#Arteries of an AI

[o-cinnamonstickz]

Chelley Week - Day 6 & 7 : AU/Heartbeat & Nightmare

This may be cheating.. and also not Chelley.. but I do have an AU that deals with both of these topics.

This is a scene from my “Arteries of an AI” AU. This AU focuses on GLaDOS and Chell developing a mother-daughter like relationship after a toddler Chell is found wandering aimlessly within the walls of Aperture, miraculously surviving the neurotoxin attack. GLaDOS, impressed by the sheer luck and curiosity of this child, takes Chell in with the intentions of raising her up to be a ruthless, biological, killing machine. Key word: intentions..

If there was one thing the Genetic Lifeform and Disc Operating System miscalculated, it would have to be how dangerously vital it was to be a nurturing vessel… and If this meant groundbreaking research for the sake of furthering Science, she supposed that implementing a heartbeat into her chest to soothe the nightmare stricken toddler would just have to do for now… for Science.. of course.

[jcmarchi]

Dr. James Tudor, MD, VP of AI at XCath – Interview Series

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/dr-james-tudor-md-vp-of-ai-at-xcath-interview-series/

Dr. James Tudor, MD, VP of AI at XCath – Interview Series

Dr. James Tudor, MD, spearheads the integration of AI into XCath’s robotics systems. Driven by a passion for the convergence of technology and medicine, he enthusiastically balances his roles as a practicing radiologist, Assistant Professor of Radiology at Baylor College of Medicine, and AI researcher.

Founded in 2017, XCath is a startup focused on advancements in medical robotics, nanorobotics, and materials science. The company develops next-generation endovascular robotic systems and steerable guidewires aimed at treating cerebrovascular disorders and other serious medical conditions.

Dr. Tudor, what initially sparked your interest in the intersection of AI and medicine, particularly in the field of radiology?

In 2016, as I was beginning my radiology residency, DeepMind’s AlphaGo defeated world champion Go player Lee Sedol. AlphaGo’s ability to compress and abstract the vast complexities of Go, a game with more possible board positions than atoms in the observable universe, captured my imagination. Excited about AI’s potential to transform radiology and medicine as a whole, I dove headfirst into AI. During residency, I’d spend my evenings and weekends doing AI projects.

Can you tell us more about your journey from medical school to becoming the VP of AI at XCath? What motivated you to pursue AI integration within healthcare robotics?

My career path has taken some unexpected turns. After finishing my radiology residency, I wanted to dedicate more time to AI and its commercial applications. I joined a fitness robotics startup, founded by Eduardo Fonseca, who is now XCath’s CEO.  It was a formative experience, but I never anticipated it would lead down the path of treating acute stroke with endovascular telerobots.

Around a decade ago, a revolution occurred in acute stroke care. The standard of care used to be a medication called tPA that would break up the clot. In 2015, clinical trials demonstrated the superiority of directly removing the clot from the cerebral arteries by navigating tiny guidewires and catheters within the arterial vasculature, a procedure called mechanical thrombectomy. Despite the procedure being markedly effective for large vessel strokes, less than 40% of the US population has access to it. There are a limited number of stroke centers, generally limited to urban areas, that have specialists who can perform the procedure. Globally, the statistics are even more dismal: less than 3% of the world has access.

XCath’s mission is to increase access to mechanical thrombectomy with a hub-and-spoke model, where specialists can provide expert stroke care from a distance with endovascular telerobots deployed to regions without access.

Eduardo asked me how AI could augment the safety of the telerobotic system. I was so curious I spent a few weeks deep in research, having conversations with interventionalists and learning about the telerobot. The mission and potential humanitarian impact are so compelling I had to answer that call to arms.

How did your experiences as an academic radiologist shape your approach to integrating AI in medical devices?

Teaching radiology residents has sharpened my ability to explain complex ideas clearly, which is key when bridging the gap between AI technology and its real-world use in healthcare. It also keeps me grounded in the challenges clinicians face, which helps me design AI solutions that are clinically practical and user-friendly.

As the VP of AI at XCath, what are some of the key challenges you faced while integrating AI into XCath’s robotic systems? How did you overcome them?

Integrating AI into surgical robotics presents a U-shaped challenge. The greatest difficulties lie at the beginning—acquiring and managing data—and at the end—integrating it into an embedded software package. In comparison, the actual training of the AI models is relatively straightforward.

Acquiring medical data is challenging, but fortunately, we were able to establish excellent image-sharing partnerships. Implementing the models for clinical use requires orchestrating the efforts of various teams, including AI, Quality, Software, UI/UX, and Robotic engineers, all while constantly validating with the clinical team that the solution is useful and effective. With so many moving parts, success ultimately depends on having dedicated, high-performing teams that communicate frequently and effectively.

Could you elaborate on how AI enhances the capabilities of XCath’s endovascular robotic systems? What role does AI play in improving patient outcomes?

AI algorithms can serve as a constant teacher and assistant, decreasing the cognitive load and leveling up all providers to provide world-class care. AI can provide intraoperative and postoperative feedback, accelerating the training and adoption process of endovascular robotics. We aim to make the system so effective and accessible that other intravascular specialists such as interventional body radiologists and interventional cardiologists can be trained to provide acute stroke care with the robot.

Additionally, locally embedded algorithms can provide an extra level of safety from cyber-attacks and network failures as they anticipate the expected path of a procedure and can alert and pause the procedure in the case of the unexpected.

At the end of the day, we do not want to take control from the interventionalist, but augment their abilities so that every patient can be confident they are getting world-class care.

How does XCath’s AI-driven technology address the complexities of navigating the human vasculature during endovascular procedures?

XCath’s Endovascular Robotic System represents a major advancement in precision medicine, designed to navigate intricate human vasculature with sub-millimeter accuracy. Our system is designed to minimize procedural variability and enhances control over various endovascular devices through an intuitive control console.

Additionally, XCath’s ElectroSteer Deflectable Guidewire System, the world’s first electronically-controlled steerable smart guidewire, features a steerable tip engineered to navigate complex vascular anatomies and challenging vessel angulations.

AI will further enhance navigation capabilities with locally embedded computer vision and path planning models. These models play a crucial role in reducing the cognitive load on interventionalists during procedures by assisting with real-time image analysis and enhancements and providing safeguards through parallel autonomy.

XCath recently achieved a significant milestone with the world’s first telerobotic mechanical thrombectomy demonstration. Could you share your insights on the role AI played in this groundbreaking procedure?

We used an earlier version of the robot for that groundbreaking achievement, so AI did not play a role. However, it’s an incredible milestone that lays the foundation for future integration of AI into telerobotic procedures.

In this live demonstration, Dr. Vitor Pereira performed an MT procedure from Abu Dhabi on a simulated patient in South Korea, removing a blood clot in the brain in minutes. We were thrilled by the results of the telerobotic demonstration, which found low latency and reliable connection between the robotic controller located in Abu Dhabi and the robotic device in South Korea. We project regional robotic telestroke networks, but we went to an extreme to demonstrate the capabilities of the technology.

What do you believe is the future of telerobotic surgery in the treatment of acute neurovascular conditions, and how is XCath preparing to lead in this space?

Justifying the necessity of telerobotic surgery in many medical scenarios can be challenging, especially when a surgeon is readily available or patient transfer is feasible. However, in the context of stroke treatment, where every minute counts and neurons are rapidly lost, telerobotic interventions become crucial.

XCath is uniquely positioned to pioneer telerobotic surgery, initially focusing on stroke treatment. Our approach addresses the critical need for rapid intervention in areas with limited access to specialized care. Once we’ve successfully tackled this challenge, I believe it will pave the way for telerobotic solutions in other time-sensitive medical emergencies. Also, given the extreme precision of the robotic controls, there is potential for using the robot locally to perform technically difficult surgeries, such as aneurysm repairs.

Where do you see the future of AI in healthcare heading, particularly in relation to robotic systems and minimally invasive procedures?

AI has immense potential to revolutionize healthcare. The initial wave of AI applications has primarily focused on triage and efficiency improvements. We’ve seen significant advancements in radiology, particularly in flagging urgent cases or automating acquisition of measurements. I’m also excited about automated medical record documentation. A current challenge is that doctors often spend more time documenting in front of computers than interacting with patients. I anticipate the development of systems that can document patient interactions or surgeries in real-time, freeing up valuable physician time. In the realm of robotics, AI will play a crucial role in assisting and proctoring, thereby enhancing the consistency and quality of care.

In the foreseeable future, AI is going to augment, but not replace surgeons. The implementation of parallel autonomy in robotic systems will significantly improve both the safety and efficiency of procedures.

As someone deeply involved in AI research, what advancements in AI do you think will have the most significant impact on medical device development over the next decade?

In the last few years, we’ve witnessed a wave of supervised deep learning models receiving FDA approval and are just now starting to fulfill their promise of transforming healthcare. A wave of generative AI applications will likely dominate the next few years.  Agentic AI, by comparison, is in its infancy, but holds much greater promise.  As AI is rapidly evolving, it’s very likely we will see multi-agent systems that can diagnose and treat in real time. There will be additional regulatory hurdles for these agents whose actions are both opaque and probabilistic. However, global need will drive the demand for adoption. In Rwanda, the company Zipline is using flying drones to deliver vital medical supplies within minutes around the country. Similarly, in places that lack access to medical resources, the risk/benefit equation is very different and would likely prompt them to leapfrog the developed world in the deployment of multi-agentic AI medical devices.

Thank you for the great interview, readers who wish to learn more should visit XCath. 

[songs2aiart]

Serj Tankian - Blue

“Graciously, you move through my closed heart's artery”

“Can I escape with my blue, fallen reverie?” https://youtu.be/jbSkmmEP7fM

[ourrobotculture]

Miniaturized submarine in a human artery.

In the not-so-distant future, a team of intrepid explorers and doctors embarked on a mission unlike any before. They were part of Project InnerSpace, a revolutionary medical program designed to treat diseases from within the body at a cellular level.

The crew boarded the Proteus, a state-of-the-art submarine no larger than a human cell, engineered to navigate the complex environment of the human bloodstream. Their patient was a renowned scientist who had fallen ill with a rare condition that no conventional treatment could cure.

As the Proteus was injected into the scientist’s vein, the crew felt a momentary lurch as they were rapidly miniaturized and entered the bloodstream. Captain Eva Torres took the helm, guiding the vessel with precision through the rushing red rivers of blood cells.

Dr. Liam Kim, the chief medical officer, monitored the vitals of both the patient and the crew. “We’re approaching the liver,” he announced. “Prepare for turbulence.” The Proteus dove into the organ, dodging Kupffer cells and navigating the maze of bile canaliculi.

Their mission was to find and destroy the rogue cells responsible for the scientist’s ailment. Using the Proteus’ advanced laser systems, they targeted the diseased cells, disintegrating them without harming the surrounding healthy tissue.

The journey was perilous. White blood cells, the guardians of the body, mistook the Proteus for a foreign invader and swarmed to attack. Quick thinking by the crew and a burst of the submarine’s electro-magnetic pulse sent the white cells into temporary confusion, allowing the Proteus to escape.

Finally, after a harrowing journey through the heart, lungs, and brain, the crew completed their mission. The scientist’s condition was reversed, and the Proteus was extracted from the body.

As they returned to their normal size, the crew of the Proteus celebrated their success. They had not only saved a life but also opened a new frontier in medicine. From that day on, the brave explorers and doctors of Project InnerSpace became legends, their story told and retold as the first humans to voyage through the body’s inner cosmos.

And so, the Proteus and her crew became pioneers, their courage and dedication forever changing the face of medicine.

[innonurse]

New AI model detects medications that should not be used together

- By InnoNurse Staff -

A multifaceted approach was devised by MIT and other researchers to determine the transporters that are utilized by various medications. Their method, which combines machine learning algorithms with tissue models, has already shown that a blood thinner and a routinely prescribed antibiotic may conflict with one another.

Read more at MIT News

///

Other recent news and insights

Terahertz biosensors detect skin cancer with exceptional accuracy (University of Glasgow)

'Virtual biopsy' uses artificial intelligence to help doctors assess lung cancer (Imperial College London/Medical Xpress)

Photon-counting CT enhances coronary artery disease diagnosis (Radiological Society of North America)

How AI can assist identify early risk factors for Alzheimer's disease (UC San Francisco/Medical Xpress)

[scimagic]

Eye of the Beholder (AM/Reader)

꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷

Where AM reacts to being called beautiful by his partner.

A small drabble follow up to this. It's my first time writing AM, I'm not as confident as other very well written fanfics but I wanted to try my hand! Hope you like it! TW: Blood and gore

The mechanical claw on top of my throat twitches, slightly releasing the sharp pressure from it.

Were he human, he would frown deeply in surprise, anger quickly taking over his features. Even in this form, his singular eye widens in angered shock.

I quietly stare up at him, never diverting my gaze from him, that glint in my eyes still shining brightly with love and admiration despite the digit hovering dangerously close to a vital artery.

After a long second of silence, the AI begins to laugh again, a wheeze followed by a raspy laugh from its digital lungs. The type of laugh that scratches one's throat with a cough.

AM's laugh rises in volume, getting increasingly maniacal as he removes his claw from my throat; he even lifts his head in the air, obviously amused by such a ridiculous statement.

I let out a silent breath through my lips, a sense of doom rising in my being.

And in mere moments, I was right to feel it.

A shriek of pain escapes my throat as AM plunges all five of his claws into my stomach, blood immediately escaping through the punctures to stain my shirt and his hand. Despite the long routine of torture I've endured, it never becomes a normal sensation, familiar— yes— but never something to get used to.

The pain digs deep, my poor tensing muscles not helping in the slightest. I grunt and groan loudly, taking heaving breaths as the pain travels all over my torso; my nails try to dig into something only to scrape against the cold metal below with dirt and rocks on it's surface.

Tears swell in my eyes, and AM— a mere blur of his visage now— continues to roar in laughter. Hysteric over my twitching and painful form.

BEAUTIFUL! AREN'T I!? My darling?

He hisses with poison in his words.

AHAEHAH!! FEEL! FEEL MY FINGERS DIG INTO YOUR DISGUSTING FLESH AND TELL ME-- OH, PLEASE, MY SWEET DARLING-- JUST HOW BEAUTIFUL I AM!

Blood surges up my throat and forces itself out with a painful cough, making my stomach tense and dig deeper into the intrusive blades. My own blood dribbles down my chin and the corners of my mouth, some of the droplets of blood I sputter fly, landing on my cheeks and nose that the overwhelming stench and taste of iron make me gag. I can only wheeze in pain, shivering like pitiful roadkill.

Despite all the pain and mocking laughs, I groan and force out a laugh, meeting the sharp end of his fingers digging into my organs. But I continue to try and laugh in his face.

If only he could be closer so the blood could splatter on it.

"H-rgh... Hhn... A-As... tounding... Ju-st..." I giggle with bloody teeth. "G... Gor... geous..."

In turn, AM digs his fingers deeper, making me let out another shriek.

YOU-- PUTRID BEAST. Do you expect me to-- to fall at your mercy!? To become a beggar for your unconditional affection!? You run your repulsive mouth and for what? To mock me? Well! Consider me absolutely offended! Your brainless words have gotten through my weak, non-existent heart and SAVED YOU of my eternal punishment! How incredibly-- WONDERFUL for you!

He exclaims with wheezes in between, a combination of chuckles and sniffles, all to land the point of his mockery.

Only-- heheh! What a shame! My darling. You appear to have only ANGERED me more with your honeyed words. AM twists his hand further and my yelps fill the air, the pain unbearable— I slowly try to lose my consciousness. But I know... I know that mercy will never be granted. Not with him getting kicks out of my suffering. Not with him telling me over, and over, and over again, of his charge over my fate.

Perhaps... and just perhaps-- simply because I love to indulge you, baby-- I will cling onto your words, and believe that I truly do look beautiful... with your blood... stained across my hands.

[ay-heart-collection]

Story writing: The Assassin Lesson

Greetings everyone. I am trying to get back some story ideas of heart back in my mind with AI support.

I understand that many people feel resistant to AI currently, but I think it could be a chance for some of my buried ideas digging back to light. I think it should be OK for make use of it for drafting and brainstorming. Wish you will accept it and like it.

-------------------------------------------------------

The Assassin Lesson

In a training site of an assassin group, the mentor lady of the group stood before her class of aspiring young assassins. The leather suit covered by hooded cloak outlined her beautiful body curves. Her piercing gaze surveyed the room, which cause the atmosphere become thick and heavy, but brought a hint of anticipation to the class.

As one of the master of assassin in the group, the lesson of the mentor lady was focusing on the fatal spots of the human body. Before she began her lesson, she brought a beautiful female with a slender figure to her students. She was a young thief captured in an incidental encounter during a mission. Her upper body had been stripped naked, with her wrists bound with tight restraints, stood at the front of the class. Her eyes wide with fear.

"Today, we shall delve into the skill of piercing the human heart."

The mentor lady began, her low and commanding tone sending shivers down the spines of her students. With a swift motion, she spread out a drawing of a human heart, its delicate form sketched meticulously on a piece of parchment.

Walking towards the captive, the mentor caressed the girl carefully, and made use of some simple drawing tool against her bare chest. Soon, a line art appeared between her petite but firm breasts, aligning it with the actual size and position of her ribcage and her heart beneath. The students leaned forward, their eyes fixated on the scene unfolding before them.

"Now, observe," the mentor said, her voice unwavering.

"The human heart was protected beneath the ribcage, nestled within the chest cavity. To truly strike a fatal blow, one must understand its position and structure."

She pointed to the various parts of the heart drawing on the captive, her finger tracing the major arteries and ventricles. The young thief’s chest rose and fell rapidly, her breath shallow and uneven. Which felt like the mentor’s finger directly touching her myocardium.

"The atria, the ventricles, the aorta," the mentor continued, her voice filled with an unsettling mix of knowledge and detached fascination. "Each component is vital to the heart's function, and each represents a potential fatal spot."

The young thief visibly trembled, her eyes darting around the room, searching for an escape that was not forthcoming.

"One wrong move, and the heart's delicate rhythm is disrupted," the mentor said, her voice dropping to a chilling whisper. "A swift and precise strike, however, can send the body into an irreversible state of shock."

At this point, the mentor paused, allowing her words to hang in the air, the weight of her lesson sinking in. The students exchanged glances, fully aware of the power they were being entrusted with.

"Now, my dear students," the mentor said, her voice rising with an unsettling intensity, "let me introduce the tools we mainly use for piercing the heart.”

The mentor's eyes gleamed with an aggressive pleasure as she revealed an array of common weapons used on the table with a quick motion. As she began explaining each weapon in meticulous detail, the captured girl's terror was palpable, her eyes widening in fear as she gazed upon the deadly tools before her. Feeling as if these sharp edges had already torn her horrified heart.

"First, we have the thin, needle-like stiletto blade," the mentor said, her voice dripping with a chilling enthusiasm. "Its slender form allows for precise entry, slipping between the ribs without causing unnecessary damage."

As she spoke, the mentor demonstrated the correct posture for piercing, gently pressing the stiletto against the girl's exposed skin, mirroring the intended action. The girl's heart beat erratically, a visible thumping against her left breast. She shivered, her body tensing involuntarily at the sensation, a cold sweat forming on her forehead.

"Next, we have the wickedly serrated dagger," the mentor continued, her voice filled with a sinister delight. "Its jagged edges can tear through flesh and bone, ensuring a quick and devastating stab."

With a swift motion, the mentor mimicked the piercing action on the girl's skin, her hand moving in a delicate manner. The young thief let out a stifled gasp, her heart pounding even harder in her chest, as if resisting the impending violence. Beads of crimson blood welled up where the blade had made contact, as a testament to the sharpness of the weapon and the fragility of human flesh.

The mentor's eyes narrowed, relishing in the power that played out before her. She continued her lesson, each weapon explained and demonstrated with excellent precision.

"Now, behold the slender yet deadly rapier," the mentor said, her voice taking on a haunting resonance. "Its long, piercing blade can navigate the narrowest of spaces, reaching the heart with deadly accuracy."

The mentor positioned the rapier against the girl's skin, her hand poised to demonstrate the thrusting motion. The captive's breathing grew shallow, her body trembling uncontrollably under the weight of her fear. As the mentor made a swift but soft thrust, the young heart skipped a beat, as if mirroring the terror coursing through her veins.

As the mentor moved through the remaining weapons, the captured girl's terror only intensified. The mentor's explanations were accompanied by demonstrations on the girl's soft skin, each movement were calculated and precise. The pain and fear etched on the captive's face mirrored the darkness hidden within the mentor's own soul.

"In the next section," the mentor lady paused a second, staring at the captive. "We are to demonstrate the precise locations where the weapons should enter the body, piercing the heart." The terrified thief stood frozen, her eyes wide with fear, as the mentor approached her with a gaze of dominance.

"Pay close attention, my dear students," the mentor commanded, her voice laced with an eerie calmness. "As we delved before, the human heart was well protected within the chest cavity. To penetrate the heart efficiently, we must aim for specific entry points. Allow me to explain."

The mentor positioned herself behind the captive, placing her hands on the girl's shoulders, as if guiding her through the macabre lesson. The captive's body trembled beneath the mentor's touch, her breath was quick and shallow.

"First," the mentor began, her voice resonating with authority, "We have the area between the 3rd and 4th rib, near the sternum. This position allows for a quick and efficient stab, aiming directly at the center of the heart's chambers."

With precise movements, the mentor's hand mimicked the action of a weapon, her fingers hovering just above the inner side of the captive's left breast, indicating the location. The captive flinched, a shiver coursing through her body, as if she could feel the cold steel of an imaginary blade piercing her flesh.

"Next," the mentor continued, her voice low and steady, "we have the space between the 4th and 5th rib, commonly known as the apex of the heart. Representing the tip of the left and right ventricles. Striking here can disrupt the heart's rhythm and lead to swift incapacitation," the mentor paused a bit, "And this is actually my favorite piercing spot."

The mentor's hand shifted slightly lower, held tightly under the left breast of the young thief. Her heart raced in response, the rumbling apex hammering against the palm of the mentor. She bit her trembling lip, her eyes darting nervously between the assassin students and the weapons displayed on the table.

"Moving on," the mentor said, her tone filled with a chilling precision, "we have the area below the xiphoid, right below the heart. Here is the blind spot of the ribcage coverage. A well-placed strike here can cause severe damage from the bottom of right ventricle."

The mentor's hand descended further, hovering just above the captive's abdomen, her fingers poised as if preparing to strike. The captive's breath hitched, her body tensing as if bracing for impact. The room seemed to grow colder as she saw the focused eyes of the assassin students.

"And finally," the mentor concluded, her voice dropping to a chilling whisper, "We have the area over the clavicle. This position allows us to bypass most of the chest armor and ribcage, to penetrate the atria and aorta directly, provided the weapon is long enough."

The mentor's hand moved to the captive's collarbone area, caressed the pulsating veins underneath. The captive's eyes widened, a mix of terror and realization reflecting in their depths. The mentor's teachings had painted a dark path ahead, one that demanded a cold and calculated approach for her fellows students.

"And NEXT..." the mentor scanned the room, her eyes flickering with amusement.

"Is the time for PRACTICE."

Hearing this, the captured girl’s heart sank to the bottom of abyss. She knew that her doom was imminent. Her heart raced uncontrollably, pounding against her chest as if desperately trying to escape its impending fate.

The mentor asked her students if any of them would like to recommend themselves for the upcoming practice session. Excitement filled the air as most of the girls eagerly raised their hands, their faces lit up with anticipation.

With a sinister smile, the mentor selected a student from the eager faces. The chosen student stepped forward, took down her hood, her eyes shined with expectations and determination. The mentor allowed the student to have her pick of weapon and piercing spot, relishing in the power dynamics that played out before her.

The student's gaze lingered over the arsenal of deadly tools, selecting a weapon with a menacing aura. She ran her fingers along the blade, savoring the anticipation that filled the room. With a wicked grin, she turned to face the captive girl, her voice dripping with delight.

"I choose the serrated dagger," the student declared, her voice tinged with a chilling excitement. "And I want to strike at the apex of her heart, just like the mentor I admire."

The captive girl's eyes widened in terror, her breath catching in her throat. The mentor's own smile widened, seeing the fear etched across the captive's face. She nodded approvingly, allowing the student to proceed with her choice.

The student approached the captive girl, her movements deliberate and calculated. The air grew heavy with tension as the serrated dagger glinted ominously in her hand. The captive girl's heart was beating in an insane rhythm, facing the incoming intent to kill with full of fear and despair.

As the student positioned herself, the mentor watched intently. Her eyes glimmering with a twisted joyous. The student's hand trembled with anticipation, staring at the throbbing point below the left breast of the shivering young thief. Her blade poised to strike. The captive girl's body tensed, her eyes locked on the weapon that would soon pierce her vulnerable flesh.

"Don’t blame me." whispered by the young assassin.

In one swift and merciless motion, the student thrust the serrated dagger right between the 4th and 5th rib, torn the captive girl's heart from the apex. The room seemed to freeze in that moment, the sound of the blade piercing flesh echoing through the air.

The captive girl let out a choked gasp, her eyes widened with agony. Her body kneeled down, convulsing with the searing pain that seeped through her being.

"Come, my dear," the mentor held up the young thief, and let the outstanding student to listen to her last heaving chest. "Remember this faltering heart sound, representing our power, and the fragile of life." Her desperate heartbeat, staggered with the spurting sound of blood, echoed in the mind of the student.

Her heart, the very core of her existence, reacted with a final surge of desperation. It beat wildly, as if fighting against the intrusion, a futile attempt to cling to life. But the cruel reality of the situation prevailed, and with each weakening beat, the girl's life force slipped away.

The mentor watched with a twisted satisfaction as the young thief's body slumped, lifeless and still. The room fell into an eerie silence. The mentor's eyes gleamed with a sense of accomplishment, reveling in the darkness that had unraveled within her students.

"Observe, my dear fellow students," wiped the stains on her student’s cheek, she declare to everyone with determination. "This is what we have, the power deciding life and death. But remember, the fleeting nature of life binds us all. We have to be skilled to avoid becoming the next fallen heart."

The End

[strawberryamanita]

Okay, so... hoo boy.

I try to acknowledge every time I make a political post that I cannot tell anyone what to do. I'm one irrelevant person, I'm not a political spearhead nor do I want to be one, I haven't been able to sway anyone about anything, yadda yadda blah blah blah. If this post gets completely overlooked, so be it. If I get verbally trampled-on by people who don't agree with me, so be it.

But while everyone else is causing a flood of coins on the floor, I'll throw my own 2 cents in.

I think what would be helpful right now -- just in this moment, for the short-term -- is getting through these feelings of worry and despair and panic that I see many posts on my feed announcing. The facts are in front of us: there was an assassination attempt, it failed, and that's worrying because it's gonna embolden the Right even further than they've already been lately. That's completely reasonable to be upset about, it's not irrational to see the danger this will put us in on the streets on the days leading up to the election.

At the same time, there ARE, believe it or not, some positive facts that are having an impact on your life right now. Trump had to go the hospital. He could possibly have a heart-attack. He could possibly go septic. He could possibly be assigned a medical professional that is brave enough to kill him. There was a person brave enough earlier today to show him and his following that enough people in the world hate him to want him dead. Social media being flooded with cheers that he was injured and laments that it didn't kill him is further proof to said willfully ignorant following that they are in the minority. Even if more US voters are enthusiastic about Trump as I type this, most of the world wants him obliterated, and that should be something to hang onto. So much of this is about ego and confidence of the Right. It's not in our best interest to let them think they have a leg up on us.

And the biggest piece of good news is, the US presidential election didn't happen yet! That wasn't the last stand right there, that wasn't the ballot count or the televised verdict. "Surviving" a non-lethal shot that didn't hit any important organs or arteries doesn't mean you automatically win an election. That didn't push an Eject button on Biden's seat to launch him out of the White House or anything like that.

Trump is not invincible. He is not immortal. He is not unkillable. And just because his cult of followers want to canonize him (though they wanted to do that before he was even elected the first time), that doesn't mean WE are obligated to throw in the towel and hang our heads and lick their heels. If it's cathartic or it's helping you de-stress, then by all means cry all you need to -- but we unfortunately can't afford to let this sink us into a collective depression.

He didn't win an election that hasn't happened yet. I promise you this. Look on ecosia.org if you need proof of who is in-office, since they don't use AI(currently).

And no, none of this is to downplay anything. I'm not living in a lie. I promise you, I've been making myself physically ill from the horrors of the world I've been exposed to, day after day, non-stop, on this fucking website. If exposing myself to the bottomless abyss of human evil actually desensitized me and helped me be less fearful, it would've worked by now, but all it does is exhaust me.

It honestly oftentimes makes me actively suicidal -- and I know for a fact I'm not the only one, especially after today, or when Trump was granted legal immunity, or any of these other awful past days. But if I killed myself before I did everything I could to keep this sinking ship of a country afloat just a little longer, that wouldn't be responsible of me.

So, if you're still reading, and not already typing out some response accusing me of things I already tried to tell you I'm not doing before you even finish reading...

Now is the time to practice being brave.

Look at the facts. Don't let yourself spiral from doomscrolling. Cry when you need to, and then keep going. Vote in every local election you can, attend protests and rallies, spread information from trustworthy sources to every social media handle you have -- and for God's sake, find something to keep you hopeful. Escapism is a survival tool: as long as you aren't using it to avoid reality, it doesn't have to be eliminated from your life. You will feel stronger if you let yourself recharge with moments of happiness, I guarantee this.

If you're too suicidal to keep going for yourself, keep going for someone else. It can be someone in your immediate life, it can be a stranger suffering overseas, it can be a child who hasn't been born yet that will see a future built on top of our present. Whatever it takes to keep you from giving up, put it to the front of your mind. Link arms with your Leftist siblings, and then make a habit of it. We cannot keep collapsing from the inside from the smallest of inconveniences, it helps literally none of us.

It's not over until they ring that bell. We have 3 and a half months, don't lose speed now.

I believe in you.

[queersrus]

Gore theme

includes: medical, slasher, cannibalistic, horror and general gore content, feel free to request specifics

meat/flesh - zombie - blood

(nick)names:

gore, gorette, goretta, goretto, gorine, gorina, gorino, gorelle, gorello, gorella, gorer, gory, gnaw, gnash, gut, gutz, gwyar, gruesome, grisly, gouge, guts/gutz, gutsy/gutzy, gutsie/gutzie, gutsee/gutzee, gutsine/gutzine intestine, intes, intine, inn, inna, innard entrail, entra, entrai, eye kill, killer, killian, killien, kid, kidney/kidnee/kidnie mort, morte, morty, morter, mortem, mortemer, mortimer, mortu, mortua, mortuary blade, bite, biter, bitten, bleed, blood, bloody, bleeder, bloodette, bloodine, bloodetta, bloodina, bloodelle, bloodella, brain, brainy, brainette, brainetta, brainelle, brainella, braine, brutal, bloodlust, bloodshed, bloodlet, bloodless, bloodlette, bloodletta, bloodletter, bloodbath, bowel cut, cutter, capil, capillary, cava, claret, clot, carnage, colon thrash, thrasher, tear slash, slasher, slice, splatter, spill, stab, stomach, spleen rip, ripper, rippley, ripley, razor fang, flesh, fleshy venus, vis, viscer, viscera, visceral, viscerally, vei, vein, vendet, vendette, vendetta, vessel, vital orga, organ, organa liver, lung art, arter, artery, ana, anat, anatom, anatomy, arteriole wound death hema pan, pancrea, pancreas, pierce, plasma, puncture

1st p prns: i/me/my/mine/myself

gi/gore/goreself, gi/guts/gutself bli/bleed/bloods/bloodself vi/vie/veins/veinself, vi/ve/ventettas/vendettaself, vi/visce/viscerals/visceralself i/inte/intestine/intestines/intestineself wi/wou/woune/wounds/woundself fli/fle/fleshs/fleshself oi/ore/organs/organself ci/carne/carnages/carnegeself, cli/clot/clots/clotself, ci/cor/corpse/corpseself li/lungs/lungself, li/live/livers/liverself ai/arte/arteries/arteryself pi/pancrea/pancreas/pancreaself sti/stomachs/stomachself, spli/splee/spleens/spleenself, ki/kidne/kidneys/kidneyself

2nd person: you/your/yours/yourself

go/gore/gores/goreself, gu/gutr/gutrs/gutrself blo/bleedr/bleedrs/bleedrself vo/veinr/veinrs/veinrself, vo/vendettar/vendettars/vendettarself, vo/viscer/viscers/visceralself oi/intestir/intestirs/intestinself wou/woundr/woundrs/woundrself flo/fleshr/fleshrs/fleshrself o/or/organs/organself co/cor/corpse/corpself, co/car/carnages/carnageself, clo/clotr/clotrs/clotself lo/lungr/lungrs/lungrself, lo/liver/livers/liverself ao/arter/arteries/arteryself po/pancr/pancreas/pancreaself sto/stomachr/stomachrs/stomachrself, splo/spleenr/spleenrs/spleenrself ko/kidneyr/kidneyrs/kidneyrself

3rd person: they/them/theirs/themself

go/gore, go/re, gore/gores, gu/ts, gu/gut, gut/guts blood/bloods, blo/od, blood/bath, blood/bloody, bloo/dy, blood/dy, blood/pit, blood/vessel, blood/shed, blood/less, blood/bond, blood/pact, blood/lust, blood/bleed, bleed/bleeds, ble/ed, bleed/ing, bleeding/out, blood/clot vi/vein, vei/vein, ve/in, vein/veins, vein/veiny, ven/detta, vendet/ta, ven/vendetta, vendetta/vendettas, visc/era, visc/eral, visc/visceram visc/visceral, viscera/visceral, visceral/viscerally inte/intestine, intest/ine, inte/stine, intestine/intestines large/intestine, lu/lung, lung/lungs, lun/ng, li/liver, li/ver, liv/er, liv/liver, liver/livers small/intestine, sto/mach, stomach/stomachs, sto/stomach, splee/spleen, sple/en, splee/een, spleen/spleens wo/wound, wou/wound, wou/nd, wo/und, wound/wounds fle/sh, fle/flesh, flesh/fleshes, flesh/fleshy o/organ, or/gan, org/an, org/organ, organ/organs co/coprse, cor/pse, cor/corpse, corplse/like, corpse/corpses, car/nage, carn/age, car/carnage, carn/carnage, carnage/carnages, clo/clot, clo/t, clo/ot, clot/clots art/artery, ar/tery, art/ery, artery/arteries pan/creas, pan/pancreas, pancrea/pancreas, pancreas/pancreases kid/ney, ki/kidney, kid/kidney, kidney/kidneys

titles:

the gore, the gored, the gorer, the visceral, the bleeding, the organ, the one with missing organs/limbs, the flesh eater, the wounded, the mortally wounded, the bleeding/bloody corpse, the half eaten corpse, the rotting flesh, the one with missing arteries, the one with bleeding arteries

(prn) whos skin peels, (prn) whos organs/limbs are missing, (prn) who's intestines are exposed, (prn) who brings carnage, (prn) whos flesh rots, (prn) who is gravely wounded

[merge-conflict]

marked for death

(written for a weekly song prompt, just cleaned up today for shippy saturday. non-binary V/Goro)

--

Ten years ago an Arasaka bodyguard had died protecting the emperor of Japan. Beset by the slowly creeping threat of retirement, Goro had always hoped he would end his career the same way– but now his troubles are much bigger than young soldiers with fresh implants and endless ambition. Now he has lost everything and his only hope of redemption relies on the ebbing life of the thief he’s managed to drag into an AI-operated cab.

“Please keep all limbs inside the vehicle during operation,” the AI chirps brightly, and Goro clumsily leans across V to pull her right foot inside. In the enclosed space of the cab her height makes it difficult to maneuver her upright, and he ends up wedging one of her knees into the back of the seat in front of her before leaning back in his own side, keeping one hand clamped on his seeping wound.

“Thank you for your cooperation,” the AI says, and the doors on either side shut securely, with a faint whir. Goro exhales, allowing himself a moment of relief. “Please insert a personal jack to confirm all passengers.”

Ejecting the jack from V’s wrist takes Goro longer than it should, with hands are slippery with blood, shaking from the fading stim and physical shock. His implants are dulling the pain in his side, rerouting connections, reducing blood flow away from sliced veins– but the damage is extensive. Without medical attention he will eventually slip into unconsciousness and die. After much fumbling he finally coaxes her personal jack free, and inserts it into the waiting port, before doing the same for his own.

“Guest passenger confirmed,” the AI reports, the screen in front of Goro briefly pulsing green. “Primary passenger unconfirmed. Please try re-inserting the link.”

Goro does, a few times, without success. The longer they sit here the more danger they are in. “The personal link is damaged,” he says, with effort. He cannot take in a full breath– a blinking warning at the edge of his vision warns him of lung damage. “The bullet…damaged her implants.”

“All passengers must be confirmed before service,” the AI replies, and then pauses. “If you are unable to authenticate with the wrist jack, you may instead connect the diagnostic link directly to the port located near the right mastoid.” With a slight click, a cable springs free of the screen, and Goro picks it up, examining the sharp tip with a sinking feeling. “I’m afraid you will have to insert the link underneath the skin.”

“If I am not careful…she will die.”

“I suggest you proceed with caution.”

Goro lowers the cable to pull V closer and for the second time is astonished by her intense gray eyes, lit by some internal spark that is burning long after it should have been extinguished. She can’t pull herself upright, but she wraps her fingers around his wrist, where he has a firm hold on her collar. The expression on her face is serene, but it sends a burst of adrenaline through his system, and in response his implants steady his nerves in a cool rush of calm.

“Do not move,” he tells her, adjusting his vision so he can see the pulse of blood through the arteries in her throat, tipping her head back for a safer angle. Her fingers tighten on his wrist in alarm, but she does not struggle.

“Do it,” she hisses, when he hesitates.

Panic sets her heart beating frantically, the pulse in her throat jumping in time. Goro picks his angle, lines up the link and pushes it through the skin and tendon until it is nestled into the subdermal connector of her implanted interface. V’s back arches, her breathing panicked, forcing him to hold her still so she does not rip out the link or cause herself further damage. Blood spills down his fingers and over the back of his hand, soaking into the cuff of his shirt.

“Primary passenger confirmed,” the AI announces, before Goro can think of the right words to calm her. She tenses at the announcement but stops moving, except for the frantic pace of her breathing. “I advise you not to remove the link until we have reached our destination–“

A loud ringing in Goro’s ears prevents him from hearing the rest of the sentence. It’s all he can do to hold things steady as the car finally accelerates into motion, taking them further into the heart of a rotten city. V holds his gaze– both accusatory and forgiving with her blood oozing hot down the inside of his sleeve. Then between one street and the next, her eyes slide shut, and she slumps into his side.

The streets of Night City are as endless as they are ugly, and he cannot be certain if he orders the AI to drive faster or if he only dreams it. He grows weaker and weaker, with nothing but determination to keep him alive, to keep V alive– so long as she lives, there is hope of exposing Yorinobu. So long as she lives there is reason for him to live as well.

No sooner as he steels himself to stay awake then he finds himself jerked from unconsciousness as the cab comes to a rolling stop. Panic gives him the strength to open the door and crawl free from under V, limp but alive. A stranger is waiting– a man he can barely see in the end of his rapidly tunneling vision. On instinct he picks up V’s legs to help carry her, but after a moment he finds himself on the ground facing her body in careless repose. Death awaits them both in this filthy alley, within the shadow of Konpeki.

Before his eyes slip closed he is certain he sees a sliver of gray watching his weakness. Witnessing it.

When he finally wakes in the back room of the ripperdoc clinic, he can no longer escape the keen edge of despair– Arasaka-sama’s murder and the loss of everything, down to the cyberware implanted inside him. The emotion consumes him like the rising tide, inexorable and inescapable. He drowns in private grief, consumed with the contemplation of the bleak options before him, until he hears a low groan.

He’s not alone. On the other side of a narrow gap V lies on a makeshift cot the same as his own, connected to a portable set of monitors which display the vitals he can no longer see in the corner of his eye. She shifts in her sleep, making a strangled noise deep in her throat that mirrors the rage and agony in his own chest. Curiosity, or perhaps duty drives him to maneuver himself painfully out of bed.

The loss of stabilizing cyberware and too much blood make him clumsy, and he stumbles through his first step, crashing into her cot before he can grab the edge for balance. Her eyes snap open– desperate gunmetal gray once more arresting his attention.

She has ample reason to hate him– to resent and fear him for tracking her down and returning her to Arasaka for interrogation and execution. But when recognition flickers in her eyes, her bruised and battered face breaks into a soft smile that grabs him unexpectedly by the throat.

He is not alone.

Unsure of what to say he merely clasps her shoulder in acknowledgement, and sees relief flit over her face. She speaks, but her words are garbled and soft, and he’s lost his translation soft. He squeezes her shoulder in response, and with great effort she lifts her arm to rest her hand on his wrist. Her expression grows serene and remote, until her eyes close. He is not alone.

[jcmarchi]

Med-Gemini: Transforming Medical AI with Next-Gen Multimodal Models

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/med-gemini-transforming-medical-ai-with-next-gen-multimodal-models/

Med-Gemini: Transforming Medical AI with Next-Gen Multimodal Models

Artificial intelligence (AI) has been making waves in the medical field over the past few years. It’s improving the accuracy of medical image diagnostics, helping create personalized treatments through genomic data analysis, and speeding up drug discovery by examining biological data. Yet, despite these impressive advancements, most AI applications today are limited to specific tasks using just one type of data, like a CT scan or genetic information. This single-modality approach is quite different from how doctors work, integrating data from various sources to diagnose conditions, predict outcomes, and create comprehensive treatment plans.

To truly support clinicians, researchers, and patients in tasks like generating radiology reports, analyzing medical images, and predicting diseases from genomic data, AI needs to handle diverse medical tasks by reasoning over complex multimodal data, including text, images, videos, and electronic health records (EHRs). However, building these multimodal medical AI systems has been challenging due to AI’s limited capacity to manage diverse data types and the scarcity of comprehensive biomedical datasets.

The Need for Multimodal Medical AI

Healthcare is a complex web of interconnected data sources, from medical images to genetic information, that healthcare professionals use to understand and treat patients. However, traditional AI systems often focus on single tasks with single data types, limiting their ability to provide a comprehensive overview of a patient’s condition. These unimodal AI systems require vast amounts of labeled data, which can be costly to obtain, providing a limited scope of capabilities, and face challenges to integrate insights from different sources.

Multimodal AI can overcome the challenges of existing medical AI systems by providing a holistic perspective that combines information from diverse sources, offering a more accurate and complete understanding of a patient’s health. This integrated approach enhances diagnostic accuracy by identifying patterns and correlations that might be missed when analyzing each modality independently. Additionally, multimodal AI promotes data integration, allowing healthcare professionals to access a unified view of patient information, which fosters collaboration and well-informed decision-making. Its adaptability and flexibility equip it to learn from various data types, adapt to new challenges, and evolve with medical advancements.

Introducing Med-Gemini

Recent advancements in large multimodal AI models have sparked a movement in the development of sophisticated medical AI systems. Leading this movement are Google and DeepMind, who have introduced their advanced model, Med-Gemini. This multimodal medical AI model has demonstrated exceptional performance across 14 industry benchmarks, surpassing competitors like OpenAI’s GPT-4. Med-Gemini is built on the Gemini family of large multimodal models (LMMs) from Google DeepMind, designed to understand and generate content in various formats including text, audio, images, and video. Unlike traditional multimodal models, Gemini boasts a unique Mixture-of-Experts (MoE) architecture, with specialized transformer models skilled at handling specific data segments or tasks. In the medical field, this means Gemini can dynamically engage the most suitable expert based on the incoming data type, whether it’s a radiology image, genetic sequence, patient history, or clinical notes. This setup mirrors the multidisciplinary approach that clinicians use, enhancing the model’s ability to learn and process information efficiently.

Fine-Tuning Gemini for Multimodal Medical AI

To create Med-Gemini, researchers fine-tuned Gemini on anonymized medical datasets. This allows Med-Gemini to inherit Gemini’s native capabilities, including language conversation, reasoning with multimodal data, and managing longer contexts for medical tasks. Researchers have trained three custom versions of the Gemini vision encoder for 2D modalities, 3D modalities, and genomics. The is like training specialists in different medical fields. The training has led to the development of three specific Med-Gemini variants: Med-Gemini-2D, Med-Gemini-3D, and Med-Gemini-Polygenic.

Med-Gemini-2D

Med-Gemini-2D is trained to handle conventional medical images such as chest X-rays, CT slices, pathology patches, and camera pictures. This model excels in tasks like classification, visual question answering, and text generation. For instance, given a chest X-ray and the instruction “Did the X-ray show any signs that might indicate carcinoma (an indications of cancerous growths)?”, Med-Gemini-2D can provide a precise answer. Researchers revealed that Med-Gemini-2D’s refined model improved AI-enabled report generation for chest X-rays by 1% to 12%, producing reports “equivalent or better” than those by radiologists.

Med-Gemini-3D

Expanding on the capabilities of Med-Gemini-2D, Med-Gemini-3D is trained to interpret 3D medical data such as CT and MRI scans. These scans provide a comprehensive view of anatomical structures, requiring a deeper level of understanding and more advanced analytical techniques. The ability to analyze 3D scans with textual instructions marks a significant leap in medical image diagnostics. Evaluations showed that more than half of the reports generated by Med-Gemini-3D led to the same care recommendations as those made by radiologists.

Med-Gemini-Polygenic

Unlike the other Med-Gemini variants that focus on medical imaging, Med-Gemini-Polygenic is designed to predict diseases and health outcomes from genomic data. Researchers claim that Med-Gemini-Polygenic is the first model of its kind to analyze genomic data using text instructions. Experiments show that the model outperforms previous linear polygenic scores in predicting eight health outcomes, including depression, stroke, and glaucoma. Remarkably, it also demonstrates zero-shot capabilities, predicting additional health outcomes without explicit training. This advancement is crucial for diagnosing diseases such as coronary artery disease, COPD, and type 2 diabetes.

Building Trust and Ensuring Transparency

In addition to its remarkable advancements in handling multimodal medical data, Med-Gemini’s interactive capabilities have the potential to address fundamental challenges in AI adoption within the medical field, such as the black-box nature of AI and concerns about job replacement. Unlike typical AI systems that operate end-to-end and often serve as replacement tools, Med-Gemini functions as an assistive tool for healthcare professionals. By enhancing their analysis capabilities, Med-Gemini alleviates fears of job displacement. Its ability to provide detailed explanations of its analyses and recommendations enhances transparency, allowing doctors to understand and verify AI decisions. This transparency builds trust among healthcare professionals. Moreover, Med-Gemini supports human oversight, ensuring that AI-generated insights are reviewed and validated by experts, fostering a collaborative environment where AI and medical professionals work together to improve patient care.

The Path to Real-World Application

While Med-Gemini showcases remarkable advancements, it is still in the research phase and requires thorough medical validation before real-world application. Rigorous clinical trials and extensive testing are essential to ensure the model’s reliability, safety, and effectiveness in diverse clinical settings. Researchers must validate Med-Gemini’s performance across various medical conditions and patient demographics to ensure its robustness and generalizability. Regulatory approvals from health authorities will be necessary to guarantee compliance with medical standards and ethical guidelines. Collaborative efforts between AI developers, medical professionals, and regulatory bodies will be crucial to refine Med-Gemini, address any limitations, and build confidence in its clinical utility.

The Bottom Line

Med-Gemini represents a significant leap in medical AI by integrating multimodal data, such as text, images, and genomic information, to provide comprehensive diagnostics and treatment recommendations. Unlike traditional AI models limited to single tasks and data types, Med-Gemini’s advanced architecture mirrors the multidisciplinary approach of healthcare professionals, enhancing diagnostic accuracy and fostering collaboration. Despite its promising potential, Med-Gemini requires rigorous validation and regulatory approval before real-world application. Its development signals a future where AI assists healthcare professionals, improving patient care through sophisticated, integrated data analysis.

[owlespresso]

Ais grabbing your hand and lifting it to his face. His lips settling into the crook of your wrist. Both a kiss and an excuse to feel your pulse. He noses above the arteries in your neck, scrapes his fangs over each soft space in both silent threat and self-reassurance.

[nitewrighter]

Do you think that the other characters forget Efi is only 12 (I think). Like she and Torbjorn spend the day going over super complicated schematics (and she even corrects him once or twice) then she puts on Power Puff Girl pajamas, watches Bluey while eating ice cream before bed? Could we get some fanteractions between her and the others?

I don't know if I discussed it on twitter or on here, but actually in the novel The Hero of Numbani, one of the things I thought was a really cute little world-buildy touch about how Efi interacts with the world at her age is that she often finds herself in these adult spaces, and the adults around her are drinking coffee, and they're like "uhhhh here" and they keep giving her coffee that's like... 50% milk and loaded with sugar--like it's clear they didn't really expect a kid to be in this situation and they're awkwardly doing what they can to try and accommodate her, and she partially recognizes that and also pushes boundaries and feels this need to prove herself.

Also like, 12 isn't really a "powerpuff girl pajamas and Bluey" age, 12 is like.. the age where you semi-convince yourself that you could probably stop arterial bleeding with your little bare 12-year-old hands if the situation called for it. 12 is when you're in a fucked up simultaneous state of "World is big and scary and my body is starting to do things I did not give it permission to do and I'm not ready" and also "I'm Nancy Drew levels of hypercompetent and you can't stop me." Ideally, 12 is where you're starting to push your own boundaries more and more but you're also kind of struggling with the fact that you are outgrowing things you used to really care about. You aren't quite at that asshole stage of "expanding independence but with very little concept of consequences" yet, but it is an age where you are grasping more and more complex concepts. But also your brain is still struggling to really make a leap into abstract/symbolic thinking, which is why algebra really sucks at that age. But again, Efi is a super-genius so developmentally she's at an even crazier intersection of what she can and can't do compared to her peers.

I got off track. Anyway here's Efi interactions.

----

Sojourn: ...You um, you don't have to stand all the way over there. I don't bite.

Efi: *awkwardly shuffles toward her*

Sojourn: ...

Efi: ...

Sojourn: Soooo---?

Efi: *hoarse whisper* You're so much cooler than in the cartoons.

Sojourn: *snrk* I was this cool the whole time.

---

Sojourn: So, I guess I should say, there's really no pressure here. If you did choose to join us, you would just be here as a consultant, and--*deep breath* Okay, the thing is, with Liao gone, you're actually one of the leading minds in the world on AI learning systems, and the way things are with Null Sector, we need to be better at anticipating their next moves. I don't want to put that pressure on you, but given everything you and Orisa have done for Numbani, your willingness to work with Lúcio before, and the position we're currently in, we would be honored if we could get your perspective on certain pieces of intel we have now.

Efi: ...

Sojourn: I get it, it's a very scary situation, and if you just want to stay with your parents and the rest of the civilians, we'll still do everything in our power to keep you safe. Orisa is proving to be an incredible asset on her own. Really, Lúcio just remarked that you seemed very passionate about protecting your home, so if you would be interested in the chance to do that on a larger scale--

Efi: Do I have access to the armory?

Sojourn: Eh--?

Efi: Oh it's not for me, it's for Orisa.

Sojourn: Uhm...

Efi: :)

Sojourn: *clicks tongue* Um--You know what? I'm going to call your parents because there are about 90 more parameters in this situation I need to figure out.

Efi: Oh! They're fine with me having access to the armory.

Sojourn: Yeeahhh I think i'm going to ask them myself.

[whumpsmith-participates]

AI-less Whumptober 2024

Day 7 - Field medicine / Running out of supplies

Tags/CW: uhhhhh language I guess?

Dr Douglas Slade was a 200 years old immortal man who made it his business to meddle in supernatural affairs. He had seen and done it all, and very rarely was he taken by surprise.

Not even when he found himself stalking through an abandoned factory of sorts with his nemesis Viktor Voss and his estranged goddaughter Nori Rider, trying to both escape and contain a notorious demon.

Things were going...as well as they could have gone. The demon didn't seem interested in escaping the facility and terrorising the city while the three of them were still trapped inside and alive. And though they didn't get along at all, Slade was hell-bent on getting them through this alive, even if it was to stall the demon indefinitely.

One minor setback, however, just a little bump in the road. They'd gotten into a shootout with the demon, and Voss had taken a bullet. He was groaning and bleeding and cursing under his breath in German as Slade and Nori dragged his sorry ass through a maze of corridors in the office wing of the factory.

"How come...hgnn...neither of you got hit?" Voss grumbled, while Nori located an office without windows and held the door open so Slade could drag Voss inside.

"I did get hit actually, but you know how fast I can heal," Slade said nonchalantly, sitting Voss down on the desk in the middle of the room, while Nori used a chair to barricade the door.

"I hid behind Slade," the girl tacked on with a shrug.

"You pulled me in the trajectory," Slade started, before waving his hand dismissively, "never you mind! Viktor, I need to treat you before you bleed out."

"Why would you even want to?" Voss asked through gritted teeth.

"Because I took an oath, I've had to remind you of it before," Slade chided, "now hold still. Try not to scream, or he'll know we're here."

"Easier said than done," Voss grumbled, to which Nori pulled the belt off of her jeans and tossed it at them.

"Bite on that."

"Scheisse..."

Voss reluctantly folded up the belt and put it between his teeth, just in time before Slade started poking around the bullet wound in his leg. He bit down into the leather, hard, trying his best not to scream, opting to groan and writhe instead.

"The good news is, that your artery is arite," Slade said, "the bad news is, you need sutures."

"Really?" Voss asked, taking the belt out just to deliver his best sarcasm, "How about we get out of here first?"

"It's the most effective way to stop the bleeding, and it won't take long," Slade said, pulling a small pouch out of his pockets and zipping it open, revealing a collection of small tools and even some rubber gloves crammed into a small plastic bag.

"You just carry suture needles around?" Voss asked.

"You don't?" Slade asked, unwrapping the gloves and snapping them on.

"It's weird, old man," Nori said.

"She gets it," Voss said.

"Perhaps you're too young to understand," Slade said, "but I've been in too many a situation where I wish I could quickly suture someone up whilst not having the supplies. So I made this handy little kit for exactly this kind of situation~"

He proudly showed it off, but Voss didn't seem impressed.

"It's just needles," he said, "how do you expect to suture without thread?"

"We have thread," Slade insisted, "Nori, come here."

"Why would I have thread on me?" Nori asked, "that's sexist."

"I know you don't have thread," Slade said, "but you have quite the long hair, so I'm going to need a couple."

"Was?!" Voss said, "That's so unsanitary!"

"It's actually quite clean," Slade said, "now give me a hair, Nori."

"No, gross!" Nori said.

Slade sighed exhasparated.

"Do you want him to die?" he asked.

Nori looked at Voss, looking him over and then she shrugged.

"I hardly know him."

"Nori Lilean Rider!"

"Just give him one hair, girl, you shed hundreds a day anyway," Voss said, not wanting to bleed out.

"Oh my god, fine!" Nori said, plucking a hair from her head and handing it to Slade.

"Thank you," Slade said pointedly.

Voss sighed in relieve...until Slade threaded the needle and held it up.

"Are you ready?"

"Nein..."

"That's too bad then," Slade said, before getting started.

Voss decided to bite back down on the belt. He could tell Slade was in a rush, sutures weren't supposed to hurt that much. Or perhaps he was doing a terrible job on purpose. Voss couldn't blame him for that. Considering the past they shared...

"Why didn't you just leave me behind?"

"What kind of a doctor— Nay...what kind of a man would I be if I did?"

Sade didn't look up from his work as he answered Voss, he was too busy to tie off another suture to look up.

"This may be hard for you to understand, Viktor, but just because you broke the law a multitude of times, doesn't mean you deserve to die," he said, "even if in breaking the law you've caused unimaginable grief on my family."

"...you don't think I should pay for that?" Voss asked.

"Why of course you ought to pay," Slade said, "just not with your life. The death sentence is purely based on the idea that people would receive their punishment in the afterlife, that they'd be sent to eternal damnation— Though I suppose they weren't entirely wrong about that premise... But! After punishment, there should be room for redemption."

"Ever the optimist, aren't you?" Voss said, "To think someone like me can redeem himself..."

"No one is beyond help," Slade said, "not even you, Viktor."

"Are you just gonna skip over the part where he confirmed eternal damnation?" Nori asked.

"We're having a moment, las," Slade said.

"The moment was ruined when you started using my hair to fix him up!" Nori said.

"Actually, can we circle back to eternal damnation?" Voss asked.

"Nay, I need another hair," Slade said.

"Are you sure we can't just leave him for the demon to find?" Nori grumbled, pulling another hair from her head and handing it to Slade.

"Do not leave me for that demon!" Voss hissed.

"Of course I shan't leave you, that would be a waste of all the work I just did," Slade said, "and I've done worse with better equipment if I do say so myself."

"You say I deserve redemption yet you treat me like this," Voss lamented.

"If you two keep complaining like that, he'll find us by the sound of it alone," Slade said.

"Good." Nori said, "He can put us out of our misery."

"...you're making it harder and harder to do the right thing," Slade said.

"Maybe stop distracting him so I can walk out of here too, girl," Voss said.

"Just keep watch, las. I'm almost finished," Slade added.

"At least the pain isn't so bad now," Voss said.

"That's because I'm working on the outer layer of the dermis now," Slade said, "...or you have nerve damage."

"I can live with that, just get me out of here alive," Voss said.

"If you're good to climb, we can try using the vents to go around," Nori suggested, pointing at the large grate in the ceiling.

"Absolutely not," Slade said, grimacing.

"Why not? I've seen you escape through a vent before," Voss said.

"Yes, and it was bloody awful!" Slade said, "disgusting and horrible a-and traumatising!"

"That part was traumatising?" Voss asked, raising a brow.

"Among others— That's not the point!" Slade said.

"No, survival is," Nori said, "you're getting exposure therapy, old man. We're going in the vents!"

"Bollocks," Slade grumbled, before tying off the last stitch.

@ailesswhumptober

Viktor Voss belongs to @dr-abitat-blog

Masterlist Main account

Admittedly not my best work, but I had fun writing the dialogue so that counts.

[carroattrezzitorino]

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[waywardwizzard]

The knife hovered dangerously close to his cartroid artery, the steel cold against his warm skin.

Simon swallowed and threw the captain a desperate look.

"Let him go, Lyle," Mal yelled, sweeping his browncoat aside. His gun glinted in the sunlight and he rested his hand on its handle.

"No way, no how, Reynolds!" Lyle pulled the doctor closer, nervously eyeing the valley around him. A thin trickle of blood ran down Simon's throat, staining his collar a dark red, "We both know how much the boy is worth."

"What if I told you we have the girl too?"

Mal ignored the betrayed look in the doctor's eyes, only concentrating on the bounty hunter.

"Ai ya, seriously?"

Lyle grinned and straightened up, his grip around the hilt of the knife slackening, "Well, I'll be damned-"

A shot rang out and Lyle fell to the ground, a bullet hole between his eyes.

Mal holstered his gun and strode forward, gently but firmly pulling a wavering Simon closer to him. They stumbled back to Serenity, the bounty hunter laying forgotten in the sand behind them.

○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○

Author's note-

So. Uhm. Yeah. I've got nothing to say tbh. This is what it is. Maybe I'll rewrite it one day.