussing your strategy to seduce your professor and he listens LOL) at coffee shops, taking nature walks together, exploring the next city over if you're bored of your usual spots on campus, etc etc. you probably get high together. everyone thinks alfred is the cool brother who drinks and smokes and fools around (and he does when he's feeling up for it), but matthew has his secret sides, too!!! something something you get high and handsy and give him head and he understands immediately why alfred chases after this. you're like matthew's perfect wet dream come to life hehe.

with alfred, you're just fuck buddies. you party and drink together. play video games. make late-night fast food runs together. it's fun, but there's nothing else beyond that. but with matthew you're actually getting to know each other, spending time together as friends (and he hopes one day something more), and he's never dated anyone seriously before, so he thinks maybe he has a chance. for once, you like him for him and you're not just being nice because he's "alfred's brother." aaaa he's so happy. >w<

matthew with his big mushy-gushy crush on you,,, it does not help when alfred has you over and he can hear the two of you going at it late into the night. seeing you in the morning and you're wearing one of alfred's shirts and nothing else....... AAAAAAA he's running back to his room and covering his eyes. >_< too erotic,,, if you flirt with him, you might actually kill him. he's really so sweet. alfred will laugh and call him a nerd (as if he himself isn't a nerd, too), but really who's winning here? >:)

basically the plot here is that it's a very obscure square??? it's just sex and goofy fun and the occasional moment where you actually attend class in between it all. extrovert jock fratboy alfred x darling (purely fuck buddies...or is it??) but darling is salivating over professors kirkland/bonnefoy (the old man chaser ever). sweetheart introvert (with barely any presence) matthew x darling (genuine one-sided? romance is blossoming).

[pubbamoon]

9th house and its association with the higher education

Hi! This might be the random post, because I'm really interested in this topic and I've been planning to make this post for a while. This post might be for all college/university students who are struggling with job market, I guess. I hope you're gonna find this observation useful and helpful.

There are three significations of the 9th house in Hellenistic astrology I practice, which are voyages, wisdom and religion. In this post, I'm going to focus more on wisdom. Think about where we gain wisdom as human beings and as a community. Mostly in schools and universities, right? That's why the 9th house relates to higher education at this point. The 9th house also shows an area of life where we're the most knowledgeable about.

In Hellenistic astrology, the Sun rejoices in the 9th house, meaning that the Sun finds its joy and functions very well in the 9th house. Now you're probably asking: "What does the planet Sun have to do with the 9th house?" Well, the Sun represents light, intelligence and logical thinking. When someone is knowledgeable about something, that person is considered as enlightened. The Sun also represents power and authority, while the 9th house represents knowledge. You might heard at some point in your life that the knowledge is power, right? The Sun represents societal norms and how things actually are as well. Going to college/university and being educated is basically the societal norm. It's how things really are in this physical world.

Now, many people after graduating from college struggle to find job. Nowadays, people go to college to get a job and to further career rather than gaining wisdom. They look for the most lucrative college majors to make sure they can make money in the future. However, in historical framework, higher education has functioned more different.

The 9th house usually relates to professors, scholars, academicians, researchers and basically to people who have their PhDs. Astrologically, the 9th house doesn't form any aspect with the 10th house of career and neither with the 2nd house of livelihood. When there's no aspect, that means there's no connection at all. Wisdom is usually not a profession that we can make money from. If we put the 10th house in a place of the Ascendant, the 9th house would sit in the 12th house from the 10th house. The 12th house represents rejection, failure and loss. By saying that, a college degree may not guarantee you a stable career path.

Historically, a higher education was made for elitists, not for working class. These elitists went to college to study Philosophy, Law or Theology. While the Law is still a perspective major, Philosophy and Theology are considered useless nowadays because these degrees are way too theoretical for current students who value practical skills the most. So, the only people who could have access to knowledge were noble and aristocratic people. Basically, the Sun represents nobility itself.

The 9th house actually forms a trine aspects with the 1st house of self and the 5th house of good fortune and the trine aspect is a positive aspect in astrology. After someone graduate from college/university, that person feels like that person has finally become something, which is the 1st house thing. The 5th house represents hobbies, things that we love to do and things that make our life better. College can definitely increase the quality of our lives, and the reason people who go to college is usually because they're interested in some topic, whether it's Art, Psychology, History, Computer Science, Literature, Math etc. I really don't care what each person studies that much because of that.

The 9th house house also forms a sextile with the 7th house of other people around us and with the 11th house of community. Sextile is another positive aspect in astrology. In college, we can meet many people with many different perspectives of life who can help us and strive us to succeed. I said before that the higher education originally wasn't made for the working class. It's because the 9th house represents highly educated people, while the 6th house represents the working class. Astrologically, the 6th house and the 9th house both form a square aspect together, indicating a tension and contrast. There's a contrast between the working class and highly educated people, originally.

That's it! I hope you have gained a new perspective with this post. To be clear, I'm not saying that you should quit your education. I'm basically studying STEM major at the university, duh. My point was to describe you what the 9th house is actually about and its meaning. So, if you graduate from college and then struggle to find a job, maybe is not your fault. This post was made to make you think what can your college major actually give to you and your life.

Best regards,

Paky McGee

[warrioreowynofrohan]

This sounds like it’s about grad school, but I did both a STEM and a humanities major in undergrad and my takeaway from that is that it’s far, far easier to pass (or even get an A in) the humanities, but it’s easier to get an A+ in STEM.

It is, no kidding, virtually impossible to fail a humanities course. You can pass a humanities course without even a grasp of coherent grammar or organized paragraph structure (source: having TA’d a humanities class; giving someone an F just wasn’t allowed provided they had handed something in). But doing really well in a humanities course is harder because there isn’t a definitive numerical standard for what’s an exceptional essay rather than just a good one.

STEM is harder to pass. Partly this is a deliberate ethos: the humanities believes that if a student is doing poorly that’s primarily the responsibility of the professor, while STEM believes that if a student is dooing poorly it’s primarily the responsibility of the student. First- and second-year STEM courses (or specifically, the non-biology ones) are deliberately a weeding-out process to get the students who can’t hack it to drop the program; that attitude is anathema to the humanities. I had one first-year math prof tell the class “a third of you will fail this course”. (I dropped that one.) That’s not to say you’re on your own – the homework help sessions run by grad students and TAs, for hours a day, were an absolute lifesafer – but it’s a fundamentally different mentality than in the humanities or social sciences. That said, most of your grade comes from tests and quizzes, and if you study hard you can get 100% on a test or quiz. (And they grade on a curve. I had around 60% in a physics class at midterm and wound up pulling a B+, and it’s not because I got dramatically better in the second half of the year.) Few people get 100% on an essay.

being a humanities major who’s friends with stem majors is so funny because you’ll ask your friends what they’re doing today and they’re like “UGH it’s so stressful i have to stabilize the reactor core for my nuclear power midterm and then i have to build the supercomputer from i have no mouth yet i must scream for my electrical engineering homework :/ what about you” and you’re like “oh well i have to read a fun little book and write an essay about gender.” and they still think you have it worse

[sophieinwonderland]

I have actually read your sources, none of which touch on the neurobiology of "plurality." However, several neurobiology studies have demonstrated that DID is only a result of trauma. As for the link with messages from Colin Ross, I do not see him as a credible source. I am well aware of his history with DID research, but unfortunately, his belief that he can shoot energy beams out of his eyes and his malpractice lawsuits makes him less than credible.

Reinders research group demonstrates that DID cannot be simulated (across various studies) as people claiming plurality are doing. I would recommend looking beyond simplistic literature and actually understand the real science behind trauma disorders. It makes it very clear that DID and being "multiple" is solely caused by trauma. Now given that "plurality" is a relatively new social contagion, alongside the destruction of research institutes within the US, i doubt any research directly comparing the neurology of people claiming to be "plural" and people with DID will come about.

I highly recommend expanding your "research" into more scientifically rigorous papers. Also the DSM does specify that DID is a trauma disorder, you just have not read the whole section, unless you ignored the part where it mentions that 90% of cases are from child abuse and 10% are from war, terrorism, or child prostitution.

You do realize that the lawsuits hinged around allegations that Colin Ross gave the patient "false memory syndrome," a syndrome made up by a group of accused child molesters to defend other accused child molesters, right?

30 years later, we still have little to no evidence that the syndrome ever existed. There are some studies that have shown some minor false memories can be implanted. But data is conflicting and nothing on the level of the severe persistent traumatic experiences that have been alleged have been validated. The foundation that created this made up syndrome has since closed down.

If you want to talk about pseudoscience, then you should probably talk about the pseudoscience that drove a lot of the malpractice lawsuits against specialists of dissociative identity disorder at the time.

As for Ross's belief that the human eye can emit energy, I genuinely don't see how that is relevant. Plenty of experts in various fields hold some sort of metaphysical beliefs. Especially when those beliefs are outside of their area of expertise. And Ross is primarily a psychiatrist, not a physicist or a biologist.

The fact is that Colin Ross is one of the foremost experts on dissociative identity disorder in the world. He is a doctor who has spent over 40 years working directly with patients with DID. He has written more books on the topic than almost anyone alive. If not more than anyone alive. His contributions to the field are still regularly cited by other reputable doctors because he is considered a credible source by actual academics.

He has spent his entire career fighting for trauma survivors. Working with patients, developing new treatments, and encouraging trauma-centered care.

You would struggle to find doctors with more experience than Colin Ross with treating dissociative identity disorder.

But I get what you are doing. You can't win on the front of expertise and experience. So you go for personal attacks. When faced with the reality that one of the most experienced expert on DID doesn't support your hate, you decide it's better to find anything you can in his history of fighting for trauma survivors to discredit him.

You cannot accept that the experts disagree with you. That you can't actually find ANY experts who support your belief that plurality can only come from trauma. So your only viable move is trying to attack the experts.

Reinders research group demonstrates that DID cannot be simulated (across various studies) as people claiming plurality are doing.

If these studies are the ones I think they are, what they show is that DID is distinct from "simulating controls." That is, a control group of neurotypical singlets that simply pretends to have DID. What they show is that "people pretending to have an alter will appear differently on a brain scan than people with DID."

It's really not relevant for a number of reasons, and frankly is built on a lot of circular reasoning. Since these studies literally only compare the DID group to roleplayers, you sort of have to start with the premise that endogenic systems are roleplaying to think this is relevant at all.

"Endos are roleplaying" -> "Studies comparing DID systems to roleplayers show that DID is different from roleplaying" -> "This proves that endogenic systems aren't real" -> "Therefore endos are roleplaying."

Citing studies comparing the brains of DID systems to neurotypical singlets who pretend to have DID as evidence that endogenic systems aren't real makes no sense!

I highly recommend expanding your "research" into more scientifically rigorous papers. Also the DSM does specify that DID is a trauma disorder, you just have not read the whole section, unless you ignored the part where it mentions that 90% of cases are from child abuse and 10% are from war, terrorism, or child prostitution.

How are you guys all failing this much at basic reading comprehension that you imagine words that aren't there? This talking point comes up all the time and it is always just wrong.

Here is the quote you're referring to!

Read it over closely a few times.

Note that it does not mention that this makes up the other 10% of cases, only that they have also been reported. Let's break this paragraph down.

Early life trauma represents an environmental risk factor for DID.

About 90% of cases report neglect or abuse.

The early life traumatic experiences can also include painful childhood medical procedures, war, terrorism and human trafficking.

Onset of the disorder has also been described after exposure to other dysfunctional family dynamics.

Going by this alone, these cases could make up the other 10%... or only 5% or 2%.

90% of cases show reports of abuse or neglect. And then an unspecified number of cases report other forms of traumatic experiences.

I am not saying that DID can for certain form without any trauma at all. I am just saying that if you think that this paragraph proves 100% of DID cases are traumagenic, you have fundamentally failed at reading.

[kaisentine]

compression shirts and itoshi rin needs to be listed as a cause for heart attacks.

some might say they’re a deadly duo.

and you most certainly could agree with that statement since you’ve experienced first hand.

rin walks past you and you notice from the blurry figure that he’s wearing an unfamiliar shirt that looks way tighter than what he usually opts for. as per usual, you call out to him, “where you goin’?” you ask, still not looking up from your phone screen.

he almost scoffs at the stupidly obvious question. “where you do you think?” he rolls his eyes, turning to face you—that’s where you get the full image and oh my word.

stupid ass grey sweatpants he always wears and that unfamiliar tight shirt that was on your mind—a freaking compression shirt!

“i—oh…” your mouth widens to an ‘o’ shape once you finally comprehend everything. it’s almost surreal but you could imagine him wearing it one day—but not this day! “what?” “when did you get that?” “it was just in my closet.”

he shrugs. HE SHRUGS.

like no big deal, he’s off to wherever.

you can’t help but roll around after he’s already left you alone with you thoughts—your thoughts of how him being a gym FREAK and an athletic fuck really has an impact on you.

oh yeah, you’re totally gonna die soon.

and why the fuck did he never tell you he had a black compression shirt in his closet.

sticky note. this man is a walking heart attack cause

[markscherz]

I put it to you that Scaphiophryne marmorata is peak frog.

Why?

Well first, it's pretty round, which is key.

Now get a load of those fingers.

Big, expanded discs at the end, ideal for climbing.

But what's happening back there with those toes? No discs there. Those are good for walking and hopping around on the ground.

Now, let's gently turn them over

First, excellent tum, 17 out of 10, no notes.

But what's that at the base of the foot? Those big projections? Yep, those are spades. This climbing, hopping frog is an excellent digger!

I like to think of these Scaphiophryne as all-terrain frogs. They're basically good at everything. They defy our categorical labels of 'arboreal', 'terrestrial', or 'fossorial', and say 'por qué no los tres?'—but in Malagasy, so 'nahoana no tsy izy telo?'

[locally-normal]

This is an interesting take.

> research on nutrition is ... among the shakiest and vibiest of all domains of human knowledge.

> food additives are extremely well studied and well regulated.

How do you reconcile these two statements?

I am vaguely wary of "processed foods" even though I still eat them and I don't buy into any particular health fads, and don't even have a strict category of what is a processed food. I just prefer to eat food cooked from scratch with simple ingredients. I think this is defensible because we don't really understand nutrition very well. I don't know what they do to processed foods, but my vibes are that people who eat lots of processed foods are less healthy than people who eat lots of home cooked meals. This could be just correlational but I just don't have the information to do better.

It seems like you're saying the science is bad but we should trust it anyways, and I feel like some amount of cautious doing it the old way is warranted. There's a lot we don't understand, eating "more natural" food in the face of that seems reasonable.

Or I guess, you say not trusting processed foods is unscientific and ask for specifics, I could say trusting processed foods is unscientific and say that our grasp of nutritional science is insufficient to believe that they're healthy, and ask for specifics where it's an ironclad improvement. Preservatives are often one such example, because there's a clear harm when you don't have them, mold is bad for you.

Tl;dr, the burden of proof is on the "this new process, any process, is healthy" and I ask that each process meet that and just citing a few studies and regulatory bodies doesn't do it, because nutritional science isn't good enough yet. Something like a study of many people and their eating habits over decades and how it affects lifespans would be convincing. Anything less integrated is a bit suspicious.

people who for very silly reasons want to market prepared food products without preservatives in them who then discover why we started putting preservatives in prepared food products in the first place (because without a preservation method food quickly grows stale, and frequently also moldy or downright toxic) is a consistently good bit. like people really seem to think we put Evil Chemicals in food on purpose for no reason.

[inkyrainstorms]

I saw this post and had a vision @aroace-get-out-of-my-face

This will end in horrible bloodshed I fear

Individuals under cut!

[stuck-writing-sickos]

In Poor Taste [P2]

[Series Link]

(Yandere x Reader)

[Warning: misogyny, xenophobia, hint to racism, explicit language, asshole male lead]

You were never crazy about spoiled rich men. They were nothing but troubles.

He knew your type. Quiet, agreeable, and a little bit of a pushover.

He didn't say it, but he had noticed your lack of reaction when Tahara revoked your right to the summer break. Truth was, he never paid attention to women like you when he was in college. The quiet ones who took things seriously as if they had something to lose, those were hard to get. He never bothered with those who were hard to get when there were plenty of other options. He liked the sunkissed  blondes who knew to dress up in white sundresses and spaghetti straps, those who knew to party on Saturday and yoga class on Sunday. They never put up a hard fight, just the right amount, and when he got bored so did they. In and out of his bedroom they whirled, whimsical and effortless. He never bothered to find out if they were smart or complicated, and if they tried to show him, he'd move on to the next. A part of him felt bad, but the encouraging jokes and nudges of his frat brothers overrode that twinge in his chest when he saw sad eyes following him down the campus walkway. It didn't matter, not if he got the liquor and summer yatch trips.

He also liked other types. Soft-spoken brunettes who listened to sad songs and doodled hearts onto his notes. Fierce raven-haired girls who knew to throw back shots and moved their bodies to the music. The rich exchange girls who, despite their attitudes, knew their ways around his body and submitted to his rhythm. He liked them all because he could consume them, so he said he support women. Those he didn't like, well, they were on their own.

So he didn't mind that you were older and reserved. True, he never bothered with women like you because he thought he could do without them, but now that he was in Tokyo all alone, he could see your values. So, he thought to look.

You were the serious type. Soft-spoken, patient, and reserved. You looked after yourself rather dilligently - your clothes fit well, and you smelled of subtle floral perfume. Your movement when you walked around the school were gentle but decisive - you knew what to do, and you did it quick, as if you always had something better to do. A part of him didn't like that. For why, he didn't interrogate. "Why" was never a questioned he bothered with, since he could do well for the first 22 years of his life without it. When someone always get what they want, they hardly ever want to know "why".

He knew he was brash and bold to ask you out for dinner, but he assumed you knew the implication. He was interested enough. You had a fine body, and you knew how to look good. "Late bloomer" was what he liked to call women like you, the type who took themselves too seriously in school, but then learnt how to be pretty in their latter years. They would know how to relax, to not be so uptight.

So there he sat in a booth at a restaurant downtown, waiting, a little impatient to see that you were late. Perhaps he was to blame to tell you to take your time and freshen up at home. He wondered if you would doll up. Where would you show your skin? Where would you shave? He liked it shaved. His fingers toyed with the small tea cup, tapping its side and running down the curve of its rim.

"Hi! Sorry for the wait... I was caught up with a phone call."

He looked up. There you were, smiling down at him. He shamelessly looked at your body, studying the way the nice dress pants accentuate your hip and ass. Then, as you sat down, he took notes of your off-shoulder top, then the blink of your earrings. You may tried to make it seem innocuous, but he could tell. You dressed up for him.

"Not at all! I just got here."

You kept your smile on. He didn't notice that it was manufactured. He was caught up watching you leaning forward, your fingers flipping over the menu. The way your cleavage was catching shadow captured his attention.

"So, how is Tokyo treating you?"

He didn't think you would speak first. You barely humored any small talks during the day, only giving him just enough.

"It's good, it's good", he mused, "I'm enjoying the new culture and people. It's all very new to me, so I'm excited."

You looked up at him now, your eyes narrowing as your smile widened.

"It's a great city. There's always something to look at. Do you ever miss your friends and family, though?"

He leaned in as well, closing the gap. He could see you flinch just barely as his fluffy black curls almost tickle your forehead.

"Well, of course. I miss my family a lot, especially my sister. She's applying for college soon, and I wish I could be there to support her, you know?"

"You have a sister?"

He was pleased to see you following the script so far. Girls were often intrigued by the fact that he had a sister - it means he grew up knowing how to be sensitive and protective. It was a reliable card to play.

"Yeah, we grew up quite close, you know. I still remember her crying like a baby when I left for college", he chuckled, "now it's her turn."

You laughed softly at that.

"Yeah... she must be so sad to see you go to Japan, right?"

He nods, his eyes flickering between your face and your neck, eager to peer right down your top. You must be wearing those stick-on nipple covers to rock a top like that.

"Oh, she was, but she's more excited to be independent in college. Too excited, to be honest. I had to warn her not to get in troubles."

"What kind of trouble?"

He found himself looking at your lips now. Your gentle voice and soft gaze managed to distract him. For a second, he found himself pausing to stare.

"Oh... alcohol, drugs, bad friends. You know the deal."

"Did you get into troubles in college, too?"

The simple question now seemed so implicative. He swallowed, his adam's apple bobbing, and he saw that you looked. Your lashes flutterred for a second before your eyes met his.

Empty.

You were harder to read than he thought. Perhaps it was the age difference, he wondered, or the fact that your naturally composed attitude had sealed your attraction toward him. He never hit on an older woman before, so he supposed it was only natural that he couldn't catch your energy right away. Or were you secretly experienced? Three years seemed little to him at first, but he suddenly felt self-conscious at your still demeanor. You were still smiling and expectant, but in a different way than he imagined. You were yet to be doe-eyed, yet to melt when she heard about his bond with his sister. How many men had had their ways with you? Did you please them well? Did you moved and squirm under their touch? He felt himself heating up.

"Good afternoon, dear customers. May I take your order?"

He almost jumped. You didn't. Awkwardly pointing to the menu, he glanced at you who quickly said your orders. You seemed comfortable.

Did he lose his edge?

The waiter swiftly left. Lukas felt that the chemistry was disrupted. His keen eyes watched your form pulling back away from him, and he caught the faint perfume wafting his way. He decided to keep his posture forward, staying on the offensive side.

"I guess I did get into some troubles", he admitted, his hand instinctively rubbing the nape of his neck, as if to conceal what his clothes couldn't. His skin was warm to the touch.

"Well, what kind?"

He couldn't tell if you were interested. You were asking him lots of questions, even from the start. Did you want to know more about him?

"Oh, we were crazy. One time, a pledge covered himself in lighter fluid and lit himself on fire before jumping into the pool."

"Ah... so the typical frat bros stuff. I guess I've seen something like that at X. Uni", you nodded, your smile turning a bit cheeky.

He shifted even closer.

"Yeah, we were bad boys. Were you in a sorrority? Greek life is big at X."

You shook yout head slowly.

"No... It seemed very fun, but I guess I was too focused on other stuff."

"What stuff?"

"I was trying to keep my scholarship, so that took most of my time, I guess. I wasn't too involved with student life aside trom the school's art magazine."

"So you are a smartie?"

You hung your head humbly.

"I guess you could say that."

"So what did you do to blow off steam, then? Or were you at the library all day?"

He felt just a bit desperate trying to know you. He knew his bombarding questions were coming off a little strong, but he didn't want to feel exposed and insecure anymore. He had opened up, he thought it would be fair if you let him in a little. Wind down, be less uptight.

"I went to Ellum sometimes."

Ellum, the bar street. So you knew how to party after all. Maybe you did have experiences with men.

"Oh, me and my boys liked it there."

"For troubles?"

He laughed.

"For troubles, yeah. It'd be crazy if we met and never knew it."

"Well, it was all dark and loud in there. Maybe we did."

"Then it's fate."

He felt corny saying it, but the words slipped out anyway. His heart twisted when you laughed at that, your chest vibrating. You lifted your hand to cover your smile, and he saw a glimpse of ink as your top pulled against your shoulder. Tattoos, huh? He didn't peg you as the type to get them.

Seeing that it was his chance, he reached over to adjust the fabric, his fingertips lingering just a moment too long. He felt it, the electric as he felt your cool skin against his own. You were soft and smooth, like a nice spread of butter against crispy toast.

"Oh, my bad, I just saw your shirt falling off a little there."

Your laugh dwindled. You touched where he touched, your chest rising and lowering at a slower beat.

Lukas found himself feeling expectant.

"Ah, well, thank you", you said, your voice more relaxed now. That was a good sign.

The waiters came back with the orders and left just as hurriedly.

"I have a question", Lukas mused, somehow anxious to lose your attention when you reached for your utensils.

"Pray tell."

"What's the best food place that you've ever been in Tokyo?"

He winced internally. Corny and immature, that was what he was being. What a 17-year-old first date question that was.

"I'd say the unlabelled streetfood carts at the open-air markets", you said, your finger resting on your chin for a moment, "I like to go there if I ever have to stay late at work."

"You gotta show me sometimes, then. I love streetfood!"

He felt stupid clawing at any ways he could to compel your interest. You were right there, laughing at his jokes, asking about his family, paying attention to him. Yet somehow he still felt like you were distant, somewhere in an invisible fish bowl, and what he had said to you were muffled through the water and glass.

"Of course, I'd be happy to. But let me know if you are allergic to anything, or if you are scared of seafood."

"Not at all", he confidently shook his head, "I went to Italy last summer, and the seafood was amazing!"

"Trip across Europe?"

"Trip across Europe", he nodded, "I'd say, Italy for best seafood, France for best wine, Germany for best beer, and Netherlands for the best, well, you know..."

You playfully rolled your eyes.

"I see you like to travel."

"Oh, it changes my whole perspective. I really found myself, you know. It's like... I come back a whole different person. I think everyone should travel."

You gave him a strange look. Not a scowl nor a frown. A gentle squint of the eyes. It could be anything. He couldn't decide if he was being too boastful, or if he had said something wrong. Did you not like that? Maybe you hadn't been as well-travelled as he was, and what he said had come across as unrelatable.

"But of course, you know, if your money allows it. It doesn't cost as much as you think if you know how to budget."

The playful twinkle in your eyes told him that you were responding to him, and likely not negatively. Still, he felt more stupid adding on to what he said. He didn't know why, but he felt as though you were looking down on him.

Why would you look down on him?

Lukas may not realize it, but this was one of the rare occasions when he let the "why" bother him.

"Of course, travelling can be great. I haven't travelled much, but I imagine that when I have enough money, I would travel. I have a few places in mind."

"Where to?"

"For starter, Norway."

Weird answer.

"What's in Norway?"

"The aurora borealis."

He furrowed his brows.

"You want to see the northern light?"

"More than anything."

"It doesn't cost that much though."

"Yeah, but solo travelling costs more, I imagine."

"I can go with you."

He felt decidedly stupid and overconfident.

"Wouldn't that be something...", you commented, your eyes casting aside, "well, that's my top destination for sure."

You were growing cold again. Lukas couldn't for the life of him figure out where he was going wrong. Maybe you just weren't attracted to him, but that was unlikely. He knew how good he looked. He may have heard "sorry I have a boyfriend" and "I'm looking for something serious", but he couldn't think of a time when someone had admitted to him not being their type. Not even behind his back.

"Also, you seem to like to drink. Two out of the four places you mentioned was about alcohol."

He didn't expect you to pick up on the conversation. Maybe he simply had gotten into his head.

"Oh, I guess. I did drink a lot in college, but that's just what it was all about, you know?"

"About troubles, I know."

He felt his face growing hot.

"Right... well, I'd love to know what other Japanese drinks are like, too. I've tasted sake, but it was mild. I'm more of a beer and shots guy."

"Wine, too, right? In France."

You had not once lost your composure. He felt like he was squirming in his seat. He wanted to sleep with you, that was clear. He needed to know what it was like to get with someone older than him, even if it was a mere three years. What would you be like in bed? What did you learn from all the men from your past? The unphased facade, the tattoo, the way you maintained your calm upon his touch and his banter... you knew something he didn't. You had experienced things he hadn't.

"Right, that. Do you drink at all? Here, in Japan, I mean."

"Sometimes."

"Hey, it's a Friday night. Do you maybe want to grab a drink at a pub somewhere after this?"

You raised an eyebrow at him, incredulous. He knew he was being brash and bold, but he couldn't help it. You were something he wanted to add to his collection.

Letting you mull over it, he watched your calm face.

"Sure...", you softly agreed, "but only for a little while."

"Something coming up tomorrow?"

Someone to see tomorrow?

Your blank eyes glimmered under the flourescent light for a second. He almost wanted to hold his breath.

"Just some personal affair in the afternoon."

There you go being elusive again. He thought he would have had you in his palm by now, but not yet. Maybe he didn't know your type.

[discourselover3000]

Do perisex trans people all have a very clear sex?

Consider a perisex trans man who has completed as much medical transition as possible. He's had top surgery, so no breast tissue. He's had a total hysterectomy, so no uterus, ovaries, cervix, etc. He's had phaloplasty (or an alternative srs), so he has external genitalia that presents like a penis, scrotum and testicals. He's been on testosterone for over a decade, so he has facial hair, a deep voice, a typical male body fat distribution, a typical male muscle structure. What sex is he? Chromosomally, XX female, sure. As far as gonads go, he doesn't have any anymore, that's non-existant. And observable sexual characteristics? All of those are male.

"but males are more likely to assault females than other females", you say. But as far as the science goes, research suggests trans men have the same pattern of criminality as cis men. Now, this is only one study, with a small sample size. But it's from the exact same study y'all point to to say trans women are dangerous. Research also shows that trans men on hrt are stronger than cis women, and outperform them at most fitness tests. The same research also shows that trans women on hrt either perform comparably, or perform worse than cis women at those same fitness tests. The only area where trans men perform like cis women (and trans women like cis men) is grip strength.

"nearly half of TIMs who sit in jail are there convicted of sex crimes"

source? If it's the UK prison study then that doesn't specify whether it's talking about trans women or trans men. And the same statistics in that study can be used to show trans people are significantly less likely to be convicted of a sex crime than the general population. If your source is a different study, does it account for the criminalisation of sex work? Trans women in particular are significantly more likely to be involved in sex work than the general population. And if they're arrested for that, yeah, it'd go down as a sex crime.

Trans women have used women's bathrooms for decades. It's only in the past few years anyone's started having a major problem with it. Most trans women feel incredibly uncomfortable using any bathroom in public because of the amount of harassment and scrutiny they face, regardless of which one they use. And the vast, vast majority of trans women will be making some effort to present as women before using the women's bathroom, if they do at all. Do you really think that a meaningful chunk of cis men will put in that level of effort just to go into the women's bathroom when they could just grab a high-vis vest and tool kit and waltz in as a fake maintenance man? Or just walk in there anyway and deal with the dirty looks?

If everyone just used the bathroom aligned with their sex assigned at birth (and it is assigned, based on external genitalia presentation, which does not always align with chromosomes or gonads), then you'd have to deal with trans man who may look completely indistinguishable from cis men using the women's bathroom with you. Would you really be more comfortable sharing a bathroom with someone like Buck Angle than someone like Jazz Jennings? And, like I mentioned before, this world removes the need for creepy men to put in some effort to go into the women's bathroom without scrutiny. Which is surely worse than you occasionally having to wash your hands next to a tall woman.

[puppetmaster13u]

Prompt 338

So the GIW is the Ghost Investigation Ward and not the Ghost Extermination Ward, yes? Hear me out, hm? 

See, it’s really hard to study ecto-entities when they’re going all over in and out of the world. Really hard! And of course they aren’t like, sentient, studies for years before the boom in this one town showed this! But, the overgrown not-birds (they’re still debating that) are really hard to watch doing their natural thing when they naturally mimic people around them! 

So! They got this idea, right? Their operatives can capture some! They’ve even made enclosures based off of what they currently know! It’s like containing crows, down to the mimicry & puzzle solving just er, with opposable thumbs and intangibility. 

And they don’t succeed first tries of course (Wow were said operatives frustrated and maybe cursing a bit that might be a bit violently) but then they get some assistance from the Fentons! Trying to hit an ecto-entities’ wings in a way to not permanently injure them is hard, but the new net canons that a ghost can’t pass through? Perfect! 

They have so many specimens now! They even released a few that were very much uncontainable- they rely on technology a bit and that entity kept unlocking all the doors. So catch and release with that one it is!  

They even managed to catch the white-haired ghost! In double! Which might not seem that important, but! As they realize during intake & initial examination (wow are they bitey) the two appear to be young! Something their ectobiologists only theorized about but oh are they excited! (Now if only the two would stop trying to escape their enclosure that’d be swell! Look, toys! Foo- oh dear God that baby ecto-entity is melting- Oh few, okay note taken to raise ambient ecto levels in that room dear god that was horrifying and stressful. … Maybe get some feelers out for feeding unstable energy entities…) 

[gaycrittercentral]

BEHOLD!! I made an entry to Skunkape's 2023 Holiday Contest! :'Dc I worked so fuckin hard on it hhhrhrhrhgdhsjglshgjdjfh and let me tell you, I do not at all hope to win but I do hope it makes Steve snicker. Just the thought that he'll be seeing it is wild. Hope it makes y'all snicker too ehehehe!!

[tavina-writes]

not entirely sure if this is anything, but people discovering that scientists are also nerds and going "oh! they must be one of the rare ones!" always surprises me. Like, what does "nerd" mean to you that you think scientists are boring?

What is a scientist but someone who deeply deeply loves whatever system they're working with? Today I listened to a guy give a presentation on the size of holes in a bee hotel and how that impacts solitary bee species nesting behavior for 20 minutes. Another guy I know who studies dengue fever had a whole slide about "IT IS IMPORTANT TO LOVE YOUR MOSQUITOES OR THEY WILL DIE."

I know people who stand for hours outside studying frogs, people who love microscope imaging, people who develop pipelines and packages, people who camp out overnight to study monarch caterpillar mortality. People who do work on every kind of system imaginable. Would I be here doing tissue culture for six hours a day if I loved no part of it?

I know so many people who pour an incredible amount of love into the work that they do day in and day out often for very slow and minimal returns who are incredibly talented and generous with their knowledge. Can any science really survive without loving what you work with?

Anyway, it's my assumption that very few people go to graduate school or end up in academia because they want to get rich and famous, so what keeps us going year in and year out is the love of what we do.

I work in biology/agricultural science/entomology (insect studies) so my examples draw from there, but I'm pretty sure that all disciplines of scientists are nerds. Like yes, every last one of us. And we love what we do.

(and we'd really really love it if you ask about our study systems.)