#(what peaks mean what functional group)

[queer-reader-07]

i learned about IR spectroscopy today and it's so so cool and i think we're doing a lab with it next week and oh my god i will be insufferable about it

[everytimewetouch-dot-mp3]

cang qiong dragon god shen yuan is probably like so old that time doesn’t have meaning? like he transmigrated into pidw as a dragon and and the system gave him a few missions that functionally amounted to ‘claim this mountain range as your territory and defend it from demons’

sy didn’t realize that he was actually laying the foundation for cang qiong mountain sect before its creation. some terrifying demon demigod (one of the first heavenly demons, maybe?) pursues a band of cultivators to his mountain range, and he protects them. they settle his mountains and start cultivating, and because they’re protected by a literal god (who they call lord canglong, and they name the mountains after him) people want to study there.

so cqms is born, and sy takes a nap. when he wakes up, those cultivators he saved bring another group of cultivators, all named 'wen' to his mountain, and they ask his permission to lead the peaks next. another nap, and he wakes up to the wen generation asking his blessing for the ming generation, so on and so forth up until the qing generation. this time he recognizes names: qingge, qingfang, qingqi. this generation's leader, qingyuan. and the one whose bow is shallow and perfunctory, qingqiu. ofc sy isn't super pressed about standing on ceremony or whatever—he's only experienced like six years in this world, and most of them were spent either establishing the mountain as his territory or helping his little cultivators fight off some world-ending cataclysm or other. but he remembers the scum villain’s name, and he’s not a huge fan of the way sqq’s already proving himself to be an arrogant old shit

just like every other time, after he’s met and blessed this generation of peak lords, shen yuan falls asleep. shit!!! he meant to stay awake this time, but the system putting him to sleep is just too powerful! he’s probably missed luo binghe, damnit!!! what’s the point of transmigrating into this shitty novel if he doesn’t even get to meet the only character worth the pixels it took to type him into existence??

but as soon as he sees that fluffy-haired boy curled up in one of his caves, bruised and weeping and wondering what he’s done to be so universally hated, shen yuan knows. that’s his protagonist, and he’s really too pathetic like this. he’s really just a child. and shen yuan might have been easily annoyed by the concept of kids in his first life, but this isn’t just some whiny kid. this is the protagonist. so he does his best to calm tiny lord luo down.

and at first when lbh realizes it’s the fucking dragon god canglong speaking to him, the poor kid falls on his face kowtowing and apologizing for the intrusion, but lord canglong just…asks him what’s wrong. and then listens. and then he allows binghe to…to touch his hand???? not only that, he pats binghe’s head?? and tells him it isn’t his fault??? that one little head-pat is filled with so much spiritual power that binghe almost passes out, and soon after he recovers, lord canglong sends him back down the mountain with a renewed sense of purpose. lord canglong said binghe wasn’t stupid, wasn’t incompetent, wasn’t a failure, and binghe was determined to prove himself worthy of the sect’s guardian deity’s kindness.

and when luo binghe turns to walk down the mountain back to qing jing peak, that google translate voice pipes up in shen yuan’s ear with an update he hadn’t realized he was waiting for.

[Congratulations! Congratulations! Congratulations! Important things must be said three times! USER_002 has completed the quest {From the Ground Up}! B-points +500 USER_002 has initiated the quest {Master of Masters}! New skill [Shapeshifter] has been unlocked! Would USER_002 like to activate [Shapeshifter] now?]

shen yuan slammed the bright glowing [YES] faster than any quest the system had ever given him. that’s how he learned that he was, in fact, just naked in front of luo binghe, and the [Shapeshifter] skill didn’t come with an auto-clothed setting. thank fuck he’d already sent the protagonist away!

[inbabylontheywept]

The Fridges. Oh My God, The Fridges.

This is a continuation of the last piece I wrote on the weird shit that happens in classified facilities. The building I work in has somewhere around 30-35 people in it. It also has around 20 fridges. There's kind of a saga that goes into this, so I'll start with the first part: The Hoarding.

The building has an insane overabundance of space. They just keep adding new rooms every time an old room needs an update, so it just sprawls on forever. There's also an extremely limited ability to get anyone who does not work full time in the building, into the building. This means that while we work on missiles, we also clean our own desks and vacuum the floors and mop and all of those other tasks that most places would consider "non-engineer work." This is fine if it's something anyone with a body can do, but this causes problems when you're looking at the physical limits of engineers. Namely, we are not very muscular people.

Thus, if something needs to get manhandled into a space, it gets manhandled by whatever group of nerds you can bribe, threaten, or guilt into joining you. When a fridge dies, it is a motherfucker to remove it from the building, so they often just...didn't. What they did instead was get the fridges onto dolleys, which isn't too bad, wheel those dolleys to the elevator, and then park them in a relatively empty part of the basement that we shall call The Graveyard of Fridges. This wasn't originally meant to be a permanent solution, but when you have space but lack muscles, it can become permanent really fast. Eventually, someone realized that you can padlock the fronts of the fridges and use them as document storage, which has the added perk of meaning that the people on site don't have to assemble more filing cabinets. Everyone here hates assembling filing cabinets. It's fucking terrible. (It is worth noting that in this era, you would occasionally get directions to a secret file that looked like "1970's model, lime green, left crisper.")

We will call this the peak of the Hoarding Era. It is followed by the Mechanical Engineering Era.

Around 2015, it was realized that the group needed engineers familiar with industrial machinery, and not just standard electronics, so mechanical engineers (MEs) began to get hired. The new ME's made it a sort of rite of passage for proceeding new hires to repair an old fridge. So the site went from having 4 functioning fridges and 15ish being used for document storage to around 15 functioning fridges and 4 used for file storage.

Every time a fridge got fixed, people just put them back on the dolley, wheeled them back in the elevator, and got them wedged in their personal office spaces. If you were a bigwig, you might be able to get dibs on your own personal fridge, and if you were a new guy confined to the cubicle jungle you might have to share one with four or five other guys. But it was still a ludicrous amount of fridge space.

And that is how a base with 35 people on it wound up with 15 fridges.

[crossdreamers]

A guide to chromosomal variations

Over at Instagram Melly the Science Geek has published a mind blowing video about how chromosome decide (or do not the decide) the sex of a person.

The world is a a very complicated place, indeed.

And at this point we have not even begun to talk about gender identity.

The Science Vet on XX, XY and all the other variations

Melly's video reminds us of the very popular twitter thread made by the Science Vet back in 2018.

We take the liberty of republishing that thread here:

So. Hi new people! Apparently, we're gonna talk about sex. Like physical sex! Because... there's some confusion.

First, sex defined: We're talking physical sex here, not gender. Body parts, hormones, and genetics (and more).

BLUF: BIOLOGICAL sex is a spectrum

Ok, everyone's super familiar with the XX/XY dichotomy, right? Yeah, what we all learned in like... 4th grade? And that's great, it gives you a starting point. But it's... well it's only the very starting point.

The IDEA is, XX is girl, XY is boy, right?

Welllll... that's not totally right. There are XY people, who have ovaries! And give birth! AH! And XX people who have male bodies and functional sperm! Double AH!

These are usually written off as "abnormalities" and indeed, some cases have medical issues. But many don't (like the XY woman giving birth). And this is really only the very very tip of the iceberg of "wait, that doesn't fit into our M or F box unless we make it bigger"

There's a WHOLE HOST of things that can cause all sorts of "weird" things to happen, ranging from genetic (XXY, XYY, Y, X, XX with translocation, XY with deletion) to hormonal (Androgen Insensitivity, Estradiol failure), and disruptors like dioxins

So, you're a scientist, and you want to research stuff, right? Which means you have to categorize stuff. Without categories, data is hard! So you take allll these people, including the "weird" ones and you plot them on a graph. Logical!

You use all the differences there are, different genetics, different responses to hormones, different effectiveness in signalling pathways, different sizes in Aanteroventral periventricular nucleus (AVPV) (yeah that's a thing) and give everything numbers, add them up.

You get what's called a bimodal distribution (mostly, we'll get to that later) Which looks like this. Those two big peaks are what we call "male" and "female" (even conveniently colored pink for boys and blue for girls - we are using victorian gender colors right?)

/8

Now, when you're trying to look at data, we often group stuff. When we do that with a plot like this, it's called a "histogram." Basically we're breaking down a curved line into discrete "bins." Like this (image stolen from the web).

/9

Traditionally, we've used REALLY BIG bins for this when talking about sex. Basically you either group everything vaguely near a peak into the peak, or you just pretend there's nothing else but the biggest peaks. This makes it super easy, because 2 is simple to do data with.

However, as we've gotten to know more and more about signaling and brains and hormones and started to pay more attention to the outliers where standard stuff just didn't seem to work, we discovered that this isn't a great model to use.

Now I'm not talking feelings here. I'm talking about data. As you start to look at anything interesting, like say the effects of 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-P-dioxin on animals, you start to realize that a 2 bin model doesn't predict your results well.

At first you say, "Well it was just weird." So you redo it, and it still doesn't work. So you look at your model and you say, "Well ok, what if the model's wrong?"

But the model sort of... almost predicts a lot of things, and it worked for years, so...

Some enterprising soul says, "Hey, remember that histogram where we said we'll just model using the peaks?" And everyone goes, "Uh, yeah?" And they say, "What if we... USED that data?" And everyone groans, because complicated data is hard.

But someone sits down and does the work, and lo, wow the model starts to work again. Where TCDD was "randomly" turning some boys into girls but then some girls into boys, now you can see there's a subgroup of what you'd called "female" that responds like the "male"

What's important here is that you haven't MISLABELED males as females. These are functional "females" who can do all the usual "female" things like gestate babies. But they respond to this one endocrine disruptor in a "male" way.

So you add another two categories, call them "Male2" and "Female2" and go on, happy that your model works! You've got 4 sexes now, but you don't really have to tell anyone that, right?

Exceeeept then you remember you've got those XY people that gestate babies. So you add "Intersex1" And then the XX people with penes... and ovaries? Ok, "Intersex2" because all these groups respond differently with signalling and brains when you get into the weeds

And the more you look, the more we LEARN, the more we're able to separate out those fine differences. Depending on what we're doing, we may not care. If a doc is giving you aspirin, it probably isn't a big deal.

But if they're using a steroid on you? Or treating dioxin poisoning? THAT SHIT COULD BE IMPORTANT. It's like saying, "the light's off so the power must not be flowing." It really matters if the light's off because the bulb blew.

If we go back to that histogram plot, we can keep breaking down your biological sex into smaller and smaller differences in brain areas, hormone levels, signalling differences, genetic variances. There's nothing stopping us from binning EVERY INDIVIDUAL into their own bin.

Technically, this wouldn't be "infinite sexes" but 7.4 billion sexes is functionally close for our brains. Now, our medicine isn't advanced enough for THAT level of detail to make any difference. BUT IT MIGHT BE in the future. Individualized medicine!

The thing to remember is that this isn't "new." We're not 'inventing sexes' here. Sex has ALWAYS been this curve. We were just using REALLY BIG bins. And now we're realizing that that's not representative of biology, it's inhibiting understanding of medicine and biology

In case anyone's curious, this isn't ideology. This is because I had to figure out why my data didn't match the prediction. Those rats I mentioned? Yeah, my lab. And lab rats are a really pure genetic monoculture, and they STILL don't fit the two peak model well.

So, since it's come up, an addendum!

Yes, we looked at other things we could do to make our data fit the existing model, that's how science works! The ONLY way the data fit was if we let "sex" be more than just those two narrow peaks.

Models purpose in science is to predict. If they don't predict correctly, first we check if we've measured the data correctly, and repeat the experiment a couple more times. If it still doesn't fit, we have to look at the model.

Intersex! Because I didn't specifically mention this.

"Intersex" is a grouping bin used for a lot of the "middle ground" of the spectrum between the "male" and "female" peaks. Any situation where easily assigning the person to one of those two peaks is challenging.

Intersex! Because I didn't specifically mention this above.

"Intersex" is a term used to collectively speak of the "middle ground" of biology where people can't easily be binned into those two big "male" and "female" peaks. It can include a large range of biology

It is worth noting that I never talk about transgender in this thread. Intersex is not the same as transgender. You can be one without the other, or be both.

For people who think this is just "outliers"

Current estimates are that the intersex population is at least 2%. We know that's low because there are a lot of "invisibly intersex" people. That means AT LEAST 150 million people in the world.

I apologize for the failure to use the word "intersex" higher up in the discussion. Many people in the middle ground (including the XY person who can carry a child, for example) use this term. I cannot go back and edit the thread, and apologize for my overly clinical description. 

Part of the purpose of the thread, which may have failed, was to point out that "intersex" is not a condition, it is not a disease. It's natural with a bimodal distribution. Science not only supports this, it suggests that ignoring intersex people makes your conclusions wrong 

References at the end of this page.

[covid-safer-hotties]

Patients With Long-COVID Show Abnormal Lung Perfusion Despite Normal CT Scans - Published Sept 12, 2024

VIENNA — Some patients who had mild COVID-19 infection during the first wave of the pandemic and continued to experience postinfection symptoms for at least 12 months after infection present abnormal perfusion despite showing normal CT scans. Researchers at the European Respiratory Society (ERS) 2024 International Congress called for more research to be done in this space to understand the underlying mechanism of the abnormalities observed and to find possible treatment options for this cohort of patients.

Laura Price, MD, PhD, a consultant respiratory physician at Royal Brompton Hospital and an honorary clinical senior lecturer at Imperial College London, London, told Medscape Medical News that this cohort of patients shows symptoms that seem to correlate with a pulmonary microangiopathy phenotype.

"Our clinics in the UK and around the world are full of people with long-COVID, persisting breathlessness, and fatigue. But it has been hard for people to put the finger on why patients experience these symptoms still," Timothy Hinks, associate professor and Wellcome Trust Career Development fellow at the Nuffield Department of Medicine, NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre senior research fellow, and honorary consultant at Oxford Special Airway Service at Oxford University Hospitals, England, who was not involved in the study, told Medscape Medical News.

The Study Researchers at Imperial College London recruited 41 patients who experienced persistent post-COVID-19 infection symptoms, such as breathlessness and fatigue, but normal CT scans after a mild COVID-19 infection that did not require hospitalization. Those with pulmonary emboli or interstitial lung disease were excluded. The cohort was predominantly female (87.8%) and nonsmokers (85%), with a mean age of 44.7 years. They were assessed over 1 year after the initial infection.

Exercise intolerance was the predominant symptom, affecting 95.1% of the group. A significant proportion (46.3%) presented with myopericarditis, while a smaller subset (n = 5) exhibited dysautonomia. Echocardiography did not reveal pulmonary hypertension. Laboratory findings showed elevated angiotensin-converting enzyme and antiphospholipid antibodies. "These patients are young, female, nonsmokers, and previously healthy. This is not what you would expect to see," Price said. Baseline pulmonary function tests showed preserved spirometry with forced expiratory volume in 1 second and forced vital capacity above 100% predicted. However, diffusion capacity was impaired, with a mean diffusing capacity of the lungs for carbon monoxide (DLCO) of 74.7%. The carbon monoxide transfer coefficient (KCO) and alveolar volume were also mildly reduced. Oxygen saturation was within normal limits.

These abnormalities were through advanced imaging techniques like dual-energy CT scans and ventilation-perfusion scans. These tests revealed a non-segmental and "patchy" perfusion abnormality in the upper lungs, suggesting that the problem was vascular, Price explained.

Cardiopulmonary exercise testing revealed further abnormalities in 41% of patients. Peak oxygen uptake was slightly reduced, and a significant proportion of patients showed elevated alveolar-arterial gradient and dead space ventilation during peak exercise, suggesting a ventilation-perfusion mismatch.

Over time, there was a statistically significant improvement in DLCO, from 70.4% to 74.4%, suggesting some degree of recovery in lung function. However, DLCO values did not return to normal. The KCO also improved from 71.9% to 74.4%, though this change did not reach statistical significance. Most patients (n = 26) were treated with apixaban, potentially contributing to the observed improvement in gas transfer parameters, Price said.

The researchers identified a distinct phenotype of patients with persistent post-COVID-19 infection symptoms characterized by abnormal lung perfusion and reduced gas diffusion capacity, even when CT scans appear normal. Price explains that this pulmonary microangiopathy may explain the persistent symptoms. However, questions remain about the underlying mechanisms, potential treatments, and long-term outcomes for this patient population.

Causes and Treatments Remain a Mystery Previous studies have suggested that COVID-19 causes endothelial dysfunction, which could affect the small blood vessels in the lungs. Other viral infections, such as HIV, have also been shown to cause endothelial dysfunction. However, researchers don't fully understand how this process plays out in patients with COVID-19.

"It is possible these patients have had inflammation insults that have damaged the pulmonary vascular endothelium, which predisposes them to either clotting at a microscopic level or ongoing inflammation," said Hinks.

Some patients (10 out of 41) in the cohort studied by the Imperial College London's researchers presented with Raynaud syndrome, which might suggest a physiological link, Hinks explains. "Raynaud's is a condition of vascular control or dysregulation, and potentially, there could be a common factor contributing to both breathlessness and Raynaud's."

He said there is an encouraging signal that these patients improve over time, but their recovery might be more complex and lengthy than for other patients. "This cohort will gradually get better. But it raises questions and gives a point that there is a true physiological deficit in some people with long-COVID."

Price encouraged physicians to look beyond conventional diagnostic tools when visiting a patient whose CT scan looks normal yet experiences fatigue and breathlessness. Not knowing what causes the abnormalities observed in this group of patients makes treatment extremely challenging. "We need more research to understand the treatment implications and long-term impact of these pulmonary vascular abnormalities in patients with long-COVID," Price concluded.

[papercranesandpride]

Can we talk about The Giver by Lois Lowry from the perspective of a loveless person?

I'm going to start with a passage that runs through my head all the time when I think about my lovelessness, because it resonates with me in pretty much the exact opposite way that it's supposed to.

"Do you love me?" There was an awkward silence for a moment. Then Father gave a little chuckle. "Jonas. You, of all people. Precision of language, please!" "What do you mean?" Jonas asked. Amusement was not at all what he had anticipated. "Your father means that you used a very generalized word, so meaningless that it's become almost obsolete," his mother explained carefully. Jonas stared at them. Meaningless? He had never before felt anything as meaningful as the memory. "And of course our community can't function smoothly if people don't use precise language. You could ask, 'Do you enjoy me?' The answer is 'Yes,'" his mother said. "Or," his father suggested, "'Do you take pride in my accomplishments?' And the answer is wholeheartedly 'Yes.'" "Do you understand why it's inappropriate to use a word like 'love'?" Mother asked. Jonas nodded. "Yes, thank you, I do," he replied slowly. It was his first lie to his parents

I agree with Jonas' parents here. You aren't supposed to agree with them, because they're expression the views of the average person in this dystopian society where love has been eliminated. You're supposed to think "wow, this is a really fucked up society if parents don't love their children." More importantly, you're supposed to think "wow, this is a really fucked up society if no one feels love at all." But I agree with them. "I enjoy you" is a vastly more correct and useful thing for me to say. I do wish people used more precise language instead of the term that's been diluted to meaninglessness. I would love a world where we say things like "I'm happier when I talk to you" or "it's cool to be able to say I know someone so talented" instead of "I love you." That's exactly what I'd like.

I just... As someone who grew up to be loveless, it scares me how much I loved this book as a kid. I grew up to be the kind of person this book views as missing an essential part of the human experience. Lois Lowry thinks that being like me is dystopic. It's not fun to realize that about a book I read over and over, and then read again in school as the first book I really, properly analyzed for English class. Some fundamental part of me was formed when I wrote my first very angsty fanfiction about it for a school project. And this book looks at me with revulsion.

Lois Lowry is just wrong. I used to feel love and then stopped feeling it (and I need to post about that sometime, because all the loveless people I see talk about never having felt love and so I want to voice my own experience). I don't think I'm missing out. I have no desire to get it back. To be clear, I don't think I'm better off without it, either. It's a neutral thing. Some people feel it, some people don't feel it, and neither group is worse off. I wasn't any happier with it than I am without it.

I don't really have a point, except just that it sucks that the whole origin point of the teen dystopia craze that formed all of YA during my peak YA-reading years sees lovelessness as bad. But you know. Of course it does. So does the rest of the culture.

[mylarena]

absolutely fucking ruined by the concept of soap thinking that ghost shouldve left him behind in las almas. him not understanding why ghost waited for him. him being confused the entire time, but not questioning it because it wasnt the time for it. he was more of a liability than a help, considering his bullet wound.

why did ghost lead him through the city when he couldve just gotten out by himself with a lot less risk of getting caught? he supposes the "we're a team" could be an answer, that ghost felt obligated to keep him alive, but with the amount of danger ghost had been in? he logically shouldve cut his losses and gotten the hell out of dodge. a sergeant isnt worth as much as a lieutenant - soap isnt worth as much as ghost.

it doesnt make sense to him. but he never asks- never feels like its the right time, despite them spending so much of it together.

and isnt that fucking baffling as well? ghost hangs out with him. he seems like hes with him more often than not. hes always ghosting - haha - him, always watching him from the corner when the team goes out for drinks, always on comms during missions, always checking his injuries after he gets out of medical.

soap teases him for getting soft with him sometimes, ("so you do like me?" "i like you alive."), but he never makes fun of him. if it were ghost who was injured so often, he thinks he would be the same way. but ghost isnt- hes too well trained and careful to be in and out of medical as much as soap is. reasonably so, considering his rank. hes important to the team, one of the essential cogs to keep the group functioning.

its during a mission that soap finally breaks and asks.

it had been something fairly simple- clear intel, a solid plan, just something in-and-out. but the intel wasnt clear enough and the whole situation went to shit. they were ambushed, and soap was caught on the other side of the battlefield, shot and immobilized. the place was crawling with hostiles, soap was barely staying hidden in some tiny office room that they hadnt checked.

when ghost asked for his status, urgent, he gave him a straight answer: he was incapacitated and wouldnt be able to make it to evac with the rest of the squad, and he was surrounded by enemies that would likely find him soon. he asked for ghosts own situation with evac, knowing that the longer they waited for him the more danger they put the entire squad in. ghost told him that the squad was leaving as they spoke, and so soap expected the line to go silent soon. but it didnt- ghost kept talking to him, keeping him awake. there was no noise of a vehicle in the background either, which confused him, but his mind wasnt really at its peak at the moment, so he didnt really pay attention. what he paid attention to was ghosts shitty dad jokes and the banter he prompted.

he lost track of time and sat in a sort of daze, having lost a lot of blood and still losing it. then ghost asked what building he was in. he mindlessly answered to the best of his ability and waded through his thoughts for a few moments before realizing the implications of the question. so he asked, voice slurred.

"wait, why d'y'need t' ken?"

"because im almost there, johnny."

and soap is even more confused.

"ye didn' go with th' rest o' th' team?"

" 'course not, johnny."

"b't... i'm..."

"what room are you in?"

"i- uh... one o' th' off'ces.... whdya mean, o'course not?"

"i wasn't going to leave you behind, johnny."

theres a short pause. soap can feel his eyes getting heavier.

"did you think i left?"

"...wel'... aye. ...sir."

"why would i-"

"mmmmsir... gettin' real sleepy."

"shit. stay awake, sergeant. keep your eyes open for me, im almost there."

"y's're?"

"absolutely certain, johnny. stay awake for me, yeah? ill be there in a few seconds."

"thou' y'left."

when the door to the office opens, he sluggishly moves for his gun, before be sees the comforting sight of ghosts mask. he drops his arm back down to his side

"lt."

ghost sounds breathless in his reply,

"johnny."

the man is by his side in an instant, quickly running his eyes over him before putting pressure on his bullet wound.

while he does makeshift medical treatment, he does his best to keep soap awake. keeps him talking. occasionally patting his cheek when his head starts to list sideways.

by the time hes done, soap is barely hanging on by a thread. he cant carry his own weight when ghost hefts him up, letting out an indiscernible mumble when he lifts him up and starts on his way out. he doesnt stay awake much longer than that- ghost is warm and hes cold, and the swaying of his gait is soothing. ghost asks him to stay awake- orders him to, borderline pleads him to- but its a losing battle. he passes out, trusting ghost to keep him safe.

later, when he wakes up in the medbay, he'll end up being asked why he didnt think ghost was coming back for him. but for now hes out like a damn light.

[butterflies-and-yuta]

Limits - Nakamoto Yuta

Summary: Now that you were single and broken up with your shitty ex boyfriend, you now met someone who has not only gotten their heartbroken by their ex, but also is willing to help you get over him by basically fucking you better than your ex has ever did....

Genre: Fluff and Angst

Trigger warning: Physical Abuse, Physical Assault, Slut Shaming, Cheating, etc...

Quick Disclaimer: This is part 1 of a 2 part story, the other story will have the spicier stuff in it so stay tuned...

Part 1

Y/N P.O.V

You couldn't believe it, you couldn't believe your boyfriend of 3 years had not only broken up with you but has also cheated on you with someone that goes to the same school as you. So now things are incredibly more awkward now as you try your best to avoid social groups and her specifically but then you had class, and that class had her in it so that's just made it more awkward now.

But you didn't focus on it too much since you're in school and your education matters more than an insatiable man's penis, and as you were about to take your seat with your friends, you saw the girl move towards to your spot and your friends were about to confront her but you told them not to so you just took a spot that was 2 rows further back away from them and proceeded with your work as class was staring to begin.

While you were sitting down and focusing on what today's subject was about, you couldn't help but feel a stare from behind you, normally you would be bothered by it since you're not used to it but you couldn't help but feel like peaking a little bit so you slowly turned your head to the left to see who was looking at you from behind and no one was looking at you except for him.

Yuta Nakamoto, how can I explain who he is, well apart from the fact that he is not only intimidating and cold-looking but is also kind of popular around here since he is friends with some other blokes and mostly close with a guy name Johnny Suh. you mostly heard good stuff about them especially Yuta, but you also heard about a rumour spreading around that he also got cheated on by his ex as well.

Your stories are a bit similar with each other but you just couldn't comfort him or at least talk to him about it since 1: you two weren't really close, 2: since he does have that intimidating and cold-look to him, it's a bit tricky trying to see if he's interested or not, and 3: even though you'd like to get close to him, you two are still people dealing with infidelity and broken hearts, it just wouldn't be the right time to do something that was romantic and intimate with each other.

But there is something about this person that makes you curious and wants to know more about him, mainly because he's not only so different from your ex, but also personality wise as well, when you met your ex, he was like those tiktok boy but more down to earth.

But after a while of you two dating each other, he started focusing more on his appearances and also his social status as well, he never even bothered bringing you to some of his social gatherings, which you didn't like due to how loud they were but there were times in which he has went to some silent functions without you, even some of his friends that you met were surprised to find out that their mate had a girlfriend.

And then came the day, the day you finally caught him in the act. You were at a restaurant with your friends to celebrate their birthday, but unfortunately you saw your ex there with not only his mistress, but she also had the same gifts as he had gotten when you saw them back at home.

And when you went to confront him about, his girl started talking about how she knew you from her school, that was when you found out that she went to the same school as you. You couldn't handle it, you slam the roses on him and threw the jewellery box he got for you at him, and even told his new girlfriend "And good luck with my sloppy seconds too bitch", which at first felt mean but after she started treating you badly at school, she kinda deserved it.

And ever since that day, you've been trying your best to just move on and just forget that had ever happened, but somehow karma was not on your side. As the news went around the school, you started to hear people whispering about you which at first you ignored but it started getting annoying and irritating that some of her friends would go throw soda cans along with crumpled up paper balls at your head. You just wanted to hope for the best and just hopefully be able to finish the school.

But as you sat there with Yuta that day, you started noticing him a bit more different now compared to the usual times. He had some piercings in which looked kinda cool, especially with his hair that seemed to be dyed red which isn't usual for you since you normally see him with dark hair, but what caught your attention more on him was that he keeps his bangs long enough to cover part of his eyes and the back of his hair medium length, he nearly looked like a anime character with the way his bangs look like they've been done with gel instead of cutting it.

But there was more to his hair than its own styling probably done by himself, It looks pretty soft too, so soft that you wished you ran your hands through his hair to feel it. But his fashion was just another story, he literally looked like he just stepped out of a Japanese Rock style fashion store, which isn't far off from his considering he is Japanese but you notice whenever your at school with him that he would wear alternative clothing but make it more like how a rockstar would wear it. it was really cool and unique and you wished you could learn more about it.

But as you were you still looking at him, you caught back to reality as you snapped out of your gazing state and went back to focusing on your work. As class was finally finished, you were about to get up and walk out of a room when all of a sudden you got tripped over, causing you to fall at the bottom of the stairs and dropping your stuff on the floor. Luckily enough you weren't hurt and that your friends were there to check up on you.

You turned around to look it was none other that your ex's new girlfriend. "Whoopsie, you should really watch where you were going before speeding ahead into dangerous territory". your friends were nearly about to go off at her until you asked her what her business was with you. "What the fuck is your problem with me", you said in a aggressive and frustrated state.

"My problem with you is that you have been nothing but a dirty little skank". You couldn't help but retaliate with someone even worse than what she had said there, "At least I'm not a homewrecker and a cheater, so really, who's the dirty little skank here you fucking hypocrite". You were about to go off at her even more until someone came in to stop the both of you.

It was Yuta...Of all people...

"Who the fuck do you think are you to stop me from smashing her head in", she retaliated in a aggressive yet uncontrollable state. "The same guy you cheated on with someone else you slut". And with that, the fight was shutdown immediately with what Yuta has just said there, causing everyone to go their own seperate paths, especially you and your friends.

After the fight, you and your friends went to go get some takeaway off campus with your free lunch time until next class. As you and your friends got your meal and were about to leave, you saw Yuta hanging near the stairs while also enjoying himself with some food. You were about to walk away until your friends convince you to say thank you to him for sticking up for you, but you didn't want to considering it was rude and impolite in your eyes.

But your friends didn't want to hear it and kept buggering you about it until you finally gave in, causing them to continue walking back onto campus and leaving you by yourself with Yuta. You were about to walk back to the campus and get your things together for next class, but Yuta spoke up again, "Hey", you stopped when he spoke, "Was wondering why I still haven't gotten a thank you from you and yet you were about to walk away", you turned around and faced him before he said to you, 'How rude".

You thought he might've have meant it sarcastically and was going to reply back with more sarcasm but you suddenly realised it wasn't sarcasm at all, he actually wanted to get a thank you from you.

"Sorry, I didn't know you wanted a thank you from me, and from what happened before".

"No worries, and besides, I liked seeing the cute expression on your face during that whole ordeal" he complimented with a light smile and you felt flustered and your cheeks flushed bright red at his words along with smile, it felt so healing to you for some reason, but you were still blushing like a tomato which was a little bit embarrassing in your eyes.

"Oh wow, didn't think I would make you blush and act so shy immediately, are you sure you're the same chick I saw earlier today during that mini fight", he said trying to sound more funny and more sarcastically than he usually did, "Haha, yeah it's the same chick you're talking to, But anyway thanks for standing up for me, it means a lot considering I haven't gotten much luck here ever since then".

"Why's that", Yuta asked with a intrigued yet little hint of concerned in his face. "Well, I also got cheated on my by ex, but the issue is that girl back there that started on me was the girl my ex cheated on me with. So it's a bit more awkward now considering we go to the same school, and it doesn't help that her little posse are also picking on me as well".

After Yuta has heard that, his facial expression changed completely as he showed a worried yet annoyed look, before looking at you directly in the eyes "I swear if anyone tries hurting or harassing you in any way, tell me and I'll break their legs for you". That was definitely one threat he made there, but you decided to take it lightly and joke instead.

"Well you're a bit too late for that", you said to him in a joking way but it seemed like he didn't like how you were joking about it. His face and overall tone was now different than the warm one you were actually getting used to since he was the first guy you started to talk to after your breakup.

He was more colder than before, but something about him being more colder was comforting for some reason, maybe he was also scared as well since he didn't mention the fact that the girl there who was harrasing you was his ex girlfriend, but he didn't want to push you further since it wasn't his story to share but yours, plus he doesn't want you to hate him because of it.

"Well I guess I gotta go or else I'd be late", you said to Yuta as you went to pack up your stuff and left to head back to campus considering the time was nearly close for your next class to begin, leaving Yuta behind by himself, which at first he didn't minded but as you started walking a bit more farther from him, he couldn't help but to follow you but not in a creepy way, more of so to see if anyone would pick on you after the whole ordeal.

And it turned out to be correct as while he was following you, he saw your ex in the same hallway as you, confronting you about why you haven't picked up his calls and text.

"Since when did I have to pick up your calls and text, last time I checked we broke up because you cheated me. And speaking of which, where's your new girlfriend, oh that's right, she's somewhere in one of these classrooms saying how I'm the slut who cheated on you when it's very clearly she's the one who deserves to be called it, not me".

As you finished saying that and proceeded to walk away, he begins to grab you by your arm to pull you back and slammed you against the back of the wall, causing you to let out noises of pain as a result. "WHO THE FUCK, DO YOU THINK YOU ARE TO CALL HER A SLUT WHEN YOUVE BEEN SEEING MY FRIENDS BEHIND MY FUCKING BACK". You were shocked by what he just said there, you have never slept with anyone during your relationship, especially his own friends, you weren't even close to them enough to commit acts like that. You guessed the guys must've been asking him as to why he never told them that you were his girlfriend, which probably resulted in him lying about it.

"Jesus Christ, couldn't you be more scummier than you were before, I never even slept with your friends you liar, and I find it ironic since you're the cheater here you moron.", you said to him since you couldn't even believe it but after a while of repeating the words he just said in your head, it started to become useless since they weren't even true.

You tried your best to get out of his grip but it was no use since he was stronger than you. Yuta couldn't handle what he was seeing, if there was one thing he hated more than what happened to him, is when men get violent with women, "he doesn't even deserve to be called a man". Yuta said in his mind, and this called a fuse in him to snap, not only this was the guy that cheated on you with his ex, but he was also making himself more likely to receive the same treatment.

As you were about to close your eyes to protect yourself from your ex about to swing at you, you saw a trashbin being thrown at your ex's head, causing him to groan in pain but also making him more furious at the situation. "WHO THE FUCK DID THAT". as the situation grew bigger by causing people to head to where the noice and commotion was coming from, So did Yuta's blood for rage and vengeance for you.

"I did". Yuta said in a loud voice, Causing your ex to throw you onto the floor to proceed with this guy who got involved at the wrong time, at least in his eyes. As he kept getting more closer to Yuta, he was about to knock him out with a swing but to your surprise, he was stopped by Yuta as he not only dodged him swing but also got the upper hand as he sucker punched him right in the centre of your ex's face, causing him to fall on the floor.

This made your ex even more furious and more wanting to kill this guy even more than before, who the fuck was he and why was he even getting involved in you and his conversation. "Was this one of the guys you "slept" with" he thought to himself in his delusional mindset. He couldn't take it, so he got himself up quickly again to attract Yuta again, luckily for Yuta this wasn't much of a challenge.

So as the two faught intensely, your ex kept trying to swing and kick at him but Yuta kept dodging it no matter how much speed and force your ex was trying to put into the fight, he was a really good fighter though, he was strategic, fast and swift like a shadow, and most importantly, he stood his ground correctly.

For one final ending to this fight, your ex tried to kick him again but lucky for Yuta, he grabbed his leg and dragged it towards him, causing your ex to fall to the floor on his head. With the fight showing clear signs that Yuta was winning, He decided to go for a couple of swings on your ex's face, causing your ex's face to become mangled and swollen because of it.

With the fight now done and over, with your ex on the floor damaged but not fully, Yuta standing tall above it with some minor blood on his fists, the hallway erupted into chaos as students gathered around, their murmurs blending into a cacophony of shock and curiosity. You lay on the floor, a mix of fear and relief flooding through you as you watched Yuta stand tall, his eyes blazing with a fierce protectiveness that sent shivers down your spine.

Ignoring the growing commotion around them, Yuta turned to you and walked towards where you were, his expression softening with concern. "Are you okay?" he asked, his voice a stark contrast to the forceful way he had just handled the situation. You nodded, still reeling from the adrenaline of the confrontation.

After Yuta helped you get up from the floor, you both tried to process what had just unfolded, with the teachers had arrived, witnessing you, Yuta and your ex's current state, who was now sporting a rapidly swelling bruise on his cheeks and eyes. Amidst the chaos, you caught Yuta's eye, a silent understanding passing between you. Despite the violence that had just occurred, you couldn't help but feel a sense of gratitude towards Yuta for stepping in to protect you.

Yuta had told the teachers "what happened" because he didn't want you and him to get into trouble so the teachers had escorted your ex away, his woozy protests fading into the distance as the hallway slowly emptied, leaving you and Yuta standing in the aftermath of the confrontation, luckily the students surrounding the area before didn't rat Yuta in. Taking a deep breath, you turned to Yuta, a mix of emotions swirling inside you.

"Thank you," you whispered, your voice barely above a hush. Yuta's gaze softened even further, a hint of a smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

"Anytime," he replied, his tone gentle yet firm. As you both stood there, the weight of the moment hanging heavy in the air, you couldn't help but feel a newfound connection to Yuta. It was a connection forged in the heat of conflict, yet tinged with a sense of mutual understanding and respect.

With a final nod, you both silently acknowledged the unspoken bond that had formed between you. As you gathered your things and prepared to head back to class, a sense of uncertainty lingered in the air, but so did a glimmer of hope for what the future might hold. And as you walked side by side with Yuta, the echoes of the confrontation fading into the distance, you couldn't shake the feeling that this was just the beginning of something new.

With the school hallway still reverberating the aftermath of the confrontation, a tense energy hanging thick in the air as students whispered and exchanged shocked glances at the encounter that they witnessed during class. Some students were still confused about what happened; What exactly happened? what made these two want to fight each other, was it because of you, you already had enough rumours spreaded about you as it is, especially after all that it was a fight, nothing more than a fight.

Even though you and Yuta hadn't spoken much since the two of you were in different classes, you didn't seem threatening to the other students al all, and although it could've been the amount of attention they were paying you due to the already known rumours about you, they thought it appeared more as a show of force rather than a act of bravery.

After all, everyone was starting to suspect there might be something going on between Yuta and you, especially with the way he kept glancing at you during classes that some of the people noticed, was this the guy that you had allegedly cheated with.

But regardless, you didn't need to deal with more gossip about the fight, the rumours and having to constantly worry about being harassed were already enough as it was and you didn't need anything else added on top of that, so you tried your best to leave as quickly as you can since you didn't want more drama happening enough as there was.

But luck was not on your side today, as class was finished for the day, you were leaving class in a fast pace, getting past some of the other students in the hallway and nearly exited out the front door, you were pushed down onto the floor at the front entrance, causing you to land on your knees and making you drop your things yet again. You already know who it was and didn't want to deal with her so you tried to gather your things and get back up but she kicked you back onto the floor yet again.

"It seems like you just can't get enough of being the centre of attention huh". She said to you as she kept her foot underneath your back, causing you no choice but to stay still underneath her since all of her force is on your back. "What do you want", you finally asked, trying to sound strong yet weak at the same time and failing miserably as you felt yourself start to break under her attacks, even though you wanted nothing more but to get her off of you and make this stop.

"Oh come on Y/n, we both know you wouldn't do anything about me unless you knew it'll help yourself". She responded, still keeping pressure on your back to ensure that you won't move any time soon. What was she talking about? Help yourself with what? Did she mean with whatever that asshole ex of yours was saying to her about what was happening, or with the fact that you're currently in a public place? where she has the power to make more rumours about you.

If the first option she mentioned is true than there was nothing you can really do to change anything about it. And then there's that possibility she could be referring to the fact that she is going to do her best to hurt you, and you don't think you can take any more of this crap.

So, taking a deep breath you decided that whatever she said, you weren't going to let it happen . "If you want a fight with me over a guy that cheated on me with you, then so be it". The sudden turn of events prompted her to momentarily cease her offensive maneuver. Seizing the opportunity, you swiftly reached for her elevated heel, specifically targeting the sharp dagger-like appendage.

With unwavering determination, you exerted a powerful force, yanking the heel in your direction while taking the chance to quickly rolled out from underneath her, causing her to lose her balance even more and end up falling down on her hands and butt. You got up off of the ground and turned around to see her glaring furiously at you, her eyes flashing an indignant shade of red and her face contorted in anger.

"How dare you!" she screamed, spitting venomously at you as she struggled to get up. "Well maybe you should've have thought about it before you decided to bully someone else, who's ex is the same guy you cheated on your fucking ex boyfriend with." As soon as you said that, all the students were surprised but also confused as to what just happened, did they just found out that you're actually the victim here and not her.

She couldn't believe it, it was all falling apart, she couldn't allow you to win, she was the main woman, you're the other woman, she can't just lose that easily. "I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU, YOU SLUT." she snapped back at you, getting up in a fast pace to charge at you to finish the job.

But all of a sudden, she was stopped in her tracks, and it was none other than Yuta, realizing who it was, she tried to escape but it was too late, as Yuta dragged her and threw her into the ground, causing the fight to stop.

The students looked on in horror as they realized the situation they had just witnessed.

"You bitch", she spat, pushing herself to a sitting position and pulling herself upright, "Don't forget who's the biggest slut, I'll fucking kill you." She growled menacingly, turning to face you, a crazed expression on her face, ready to attack.

Yuta sighed as he stared down at her, shaking his head in exasperation as she continued yelling insults at you and tried to crawl towards you. He raised his hand, signaling for the teachers to remove her, causing the rest of the crowd to panic.

But before the teachers could come get her, Yuta had decided to whisper something into her ear. "If you ever touch her again or start something like this ever again, I'll make sure she'll treat you like how I treated your boyfriend, you understand." he said into her ear, making sure that if this ever happened again, he'll make sure that you take care of her like how he took care of your ex.

As the teachers came to the area, everyone was wondering what you said was actually the truth, were you actually the victim in this and that she was the mistress and you weren't. They looked at you with pity and sympathy now instead of hate and disgust, which was their look now at her as the teachers hauled her away from you, dragging her somewhere in the school while she was kicking and screaming all over the place, maybe it was probably to a empty classroom as she needs to calm down, where as soon as she was calm, the teachers had told her that she is required in the principals office where she would have no choice but to acknowledge that she would be getting her punishment the next day.

Once the teachers were gone along with the students, Yuta stepped forward, placing himself directly in front of you. Your body went rigid as his dark orbs bore deeply into yours, watching you struggle to keep eye contact, knowing full well that it would only prolong the inevitable (or at least you thought that was the cause).

And then, he smiled. "You okay?". he asked in concern, placing his hands gently onto your shoulders, giving them a gentle squeeze.

You nodded your head shakily, looking anywhere but in his eyes. "Yeah, I'm okay, Thanks for helping me out there last minute." You said as you attempted a smile, attempting to mask the nervousness and shyness that were clearly evident within your voice from looking at Yuta.

He gave one last glance at you, his gaze lingered longer on your lips than you anticipated, and as much as you wanted to push him away, your heart was telling you otherwise as a sudden wave of heat rushed across your cheeks, and before you could register it fully, he leaned closer to you, and proceeded to press his lips against your forehead which caused your heart to flutter and your cheeks flush at once.

Then without another word, he was walking off, disappearing in the distance without looking back. But you tried to catch up with him to stop him. The tension in the air seemed to dissipate as you caught up with Yuta near your car parked at the campus entrance. His tall frame stood out amidst the bustling surroundings, his presence both comforting and enigmatic. As you hesitantly called out to him, his steps faltered, turning to face you with a curious expression.

"Hey," you exclaimed, your voice wavering slightly as you tried to gather your thoughts. The weight of the recent events bore down on you, making this moment feel both crucial and delicate. You needed answers, closure, and perhaps a sense of understanding in the whirlwind of emotions that had engulfed you.

"Why did you help me out there and before?" you inquired, your words hanging in the air, laden with unspoken questions and emotions. Yuta remained silent for a beat, his dark eyes holding a myriad of unreadable emotions before he finally spoke.

"Because you didn't deserve any of that crap my ex was putting onto you, especially since I found out that you were not only in the same position, but also that my ex was your ex's mistress," his voice was firm, yet laced with a hint of regret and understanding. The revelation hit you like a tidal wave, crashing over your already tumultuous thoughts and feelings.

A mix of emotions swirled within you, a complex tapestry of anger, betrayal, and a strange sense of camaraderie with Yuta. The pieces of the puzzle seemed to fall into place, connecting the dots of the tangled relationships and deceit that had ensnared you.

As the truth settled in, a new layer of understanding unfolded, casting a different light on the recent events. You already knew that she was your ex's mistress but the realization that the woman who had caused you so much pain was also Yuta's ex added a profound layer of complexity to the situation. It was a revelation that brought a strange sense of solidarity between you and Yuta, a shared experience of betrayal and deceit.

"Thank you so much for Today Yuta, I really do appreciate it.", "Hey, it's no problem, I wasn't gonna let her do that shit to you, and at least you knew how to defend yourself there." He complimented you there on your fighting skills, making you genuinely smile. But before he left, you asked him for his phone number, in which he typed into your Phone. Now that way, you can contact and talk to him whenever you want to.

And with the two of you saying goodbye to each other, you let Yuta go back to what he was doing which was probably continuing walking back home since school is over today. And as he disappeared into the distance, you were walking back to your car which was parked near the campus entrance. As you got inside your car and drove off, you couldn't stop thinking back to what happened. The rush of emotions and adrenaline from the confrontation with your ex's new girlfriend and Yuta was still coursing through you, leaving you feeling a mix of anger, hurt, and confusion.

The streets were bustling with people going about their day, but your mind was elsewhere, replaying the heated exchange over and over again. You couldn't believe that someone would treat you as a dirtbag like that. The words echoed in your mind, stinging with their sharpness.

But even as you tried not to let what happened affect you, the weight of it all settled heavy on your chest. The betrayal from your ex, the confrontation with his new girlfriend, and the unexpected support from Yuta — it was a whirlwind of emotions that you weren't sure how to process.

The drive back home gave you some much-needed time to reflect. The sun was beginning to set, casting a warm glow over the city skyline. With each passing mile, you felt a sense of clarity washing over you.

By the time you pulled into your driveway, the tension in your shoulders had eased slightly. You knew that tomorrow would probably bring its own challenges, but for now, you were determined to face them head-on, armed with a newfound sense of self-assurance.

That night as you laid in your bed, staring into the darkness of the room as you tried to fall asleep and as soon as you did, you started to dream that you were in the city, walking by yourself as you were wearing a new bold outfit that was almost similar to Yuta style but was more on the feminine side.

And as you were continuing your walk, you stumbled into a guy and it was none other than Yuta, what was he doing in your dream, were you dreaming about him, I mean you couldn't help it, but it still felt a little bit different than before, like it felt right, it felt like it belonged here with you.

But you snapped out of it when Dream Yuta asked you a question. "You want a smoke.", he asked in a rockstar type of voice, you couldn't deny it since it was in a dream so you accepted it.

While you were still smoking with Yuta in your dream, you couldn't help but feel sort of something for Yuta, like you wanted to kiss him and....have sex with him or something. and as your cigarette was about to run out, Yuta offered you his, but before he did, he did one more puff before blowing smoke rings at you, which you didn't care about and grabbed the cigarette of his and smoked it. He started getting more close to you, to the point where both of your skin were too close for contact.

As you continued smoking your cigarette, he took the cigarette out of your mouth and threw it to the side, extinguishing it with his foot, and proceeded to pull you in for a hot and steamy kiss against the cold weather that was making its presence here. You two couldn't stop, and as it progressed more intensely, the two of you pulled away but not too far, as both of your eyes looked into each other, you couldn't help but appreciate every little detail about Yuta, and he did the same as well.

However, all good dreams must come to an end as your phone wakes you up, wondering why your phone would get a notification this late. only to realize it was a text from Yuta nonetheless. "You'd probably be asleep by now, sorry if I wake you up accidentally, I was wondering if you wanted to come over to my place, I could use a little company, it's okay to text no if you don't want to."

You were surprised with Yuta's boldness, but you decided to text him back saying you'll be right over, and what will happen after that night will leave you conflicted, but overall surprised by how it turned out.

Hello everyone, I am back with new content, and I was thinking since I did a new rebranding, why not have the first story be about none other than the Nakamoto Yuta himself. But yeah, this is a story that's been in my development hell for a while since I had no idea what to do, but since I'm coming back, I decided to focus on this one as my comeback story. And btw, there'll be a part 2 to this one that will contain smut in it since it's been a while that I wrote something that contained smut in it.

But yeah, I'm glad to be back and creating more content and reviving old stories of mine that deserve to be seen by everyone, and I'm overall happy...but yeah, that is my little quick announcement, so there'll be a part 2 of this, happy to be back and don't forget to leave a like, a repost along with a comment either for requests or supports and my DMS are also open for requests as well and I see you guys later...bye....

[teamsunfluff]

Inari mused for a moment. "I think we can manage with a group this size. Let's beat this dungeon."

Avin stood in silence for a moment, stunned by the confidence of those around them. How could they all remain so levelheaded in the face of the unknown dangers in the dungeon around them? Then again, they had seen Inari’s power on display for themself. That water spout earlier disintegrated the houndoom blight in a single shot. From that alone, Avin knew they weren’t anywhere close to being on the same level as Inari, but they weren’t completely useless either. Perhaps… they could clear the dungeon!

Avin closed their eyes, took in a deep breath to steady themself, then nodded. “Okay, let’s do this then. We’ll clear this dungeon and get Kaji that Gracidea flower!”

Their self-confidence temporarily restored, Avin felt their dungeoneering senses start to kick in. “Given the presence of houndoom and sawsbuck blights, this is definitely a high-tier dungeon. How one came to be so close to a town is a question for the guild later, but knowing that tells us some vital information on how to proceed,” Avin explained. “I’ll go over this quickly. We should have enough time to make a gameplay, but I don’t want to risk another surprise attack.”

Avin flexed their paw, unsheathing a small set of claws that they began to drag through the dirt on the ground. They hoped everyone’s eyes had adjusted enough to allow them to see the diagram. “I’m not sure how dungeons work in your worlds, if they exist at all, so let me explain as briefly as possible how they function here.”

“Dungeons, for all intents and purposes, function like living beings. Some scholars even argue they ARE living creatures, but I’ll skip the philosophical debates for now.” Avin drew a box on the ground, carving a few small dots inside it. “Much like we have immune systems that fight off invaders and infections, the dungeons have one as well. You’ve already encountered it. The blights serve as the dungeon’s protectors. They attack any sort of invaders into the dungeon, in the hopes that they’ll either leave or worse, die. If someone passes in a dungeon, most of the time there’s no recovering them. There are items to help prevent it but that’s why it’s important to always come prepared. The dungeon will devour them for nutrients and use them to grow, taking over more space and creating stronger blights.

“Low-tier dungeons like Apple Woods in the east can actually be somewhat tamed if you catch it early enough. Mid-tier dungeons too, but it’s much more difficult to achieve. This allows residents in those areas to have a symbiotic relationship with the dungeon. Sky Peak is one such case.” Avin drew a few vaguely hedge-shaped creatures around the box, offering what appeared to be fruit and other items to the box. “We fed the dungeon other sources of energy besides living people and in return, it allowed us to escort tourists through and provided us with food. Though even tamed dungeons can be dangerous since you can’t just entirely shut down an immune system and they’re easy to get lost in regardless, which is why we acted as guides.”

Avin paused mid-explanation as a shiver ran up their spine. They felt it. The winds. Not good.

“High-tier dungeons like this are very dangerous. This dungeon has consumed enough people to reach a point where it’s no longer tameable, and in return, this means its immune system is extremely strong and violent. It has capabilities that are far stronger than that of a regular dungeon, like disabling items, laying traps, and even suppressing our power levels if it’s strong enough.” Avin began to draw some squiggles in the dirt. “The wind you’re feeling now is the immune system too. All dungeons have it but it’s far more active in high-tier dungeons. It allows the blights to locate us more easily, which is bad, so I won’t have us dawdle here much longer.”

Avin quickly drew a zigzag shape in the dirt. “Somewhere on this floor is a set of stairs. It could be anywhere, so we have to keep our eyes peeled. These stairs will allow us to descend further into the dungeon, and temporarily reset the blight’s response.” Avin paused to sniff the air a bit. “I always had a knack for figuring out where they were in Sky Peak, since their locations change upon entry to each floor. Kaji calls it a gift. I think it’s dumb luck. Regardless, we better hope that luck or skill comes into play here.”

Avin closed their eyes and took another deep breath in as they sniffed around. A nagging feeling came over them as they focused. Northeast. They had a feeling the stairs were northeast of them. Opening their eyes, Avin took a moment to observe their surroundings. No immediate threats. Time to move.

“If everyone’s ready, let’s get going. I’ll take point.” 

Avin’s entire demeanor shifted as they began to lead their little group through the dungeon. It seemed while they were still frightened beyond belief by the situation they had gotten into, the presence and confidence of those with them now was fueling their own drive. 

Avin perked up and began to listen more intently to their surroundings. It took a moment, but the sound was unmistakable. Wingbeats. “A flying-type blight,” Avin muttered. “Probably a larger one too based on the frequency of the flaps. The canopy should cover us for now, but we’ll need to be ready for a potential divebomb.” 

Avin paused their trot as a loud hissing suddenly filled their ears. “Tread carefully,” they warned, quickly scanning around. 

A pair of gleaming yellow and red eyes pierced through the darkness as a ghastly white arbok emerged from the underbrush, barring the party’s path forward. 

It appears the only way forward is to fight.

[bodyalive]

At 93, he’s as fit as a 40-year-old. His body offers lessons on aging.

The human body maintains the ability to adapt to exercise at any age, showing that it’s never too late to start a fitness program

By Gretchen Reynolds

For lessons on how to age well, we could do worse than turn to Richard Morgan.

At 93, the Irishman is a four-time world champion in indoor rowing, with the aerobic engine of a healthy 30- or 40-year-old and the body-fat percentage of a whippet. He’s also the subject of a new case study, published last month in the Journal of Applied Physiology, that looked at his training, diet and physiology.

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Its results suggest that, in many ways, he’s an exemplar of fit, healthy aging — a nonagenarian with the heart, muscles and lungs of someone less than half his age. But in other ways, he’s ordinary: a onetime baker and battery maker with creaky knees who didn’t take up regular exercise until he was in his 70s and who still trains mostly in his backyard shed.

Even though his fitness routine began later in life, he has now rowed the equivalent of almost 10 times around the globe and has won four world championships. So what, the researchers wondered, did his late-life exercise do for his aging body?

Lessons on aging from active older people

“We need to look at very active older people if we want to understand aging,” said Bas Van Hooren, a doctoral researcher at Maastricht University in the Netherlands and one of the study’s authors.

Many questions remain unanswered about the biology of aging, and whether the physical slowing and declines in muscle mass that typically occur as we grow older are normal and inevitable or perhaps due, at least in part, to a lack of exercise.

Start the year fresh

If some people stay strong and fit deep into their golden years, the implication is that many of the rest of us might be able to as well, he said.

Helpfully, his colleague Lorcan Daly, an assistant lecturer in exercise science at the Technological University of the Shannon in Ireland, was quite familiar with an example of successful aging. His grandfather is Morgan, the 2022 indoor-rowing world champion in the lightweight, 90-to-94 age group.

What made Morgan especially interesting to the researchers was that he hadn’t begun sports or exercise training until he was 73. Retired and somewhat at loose ends then, he’d attended a rowing practice with one of his other grandsons, a competitive collegiate rower. The coach invited him to use one of the machines.

“He never looked back,” Daly said.

Highest heart rate on record

They invited Morgan, who was 92 at the time, to the physiology lab at the University of Limerick in Ireland to learn more, measuring his height, weight and body composition and gathering details about his diet. They also checked his metabolism and heart and lung function.

They then asked him to get on a rowing machine and race a simulated 2,000-meter time trial while they monitored his heart, lungs and muscles.

“It was one of the most inspiring days I’ve ever spent in the lab,” said Philip Jakeman, a professor of healthy aging, physical performance and nutrition at the University of Limerick and the study’s senior author.

Morgan proved to be a nonagenarian powerhouse, his sinewy 165 pounds composed of about 80 percent muscle and barely 15 percent fat, a body composition that would be considered healthy for a man decades younger.

During the time trial, his heart rate peaked at 153 beats per minute, well above the expected maximum heart rate for his age and among the highest peaks ever recorded for someone in their 90s, the researchers believe, signaling a very strong heart.

His heart rate also headed toward this peak very quickly, meaning his heart was able to rapidly supply his working muscles with oxygen and fuel. These “oxygen uptake kinetics,” a key indicator of cardiovascular health, proved comparable to those of a typical, healthy 30- or 40-year-old, Daly said.

Exercising 40 minutes a day

Perhaps most impressive, he developed this fitness with a simple, relatively abbreviated exercise routine, the researchers noted.

Consistency: Every week, he rows about 30 kilometers (about 18.5 miles), averaging around 40 minutes a day.

A mix of easy, moderate and intense training: About 70 percent of these workouts are easy, with Morgan hardly laboring. Another 20 percent are at a difficult but tolerable pace, and the final 10 at an all-out, barely sustainable intensity.

Weight training: Two or three times a week, he also weight-trains, using adjustable dumbbells to complete about three sets of lunges and curls, repeating each move until his muscles are too tired to continue.

A high-protein diet: He eats plenty of protein, his daily consumption regularly exceeding the usual dietary recommendation of about 60 grams of protein for someone of his weight.

How exercise changes how we age

“This is an interesting case study that sheds light on our understanding of exercise adaptation across the life span,” said Scott Trappe, director of the Human Performance Laboratory at Ball State University in Indiana. He has studied many older athletes but was not involved in the new study.

“We are still learning about starting a late-life exercise program,” he added, “but the evidence is pretty clear that the human body maintains the ability to adapt to exercise at any age.”

In fact, Morgan’s fitness and physical power at 93 suggest that “we don’t have to lose” large amounts of muscle and aerobic capacity as we grow older, Jakeman said. Exercise could help us build and maintain a strong, capable body, whatever our age, he said.

Of course, Morgan probably had some genetic advantages, the scientists point out. Rowing prowess seems to run in the family.

And his race performances in recent years have been slower than they were 15, 10 or even five years ago. Exercise won’t erase the effects of aging. But it may slow our bodies’ losses, Morgan’s example seems to tell us. It may flatten the decline.

It also offers other, less-corporeal rewards. “There is a certain pleasure in achieving a world championship,” Morgan told me through his grandson, with almost comic self-effacement.

“I started from nowhere,” he said, “and I suddenly realized there was a lot of pleasure in doing this.”

[donnie-woomy]

I wrote a crack fic

Alia was softly sleeping, until her phone started ringing and she groggily picked up her phone, seeing that it was zero calling her.

“WHAT IS IT??!!!!”

“Hey girlie :D”

Said zero, being in a good mood.

“You wanna come with me, x and axl to chuck.e cheese?”

“………”

“:3 ?…….”

“Yeah sure why not”

“Ok let me call x and axl!”

Zero contacted X first, the call was immediately answered.

“Hey big boy~”

X said so ✨kawaii!✨ laying on his bed like a fucking anime girl.

“You wanna come with me and gang to chuck.e cheese?”

“Haha! sure thing!”

Then he called axl.

“Hey axl you wanna-“

“HI!!!!!💕😭😃🥰💝!!!!!”

“…..you wanna come with us to chuck.e cheese?”

“YEAH!!! I LOVE IT THERE!!!”

Everyone got ready to go, they all decided to arrive there in alia’s mini van (fucking boomer) and made it to CHUCK.E CHEESE!!!.

“lol aren’t you all a little too OLD to be here lmao”

Said some random Reploid girl, X kicked her in the shins and stole her hat. They all went to the games.

“x, zero….. we don’t have the cards to play games”

Axl said vewy swadwy wike he was abwout to crwy 🥺 (fuckin kil me plz). Zero had an idea.

“Don’t worry buddy I got a plan.”

X and Zero approached a couple nearby.

“Omg babe could you win some games for me pleeeeaaaaseeee??!!!”

“Sure thing bae-“

They both got jumped by the two hunters and had their cards stolen. Axl was 💞SO HAPPY💞 Alia fell asleep standing in place and x woke her up by drop kicking her. They went to order some pizza.

“Let’s go play some GAMES!!!!🔇🔇🔇”

Axl said very energetically. They played lots of games, then the buzzer for the pizza went off and zero screamed.

“It’s ok big boy the pizza is ready”

Said x so gayly

They all went to get their pizza, x and zero ate their slice ROMANTICALLY. Alia called them cringe, covering axl’s eyes. After that, they went to the prize table and axl saw the most amazing thing ever. A stuffed shrek toy with memory foam Jordan’s on. (I want it…)

“Guys look!!! ITS SHREK!!!”

An employee walked to the group telling them to shut up, alia cracked her knuckles and punched him in the stomach. Then chuck.e cheese and his friends came out to play a song, throwing tickets. Axl did his best to grab all the tickets, then chuck.e accidentally stepped on his hand.

“OWW!!!🔇😭”

“Oh sorry kiddo I didn’t mean-“

Chuck.e then got jumped by x, zero, and alia. They all got enough tickets for the Jordan’s shrek, and gave it to axl who was 💞JUST SO HAPPY💞. Then suddenly chuck.e cheese closed, they were all still inside.

“Stand back everyone!”

Alia exclaimed as she picked up chuck.e’s severed hand and was about to throw it at the window. Until they all heard a door open and hid in the play area.

“Don’t worry about my brother ViA, he’s probably asleep”

“Finally we can be alone”

They all peaked to see that it was RiCO and HATSUNE MIKU?!?!?!??!!?!?!!!!! They were making out so ROMANTICALLY!!!! X gasped! Zero couldn’t believe it, Axl was making a surprised face, and Alia pointed.

x-“IS THAT HATSUNE MIKU??!???!!!!”

zero-“OH MY GOD HATSUNE MIKU!!!!i!iii!!!”

alia-“ITS FUCKING HATSUNE MIKU!!!!!!!”

axl-“Hey look it’s RiCO :3”

It is now confirmed that axl is the only one with a functioning brain which is surprising (he’s not supposed to be the normal one here wtf?!). They all got out of there from the back door, meanwhile RiCO and Hatsune Miku carried on with their date.

The end :D

[themarginalthinker]

That Boy Ain't Right: Lost Boys edition:

-David has control issues. David needs to be either in control of his environment, or in control of himself and the people directly around him, which he's managed so far thanks to the Boys being willing to let him be the default leader of their pack. David is a good leader, mind you, but the stress of being one under the pressures of his environment (ie, Max's abuse and control, the Santa Carla territory being a place he doesn't really like, Max holding Michael and Thorn above his head) does get to him, meaning he wants to exert more control to feel safer, and it leads to things like what happened with bringing Michael to a feast hunt, scaring him off. Bad decisions made in desperation to regain lost control.

-Dwayne has codependency issues. Dwayne needs to feel useful and like he's helping, but moreover, he can't function well outside of a group. He doesnt show it outwardly, but he has a hard time without someone beside him to vet or vindicate his movements and ideas. Dwayne was the first in the pack to gain his mate, Thorn, and thus the pair didn't have any other examples of a healthier pairing. Combining that with the fact Dwayne's very introverted, his animal communication abilities, and Thorn's dog form, you have the ingredients for a really, really codependent relationship, that when torn apart by Max, sends Dwayne into an absolute spiral without that constant person at his shoulder to 'allow' or 'disallow' his actions and thoughts.

-Paul. Oh boysie, Paul. Where to even start. First off, it's funny to joke that he's a party boy with an endless supply of whatever gets you high (and yes, that includes a Lot of harder substances) but his substance use is abuse, with no alternatives to help cope with his sensory and psychological issues. Not like he can get a steady prescription of anti anxiety or antidepressants that will work, given the nature of their vampiric bodies. Paul is a man of very high peaks, and very low valleys, with little in between. The movie is mostly depicting him in a manic streak that can last for months, especially in the busy, active time of year for the Boardwalk, but he will drop, and drop like a brick through deep water once it's over. Paul also cannot stand something being in a grey area, meaning he also tends to see the world in blacks and whites. Something that feels good is something he wants to have always, and the moment it stops feeling good, he will do anything in his power to get it out of his sense range or just straight up destroy it.

-Marko. Ironically, for all that the fandom (and my writing partner and I!) headcanon Marko as being possibly the most outwardly aggressive member of the pack, Marko is actually not the one you may be in the most danger around. Marko came from, aside from Michael, the stablest home life of any of the Boys. His parents loved him a lot, he was an only child, and they didn't have many financial or emotional problems. Marko's issues lie more in things the world outside has done to him. A child of first generation immigrants, gay in the 70s and 80s, and it's a small (ha) thing, but Marko knows that he doesn't cut a very imposing figure. Marko has learned that the best offense is a good defense. He goes for the throat before the other person can even think about baring their fangs, so to speak. This unfortunately has led him to the restrictive view of himself as a weapon and incapable of real gentleness anymore.

[affluent-havoc]

AU Talk (Out of Date)

I just wanna compile all my AU/Alternat Universe ideas. Maybe I will make like, a poll or smth? Like, to see what is the one that is most interesting to the populous. I dunno. I have never done a pole before. But yeah! For now, I give a synopsis of these AU's cus I wanna go and info-dump about them now! Expect maybe a BIT of spoilers for Trigger Happy Havoc in specific and some Goodbye Despair talk kinda? Also, regarding any designs I've done since I've had these AU's for a while (at least the first two) I will show them all when the time comes and when I figure out how to decide which AU the people want to be learning more about first! Danganronpa Overgrowth: A time-loop AU with Byakuya as the star of the show. The plot is that, after escaping the main killing game, he wakes up again back in Hopes Peak in those classic, shitty desks! Slowly, the longer he stays in this time-loop, the more of these small, golden flowers grow on him. Also, if he dies in any loop, the areas where he were killed become golden-y bruised. (This is lowkey giving Flowerfell energy. If you know, you know) Also, as time progresses, the things he touch become covered in gold and golden flowers akin to the Midas touch. Yes, he has a lot of physical pain. Yes. He is not doing good. Byakuya is not alone in this however as a strange, spectral ghost follows and speaks to him. Only he can see this pink bear entity and they work as an ally for Byakuya in an odd sense. Just so there's a name to this character, his name is Petal. Kiddieronpa: A what-if scenario/reimagining where the killing game happens but the cast all middle schoolers. All backstories are the same and follow the character lore. Some plot points and chapters do change of course such as Chapter 2 which kinda banks on Mondo and his lore. Monokuma is fairly the same in this. He just has some overalls and a propeller hat to demean and bully the children. I have also given them all slight redesigns to fit the fact that they are now all middle schoolers. The Survivor's Guide: A sort of extension to the main series. Basically, what if instead of the Danganronpa THH survivors simply being rescued, they instead have to survive on their own. I imagine this one kinda like an RPG in which the survivors fight Monokuma enemies akin to the ones in UDG's and also hunt for supplies, weapons, food, etc.. The main idea I had was that there was a helicopter from the Future Foundation that ends up getting attacked in midair before crashing somewhere afar and the goal is for the survivors to make their way to the helicopter to find some coordinates and make their way to maybe making either an SOS signal for the Future Foundation or to at least survive long enough to repair the helicopter or get rescued a different way. The important thing I want in this is for the survivors to have even more bonding together and also to do some classic character reconstruction. Maybe there can be some shenanigans or just some alluding's to the Remanent of Despair. Also, I like there being multiple endings were I can make them suffer. I am mean like that. I do this to my own OC's too so these guys won't be the first group of losers I make have a ton of trauma :D Another thing to note is that this au was born by a canon complaint. Like, I feel the survivors surviving together one last time in this environment and kicking ass and getting roughed up a bit, like, I like it a lot. I just have this need to seem them a just a BIT grimy and working from what they got. I dunno why my brain functions like this but I want what I want I guess. All of these plots are open for change but this is the main stuff for now! Some of these AU's also slightly vary in how much development I've done with them. Dunno how to rank that though so I will mostly just leave these descriptions as they are and for you all to make your own decisions. Once I figure out how to do a poll and for how long I'll do it for, I'll set that up. Sorry if some of this was nonsensical or confusing! EDIT: Added the tags of the AU's

[orchideae]

When I approach Yelan (or anyone else I've written), I don't just look directly at her character, but I also look at her surroundings. Both the ones that she knows by some semblance of necessity, but also those that she chooses. Like here, I talked about the Chasm, and what being 'okay' with existing down there needs to mean for a character, because it's not normal. Someone's surroundings, room, or home say a lot bout who they are and what their mindset, or specifically, their perspective is of the world. And sometimes, I think it says more about people than even the characters realize.

This brings me to the topic of the city of Fontaine. Now, I personally think it's rather obvious that a lot of the nation takes from historical France, and so when looking at it, I think it really adds to remember its monarchy, the view that the 'common folk' had of it, and its inevitable demise to non-existence today in terms of importance as a result. So my first question is, who constructed or decided on its layout? Was it Furina, Neuvillette, Egeria? Whoever it was, there's a lot that can be said about their view of the world and their placement in it when you look at locations of buildings. Look at where Palais Mermonia, its governing body, is located within the city; it sits at a rather astounding elevation in comparison to, well, everything and everyone else in the city. This frequently represents the concept of 'distance' between groups in one way or another, and seeing the consistency in other nations, this is something that is rather intriguing to me, especially keeping Fontaine's characters in mind (and considering this is the nation of 'justice'). Mondstadt has everything almost entirely uniform, with arguably the church on the highest level (but it isn't greatly elevated in comparison to all else), but it's joined with the plaza and statue which are a common gathering site for all people in the city. Liyue had the gods and adepti visibly living among the humans back in the days of the Guili Assembly for reasons of 'integration' (my apologies to numerous from our dear Guizhong!) The fact that numerous adepti now live far outside of the harbor is a different matter entirely, and the one who seems to function within a semblance of separation of sorts is Ningguang with the Jade Chamber (but I'm not one to speak on behalf of her character as I don't bear the knowledge). Inazuma also has the Tenshukaku at a higher elevation in comparison to the rest of Inazuma City. Sumeru is interesting, but ultimately Nahida was kept at the very peak of the city, far out of reach of humanity— but that's exactly the common denominator that has my interest, the distance between the 'governing body' and humanity for one reason or another.

But Fontaine really takes separation to a different level in my opinion (and again, think of this when you think of the person having designed the whole city), not only because of the above which I'll elaborate more on in a moment, but also its separation from the outside world. Now, this is interesting to think about if you keep in mind that it was perhaps done in eventual protection of the city's inhabitants in terms of the prophecy (which means that this would have been constructed anywhere during or after Egeria's reign), but then why is only Palais Mermonia far above the water's reach? If the walls surrounding the city were ever breached during said prophecy, all its inhabitants are pretty much immediately caught in the flood and would drown, which tells me nothing positive of the city's 'architect' or whoever signed off on the designs. But if not done for the prophecy, then why? Stand in the middle of the Court of Fontaine and really look around you, the only sights you really have of the outside world are the sky, and it's obstructed by a fair bit of the waterways and gardens that hang overhead, which you can only properly enjoy when you take the ages long elevator to the upper level where the palace is located (which, credit due, seems freely accessible to everyone in present-time). But if you don't venture up, how much of the outside world do you get to see? It feels very secluded, very much under lock and key. On some level (and this is one of the many reasons why I think that the Meropide is so excessively important in Fontaine and it's likely why we spent so much time there; it's all to show the ever, ever important contrast and nuance between this 'autonomous nation within Fontaine' and, well, 'Fontaine'), it almost feels like a prison, regardless of how pretty it may look or come across (and despite not 'lacking rights'). And considering how people in the Meropide speak of not always wanting to return back to the 'overworld' following their sentence, I think that there's definitely quite a bit of truth in that. But again, stand there and look around for yourself.

Now to return to the original topic, but keeping the last one in mind as well, look at one other thing that I'm unsure how many have really kept an eye on: the massive effect Palais Mermonia's level has on the rest of the area (inside and outside of its walls). Have you ever walked through the city of Fontaine at any given time of day or night, north to south, east to west, clockwise or counter-clockwise circling through it; have you ever seen how it overshadows an immense part of the streets below it either entirely on its own (which to me signifies a very domineering presence), or together with those outer walls that surround the city? I know how I've spoken thoroughly with people before about how much I enjoy Fontaine and how dark it is in its storytelling, but despite how gorgeous this region with its water- and landscapes are; its city bears quite a heavy weight to me. I don't know who designed it, or ordered it to be constructed in this way, but nothing about the city itself truly, rationally, shows a healthy perspective versus its citizens.

Me: /continues on to ramble in tags because I'm me and I'm a nuisance with always more to say than I know how to coherently put into these posts.

[sm1ling-dopp3lganger]

Telling YOU🫵🏼 abt my upcoming FanComic!-

(Introduction post!-)

The AU and series as a whole is called Sm1ling.TMNT or S.TMNT for short, like a file name. It is still in production but lemme tell you a little about it!-

It’s a TMNT fancomic set in the year 2023 except it’s a little different. The early 2000s and 2010s instead of the nostalgic era going out of style it basically stayed and is mixed with the modern day setting of this comic. Flip phones are still widely used, MySpace is still a thing, YouTube looks the way it was meant to before all the updates but with modern day functionality. They also have advanced technology that is waaaay farther into the future than what we today know. Just don’t tell them that their fav things went out of style years ago, they’ll have a crisis.

It’s a little confusing but trust me it’s cool!-

The comic is also set from two completely different perspectives. It’s also filled with bunch of angst, funny moments, gore(I’m a horror artist so obviously there’s gotta be some blood and guts), action, romance >:].. THE WHOLE SHABANG!- yk all written and drawn by yours truely! This comic also touches lightly on topics like racist, sexism, xenophobia, bigotry,the topic of beauty standards and much more but it’s not the main focus and most of the time characters that act out these issues they get…taken care of- if yk what I mean >:3

Fn let me introduce you to our main cast of characters! Well…the important ones (with pictures but I apologize they’re wildly unfinished, brace yourself this is gonna be a little long)

Griffin B. Corduroy (Juliet >:])

Griffin! Griff is a jokingly egotistical character who seems to know her worth to others and has a “don’t give a fuck” attitude to compliment her girly girl appearance(peak feminism). In reality she’s extremely temperamental with bad anger issues along with has past of issues with trichotillomania, dealing with stress, and body confidence issues. She’s on her own healing journey but it seems she’s doing it her own way…..(she is an original character)

“APRIIIIIIL (L.) O’NEIL!!—”

April!! Our true detective and best big sister!(and older cousin to Griffin) a chilled out personality complimented by her caring attitude makes her like the mom of the group second to Leo despite being older than him. A little awkward in social situations (she is NOT a cool kid) can bring her to being slightly challenged with the turtles shenanigans as she’s prone to panicking but she’s working on it. Despite being an only child she did not grow up a lonely child, meeting both the turtles and her little cousin Griff at 9 which seemed not connected at the time later to be revealed like a butterfly effect as every event around it continues.

“Everything is always connected”

Casey and CJ (New Yorks Vigilantes)

Cassandra! Cassandra(also known as ‘Cass’ or more commonly ‘Casey’ despite the nickname being her little brothers first name) is a stoic teenager with a soft side. She’s slightly soft spoken with a masculine appearance yet feminine tone and often gets confused by others with her gender when in reality it doesn’t matter what they interpret her as, as she’s gender-fluid! She seems most comfortable and commonly referred to with she/her pronouns but finds it extremely flattering when called ‘handsome’ or referred to in a masculine sense. She’s a hockey player by day and a badass rollerblading vigilante by night. She is a strong woman and role model hopefully for others as well as her baby brother CJ especially after she got them out of an abusive household.

Little Casey!- Casey (also known as CJ) is Cassandra’s partner in justice as well as her baby brother! He’s a big boy meaning he’s four years old and goin strong!- his biggest role model is his big sister and he’s happy about it. She’s his favorite superhero!- if you see Casey you’ll see CJ as they’re always together and Casey never lets him out of her sight. Not after what they had to go through. He’s a good mannered rambunctious kid with a lot of energy. He wants to be just like his big sister that’s why he has his ears pierced as he was tired of wearing sticker earrings and wanted real ones. Casey was a little nervous about this at first but he took it like a champ when she pierced his ears. CJ also likes to help around Casey’s job! He pretends to sweep the floors and wipe down counters when he’s with her at her job at the tattoo shop she works at as a piercer. Casey’s boss loves having him around.

Sensei(Master) Splinter

Yoshi! Once a rat in a pet store being taken care of with the bare minimum only to be thrown to the garbage bin when they thought he was dead for sleeping for too long. Now a humble street rat getting chased by everything around it until a little boy at the name of Yoshi. He got a new name his name was splinter but one day it was changed…the day Yoshi left him was the day he was renamed “Hamato Yoshi” the same as his own that he once had to remember him by as he was dumped down a sewer. But that was years ago….. That year he was blessed with his four sons that made up their odd little family. He seen what Yoshi did for him before he left so he followed in the nurturing steps of the only father he’s ever known. Yoshi is still with him in spirit of course. They are interlinked through the name they share an their soul connection not only as owner and pet but father and son. Yoshi’s spirit began watching splinter raise the turtles when they became tots as that’s when he passed. He warned splinter of a terrible danger and that’s when Splinter began to learn the ways of the Hamato with the help of Yoshi’s spiritual guidance and then taught his sons as well. Past his sad and empowering backstory he’s a silly old man that loves his boys and paints in his free time (reason to why the boys have their names)

Hamato Leonardo

Leonardo! Leo(also referred to as ‘Leon’, ‘Nardo’, ‘Lame-o-nardo’ etc) is the eldest of four siblings total and the eldest of him and his brother Donnie who are twins. Don’t be fooled by his serious older brother front he’s not like that at all!- He only wears his glasses at home and contacts everywhere else and he has braces! He’s not cool at all, He’s more of a nervous wreck that cracks bad jokes to cope. Being leader is very important to him because it means (to him) he is his little brothers main protectors! He takes his job very seriously but he’s very emotional and emotion driven. A bit of a crybaby when it comes down to it and not often angry but when he is…it can get a little out of control. It took him a while to get his Katanas, how do you think he got that scar! Pretty embarrassing story- there was also the incident…..Rip Raphs tail.

Hamato Donatello(Romeo >;3)

Donatello! Donnie (second eldest of four and youngest of a set of twins) is the obvious brains of the operation but that doesn’t help with the fact he’s little pretentious. He can be very cocky about his inventions and knowledge on things since he obviously sees it as cool and interesting…others…yk not so much- He’s more of a listener than a talker and is mostly quiet when he wants to be so sometimes when he wants to get a word in he has to interrupt others for them to actually listen. He keeps to himself a lot and isn’t the most outgoing but if you get him talking about some form of science (specifically chemistry or technology) you’ll see him as a whole new turtle. He can often be sarcastic even when it’s unintentional he doesn’t do it to be rude he’s just grown up around idiots so he does it to make a point (he loves his brothers I promise) though he’s not traditionally boyish usually he definitely has stereotypical male interests (which goes against his personality in some of his other versions in media) one of which is him being a huge sports fan especially basketball. Him and his brothers often go out at night to some empty courts and play. He’s alike his brothers in the ways of personality especially table manners…there’s almost zero. Absolute pigs they are- despite being turtles

Hamato Raphael (sorry he’s super unfinished)

Raphael! The rebellious middle child- Raph is nonchalant and confident in his fighting ability but since he’s very anger prone he’s not listened to as much when it comes to plans but that’s okay…since most of his plans are extremely bad(he’s not really good at organizing) despite his rugged and intimidating look(he’s built like a linebacker I’d be scared too bruh) and nature he’s not all that mean. He knows sometimes he can get a little too angry and needs to tone it back a bit he’s working on it. He’s more of a stereotypical asshole character more of a bully than anything but honestly it’s his way of affection most of the time. Unless it’s Mikey. Mikey pisses him off sometimes. (He still loves him tho-) he’s a tough lover but when it comes to animals or kids he’s a big softy. He’s also very patient with others it’s surprising. Especially Mikey since he’s disabled and needs some extra time on certain things. Raph is genuinely caring when it comes to his family.

Hamato Michelangelo

Michelangelo!1!1! The party dude of the group of course!- (also known as ‘MC Mikey’ and ‘the triple threat’) hes the definition of annoying younger sibling but in a lovable way- he can be a bit rude when joking with but it’s natural seeing who he’s grown up with. He doesn’t mean any harm by it genuinely it’s in an endearing way. He’s super active and flexible since he’s hyper mobile but it depends on the day since he’s invisibly disabled! (Like me! We have the same condition) He has A.M.P.S [insert orange ribbon] and it stands for Amplified Musculoskeletal Pain Syndrome and it’s exactly how it sounds. It’s amplified and generalized chronic pain throughout the body without an actual source. It happens basically because the spine sends a pain signal to the brain like how it would when there’s tissue damage except there’s no cause for said pain single just causing intermediate or constant chronic pain anywhere in the body. He’s learned to live with his disability and for it not to get the better of him but he does hold back from running a lot like across buildings and just uses his rocket board Donnie has built for him. He also constantly does physical therapy throughout the week and takes some medication that Donnie gives to him throughout certain periods of the day so he stays out of constant pain. Past that he acts on impulse as any younger sibling would and usually gets saved by the scute of his shell by his older brothers. Despite this he can very well handle his own. He’s a strong fighter and an absolute tank! He’s a big dude and has an insanely high pain tolerance, reason to why he has the most tattoos despite being the youngest. despite him not being as strategic as his brothers or even his opponent his outside the box thinking is what makes him so good.

Project Genocide. (Hamato Jennika)

Jennika. With a cog heart that ticks and barely beats on its own, it’s still made of gold…sort of

Project genocide was created as a gift for the Shredder by Baxter Stockman. A show of gratitude for his life being saved despite how he was trying to steal from the shredder. Though she was rushed and taken out of her test tube too early. Upon trying to breathe her lung immediately collapsed and filled with fluid, so she eventually died within a matter of minutes of being alive. She was then taken apart out of panic like some object and her organs got modified and individually preserved in a gelatin like substance that held them in place. Her head was put into a jar and a tube as her esophagus as she inhales the fluid in her jar that in which it’s the only thing she can safely breathe. She became this Frankenstein like creature but she could still feel and live like anyone else she just looked….different. She had her life support built into her and with the small flip of a switch she was alive again. She’d never be able to grow on her own or develop mentally forever stuck at age thirteen but she was alive. She is programmed to be a ruthless killing machine and follow orders..gaining her name Jennika stemming from her project name ‘Genocide’. Despite being a literal jarhead she’s swift and ruthless. She’s unmatched compared to some of the highest ranking foot soldiers she was perfect…so she was immediately marked by the foot..the branding hurt but it’s not like she hasn’t felt worse, right? She has built in Tekkō-kagi as a sort of homage to the shredder. They come from in between her knuckles. They were almost used to behead the youngest of the four she was modeled after and created to kill. But…what if she didn’t want to….?

Well maybe you’ll just have to read the comic when it comes out to answer your questions!!! EHEHEHHE 😈

Well that’s all!- if you have any general questions about this whole production just put it in my ask box and I’ll happily answer this is genuinely so fun for me!- I can’t wait for you all to read it ^_^

Also make sure to look out for all their finished character sheets if you wanna get a better look at them!- along with some pretty neat voice claims coming soon but you didn’t hear that from me >;3

[covid-safer-hotties]

COVID still rages, and the Biden administration isn’t helping - Published Jan 6, 2024

Readers who bristled at my assertion roughly a year ago — when the term “post-pandemic” was used a lot more cautiously than it is now — that we should still be masking really won’t like this: We should still be wearing masks indoors, because the COVID-19 pandemic still rages. And, as a physician writing on The Times’ op-ed page makes clear, the Biden administration isn’t helping.

The numbers of new infections and hospital admissions are sobering: Wastewater data indicate that the JN.1 variant of COVID-19 is infecting about 2 million Americans every day, making this surge second in prevalence only to the Omicron wave that hit in 2021 and 2022. Thanks to vaccines, the Omicron peak was less deadly than the wave that hit in late 2020 and early 2021, when mask mandates and social distancing were still our primary weapons against COVID-19 and inoculation was only beginning.

Even though the Omicron wave for most people marks the beginning of the “living with this disease” phase of COVID — where we forgo mitigation and accept the risks of infection by a survivable virus — large groups of people fared worse than ever. You know who did really poorly? Cancer patients, who died at a higher rate than during any previous surge. With compromised immune systems, they benefit more from mitigation measures such as masking than vaccination, but by the time Omicron rolled around many of us had grown tired of covering our faces and keeping our distance.

For most people, the price of an Omicron infection was mild illness and possibly long COVID; for cancer patients, it was a higher likelihood of dying.

As for long COVID — when crippling symptoms persist for months or even years after infection — it’s hard to quantify the price to society from millions of people walking around with brain fog and fatigue for interminable periods, not to mention the increased risk of heart disease and stroke long after infection. Deciding to live with COVID doesn’t mean any of this goes away, if by “living with COVID” you mean refusing to wear a high-quality mask.

Writing on our op-ed page, Dr. Eric J. Topol — whose work communicating the risks of unfettered virus circulation I consider indispensable — reminds us of the damage this JN.1 surge does to people without fully functioning immune systems, and the need of the government to continue developing vaccines that deliver better protection from COVID variants. He ends his piece, appropriately, by criticizing the Biden administration’s complacency:

“It’s crickets from the White House on COVID now, with no messaging on getting the updated booster or masking. The Biden administration has done far too little to accelerate research on effective treatments for long COVID.

“This passivity reinforces the illusion that the pandemic is behind us when it’s actually raging. And this season will be followed by a more quiescent period, which will, once again, lull us into thinking the pandemic is over. But there is no getting over it until we recognize reality and double down on the research that will allow us to block infections and virus spread, and achieve lasting, variant-proof immunity.”

As we head towards this year's election, remember just how much pain and suffering Biden's inaction on covid has caused and continues to cause. There are several candidates running whose covid policy is light years away from Biden's. Vote for what you believe in, not out of fear. Do everything you can to make a better future instead of stifling better for maybe perhaps kinda not as bad (for you personally based on vibes).