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easily-infatuated23 · 4 years ago

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Undercover- Part Three (Healer!Draco Malfoy x Reader)

Prologue, Part One, Part Two , Part Three, Part Four, Part Five

a/n: ok i kinda love where this is going and i’ve decided that the Reader is a spy lol comment if you would like to be added on the tag list for this series! also sorry if this is a cliff hanger

pairing: Healer! Draco x Spy! (?) Reader

word count: 2.1k

warning: mentions of trauma and death

summary: During her stay at Malfoy Manor, Reader finds some evidence that will help figure out who had been ordering the killings of muggle-born witches and wizards but will Draco trust her?

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This assignment had really taken a strange turn. Not only had I been imbedded with Death Eaters, but I had been stabbed and was now hiding in Malfoy Manor. Draco was much kinder and happier than the last time I saw him. Of course, I had heard the stories of this newer and better Draco, but witnessing it first hand was something else. No matter how many times I told him I had to leave to keep him safe, he would just assure me that the protective charms he placed around the house would keep us safe. I remained on edge. After all, safety is a matter of perspective. I had a feeling part of the reason he was against me leaving was not just for my safety, but I suspected he was glad to have the company. It truly was a large house. A large and empty house for just one person. With his father in Azkaban and his mother taking a much needed vacation abroad, he was the most alone he had probably ever been…physically that is. After my slip up in revealing the name of the organization after me, I tried to speak about the subject as little as I could. All I wanted was to be relieved of the burden I was carrying but, I knew if I did, Draco Malfoy would surely be killed. So, I continued to bear the burden of knowledge as Draco began healing me again.

Draco had lead me to his kitchen and motioned for me to hop up on to the counter. He had attempted to assist me but I was stubborn and struggled through the process myself. He opened his medical bag and pulled out a needle and suture thread. He rolled up his sleeves as he went to wipe some disinfectant on my side before turning to thread the needle “How did you figure out who I was?” I asked my Healer on the second day of my stay. “Well, the appearance change was pretty hard to see through but once those Death Eaters said your name at St. Mungo’s I remembered you”. “Remembered me?” I questioned. “I don’t think we spoke once while at Hogwarts and I have been off the grid pretty much since I finished there. Ouch! That hurts.” I said, wincing as he tended to my side. “Stop fussing, it’s only a few stitches. And if you hadn’t apparated I wouldn’t have to give you stitches you know” he replied, slightly laughing at my inability to stand the pain, especially after I had refused to let him use a pain relieving potion on me. I was worried I’d say something I would regret later. Whether I was worried about spilling something about my assignment or something else was still up for debate.

“You are avoiding my question” I said matter-a-factly. He sighed. “You knew me back then, I always noticed the pretty girls” he said with a slight blush. “That’s just a cop out answer, I don’t believe you” I replied, not making eye contact so that he couldn’t see the slight smile on my face. He shrugged his shoulders and stood up. “Believe what you’d like”.

He walked over to the sink and washed his hands. I jumped off the counter. “Fucking hell” I muttered. He laughed again. “You should take it easy for at least two weeks” he said. I groaned but then, remembered something. My heart sank a little as I remembered where I was and the history of this house. “Hey look I am gonna ask you a question that’s gonna make you really uncomfortable so I apologize in advance. And, please know I am only asking because I feel like I have to.” He turned to face me, a worried look washed over his face. “Do you have a record of all You-Know-Who’s followers? There were rumors about a book. I know he used this place as a headquarters during the second war and I am desperate for any lead on…..well a lead” I said, holding in my reasons. He grimaced slightly. “Unfortunately for me, yes but I guess that’s fortunate for you” he replied harshly. I felt guilty for bringing up the awful things in his past like this but I truly felt I had no choice. And besides, if this caused him to feel some apprehension towards me that might be beneficial in stopping his relentless questions.

He walked past me and began down a long hallway. I followed close behind him. He took a sharp left turn and continued down a spiral staircase that seemed as if it went on for ages. As he lead me down, neither of us spoke a word. When we finally reached the bottom, it felt like an entirely different place. This couldn’t possibly be the basement of the surprisingly homey manor I had just been inside. Could it? As we exited the staircase, we stood facing a large green door. The green paint on the door was faded, as if the door was centuries old but there was a large golden key hole shining on the front, underneath an equally shining golden door knob. The two looked as if they’d been installed recently.

“Mother and I tried to destroy it but nothing we did worked. There is some serious dark magic in this book. We locked it down here to make sure it wouldn’t fall into the wrong hands.” He turned towards me, his face only inches from mine. If he hadn’t done this in such a menacing way, I might have swooned a little but now was not the right time for that. “I hope I am not putting it in the wrong hands now” he said. I shook my head. It had just occurred to me, there was a possibility that he didn’t believe my story. I knew it was true and the thugs after me were good evidence in my favor, but it all could have been a plant. Thats why he was asking so many questions. Maybe I would have to tell him after all. He turned back around to face the door. He reached into his shirt and pulled out a small golden key on a string. Had he been wearing the necklace the whole time? I wondered why I hadn’t noticed. He took off the necklace and put the key into the hole. He took a deep breath and unlocked the door.

Once the door opened he stepped aside, allowing me to look inside the small room that had been revealed. The inside was dark and gave off a feeling of uncertainty and slight panic. There were only two things residing in the small room; a podium and a large black leather bound book. I started to walk in when Draco put his arm across the entrance and stopped me. “Prepare yourself. Once you go in and open it, you will never feel the same again. The book can have an effect almost like a Dementor” he said. “What exactly is the book?” I asked. “The Binding of the Death Eaters” he said with a shiver. “Before someone could receive the Dark Mark and be fully inducted as a Death Eater, they would have to sign their name. It binds your fate to the Dark Lord” he said. The way he stared at the book could only be described as a raging and powerful fury. I knew that Draco Malfoy had been a Death Eater but I had no idea that even after the Dark Lord had been killed, he still had so much power of Draco’s life. “I am really sorry” I began. “I know that sorry means nothing especially since I have forced you to come down here but I truly am. I’m also sorry that you never got to chose not to sign.” He looked at me. The fury was still spinning in his eyes but with every moment it lessened. He said nothing but simply nodded. I entered the room and, with a deep breath, opened the book. I titled my head to one side and turned to Draco. “It’s blank” I said. He looked almost relieved. “The names are only revealed to someone who has the Dark Mark” he said. “So you were testing me and my story” I said. He nodded. He then turned side ways and gestured with his left arm for me to exit the room. “This might freak you out so you might want to leave now” I said, pulling my wand from my jacket pocket. “Obscure Appareat Vestigium” I whispered, pointing my wand at my left forearm. The black skull appeared on my arm and a snake slithered out of its mouth. Draco stepped back with a horrified expression on his face. “It’s not a real Dark Mark and it’s not permanent” I said quickly. “The task force I’m apart of developed this charm for undercover work”. Draco looked me in the eyes, turned, and hurried up the staircase.

Now I’d done it. Just as he was going to fully trust me, I broke his trust. The look he gave me made me feel sick. Just another horrified face to add to the growing list that haunted my nightmares. I sighed deeply then turned my attention back to the book. I flipped through the pages. I saw plenty of names I recognized, all ex-Death Eaters who had wound up in Azkaban or served lighter sentences and some were names of people who were killed in the Battle of Hogwarts. I even saw Draco’s name. His signature was much shakier than most of the other names. He had been so young. The more I looked I realized something was missing. I started to realize an option that I had never considered. It made the sick feeling in my stomach lurch again but before I could fully register the awful feeling, I saw a name I recognized. This was a name I had never seen associated in this way with the Dark Lord. Suddenly, things started to make more sense. My heart was practically beating out of my chest.

I jumped out of the room and shut the door. Draco had left the key hanging on the door knob which I grasped and used to lock the door. That book had just become very important evidence in a trial no one knew was beginning. I spoke the Dark Mark removing incantation and raced back up the spiral stair case. When I got to the top I was out of breath. I turned right and made my way back into the kitchen. Draco was sitting at the kitchen table. He looked dazed and upset. “I can give you an explanation now” I said breathlessly, tossing him the key. He looked up at me suddenly, just barely catching the key. I had clearly startled him. “I know who is behind the Dark Saints and right now you may be the only chance there is that this will all stop.” He stood up. “What are you talking about? Stop what? You being chased?” He was clearly frustrated. “You have every right to be frustrated with me and I promise I will explain everything but first I need to get one more piece of information.” I said. “And what’s that?” he retorted, crossing his arms. “Do you know where I can get the last…let’s say year of Daily Prophet obituary sections?” He looked at me, clearly feeling very puzzled. “I mean…” he started, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand. “I guess they did start offering a digital option two years ago-” “Perfect!” I said, cutting him off. I raced back up the stairs to his bedroom where I remembered seeing a computer. “Wait! What are you doing?” he called after me.

When I entered his room I grabbed a piece of paper and a pen. I sat down at the computer and began furiously scanning through the obituary pages. He entered the room moments after me and stood over my shoulder, curiously watching my frantic scribbles. Once I had finished I slumped back in the chair for a moment. I hadn’t noticed when I started crying but once I did, the tears flowed at a hotter temperature and more quickly down my cheeks than they ever had before. I finally turned to face him. “There’s at least twenty of them” I said, trying to hold my voice steady. “What does that mean?” Draco asked. He understood that I meant twenty people had died but he wanted to know how that was important in my explanation. I slowly stood only to suddenly become so dizzy my balance faltered. “Y/N? Are you ok you’ve gone very pale”. I started to nod but then shook my head then everything went black.

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taglist!:

@pointlesscoconut @bi-andready-tocry

#healer!draco #draco malfoy x reader #slytherin #draco malfoy fic #harry potter #harry potter au #ravenclaw #gryffindor #hufflepuff #malfoy manor #spy!reader #hogwarts #draco x y/n #draco malfoy x y/n #draco malfoy fanfiction #draco malfoy series

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jellisdraws · 4 years ago

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WIP Whenever

I was tagged by @pigeontheoneandonly , thanks so much! I’ll tag you back ;D as well as @thedarksideofseokanori @eldritchblaast @alexandrintea and anyone who wants to share!

Ive shared pieces of this on here before, but this is a bit updated. From my CyberFantasy WIP

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Chapter 1: Jack rips a hole in the Universe. ( part 1)

Date:561 Post Unification.

Location: Raxxis Hyperlane Gate.

While the prospect of using arcano-tech to warp a starcruiser halfway across known space might be exciting to some, Jack found her attention far more consumed with the Corpro-bots trying to kill her.

The starcruiser was slowly jockeying it's position up in the traffic heading towards the Hypergate, and Jack could see ships of all different sizes out the long thin windows, idling in empty vacuum as they waited for their turn to warp to their intended destinations. Raxxis station itself spun endlessly around the superstructure of the Gate - this was somehow vital to the operation of portal technology, beyond just providing artificial gravity- but Jack couldn't remember why; it wasn't important at the moment anyway. She hustled down the aisle past the innumerable sleep pods, rubbing blood away from her stinging neck. The bots had ambushed her and had tried to inject a virus into her implant, fortunately her firewalls were up to date and after a few seconds of flickering vision full of alert messages, she had shut down the invasive program, cut her way free of the black bag they had been stuffing her in and had slipped her captors.

As she ran she cycled programs in the background of her implant, searching the files for anything that might help her fend off her attackers. Corpro-bot’s might be slow, but they were relentless and built out of the most durable stuff fabricated in the combined universe. She had no illusions who would win in a straight up fight; she was going to have to be clever about this. A glance out the window showed the Gate and the station growing ever closer, The purple glow of the swirling Aether tinting the steel and chrome hallway she found herself in. She jogged lightly down the aisle, feet making an uneven sound as they impacted the floor. Even years after her reconstruction and physical therapy, she didn't enjoy the vibration and feeling of her prosthetic pressing up into her hip with every other step. She arrived at the end of the aisle, sidled up to the airlock and slammed the open button. The door opened with a hiss to reveal a Corpro-bot, looming over her small frame. ‘Well fuck.’ Looking like a seven foot tall living suit of armor, it’s ceramic plates slid noiselessly over it's inner mechanisms as it turned to face her. As it faced her she could see the small purple flare of light beneath the round solitary lens that dominated most of where the things ‘face’ would be. She could hear the slight whirring and watched as the lens focused on her. The bot’s arms cradled a compact submachine gun.

Jack’s momentary shock turned to indignation as she spotted the gun.

“Well thats fucking bullshit!” Jack said pointing angrily at the weapon, “The Starline made me stow mine!”

“You are being detained for 251 counts of corporate espionage against the Harmonic’s Agricorp, comply or this unit will be forced to terminate,” came a tinny voice from the bot’s chest.

“No!”Jack argued, still mentally cycling her program chips, “I’m pissed! What provision did you invoke to get that piece of hardware on here? That’s some underhanded shit!”

“Your location has been logged with the other units, they are converging now. Will you comply?”

“Will I-? Have you been listening to me at all? I know my rights under the espionage regulations act of P.U. 545, and I’m invoking my right to a level playing field!”

“You- what?” the voice emanating from the Corpro-bots chest seemed to lose a veneer of it's robotic professionalism, “Ma’am, I assure you, Harmonic’s Agricorp is fully within it's right to use deadly force to detain you, even if that involves bringing class D weapons onto a privately held starship.”

Jack scowled, eyebrows drawing together over inky black eyes and she advanced angrily on the robot, the very picture of righteous indignation, “I’ve committed no violent crime! Chemical injections causing unconsciousness or jamming needles i’ll happily contend with, but this? This is beyond the pale! Your brandishing of a firearm is an egregious-”

“Stop!” The gun was leveled towards her chest. At this range the chance of a miss would be nonexistent, “Ma’am your protection against deadly force was nullified when you snuck a class C hidden weapon aboard this vessel. Now will you comply?”

Jack stared at the bot for a long moment, mouth open, “Oh.” “ You all did your research didnt you?” A shit-eating grin split her lips as the mask of surprise slid from her face, “Well that makes this part a bit more awkward.”

Hand to hand fighting programs spun up in her cyberbrain as she launched herself towards the corpro-bots left side, spinning and slamming her flat palm against the gun, the alloy of her prosthetic right arm clacking heavily against the plastics of the weapon with superhuman force. The weapon jerked as the bots heavy arm was shifted by the blow and it's finger tightened releasing a loud burp and a short spray of bullets harmlessly into the corridor and one of the sleeping pods. Releasing the gun with one arm the bot swung at her, the mechanical arm denting the bulkhead with an ominous creak as Jack ducked the wild attack. With a swift flip of her mechanical wrist her hand folded back into the confines of her arm and the eight inch Aether-Infused titanium blade sprung forth which she used to carve through the arm holding the gun. A swift slash cut deep into the ceramic armor and severed runic connections inside causing the weapon to fall, clattering to the ground. A tinny curse exploded from the bot’s chest as it attempted to grab her; she spun away, blade sweeping up to carve a sparking trail through the lens of the Corpro-bot’s face.

“Better luck next time chrome do-ohshit”Her gloating was cut short as the bot’s long arm lashed out and caught her in the chest, slamming her down the hallway to impact a sleeping pod and careen to the floor. ‘So they armored up the faceplate since last time… ow.’

Heavy footsteps made their faltering way toward her as she groaned on her back, feeling pretty sure she had just broken something expensive. ‘Though to be fair,’ she mused,‘most parts of me are, anymore.’ She rolled to her feet and barely got her arms up to block another heavy swing, her arm-blade slicing into the assaulting limb, wrenching free as the bot pulled back. In that split second Jack used her mechanical leg to leap, far more quickly than any organic limb could achieve, and punched the blade deep into the armor of the Corpro-bot’s chest.

It crashed back onto the floor, pulling her with it and nearly knocking her breath from her. Sparks flew as the tinny voice began to speak and arcano-tech began to whir to a halt, indicating she had severed something vital. ‘That was close.’

“Destruction of property has been added to your docket, and use of deadly force will be employed by all uni-” the voice cut to static before the whole machine whirred to stop, the violet aetheric glow fading to blackness.

Jack stood and made her way over to the sleeper pod, which was riddled with bullet holes. Silence from within. She opened the hatch, expecting the gore-splashed worst, but to her welcome surprise found the pod empty. A sigh of relief. That was not something she needed on her conscience.

As she closed the pod the light swoosh of a door opening down the aisle caused her head to jerk that way, inky eyes scanning frantically. Two, three, four more corprobots filing down towards her, heavy feet clanking on the hard floor. The lead bot raised it's weapon. ‘Time to go!’

Tinny voices called out after her but Jack wasn't listening. She began to backpedal towards the door, casting a sending spell from her neural communicator. A ringing began in her ear as her call connected. “Cmon, Cmon!” She urged, rushing through the portal and into the next cabin of the starliner. A burst of gunfire behind her, bullets whistling by, the sharp crack of a ricochet. Someone screamed to her left but she was too busy sprinting for her life. The ringing persisted. “C’mon! Pick up! Pick up!” the old fashioned ringtone continued to mercilessly mock her. She risked a look over her shoulder. The corpro-bots were running after her, a phalanx of arcano-tech out for her blood. And they were gaining.

“Oh, not good.” She said, picking a corner at random and bolting down the hallway there.

“What's not good?” came a sleepy voice in her ear, “Do you know what time it is?”

“OCK! Oh thank fuck. I need an exit route, now.”

“Are you sure it can't wait? It's like 4th cycle before sun up.” Oculus said around a yawn.

“I'm being shot at!”

“I’ll take that as a no.”

“OCK!”

Another yawn, “Ok I'm pulling it up now. Which Starliner did you take?”

Jack ducked down another corridor, “The Solar-Phantom cruiser Dauntless. Booked under the name Maribel Park.”

“Pulling you up. Wait, I’m seeing you stowed a side-arm? You had a gun, and you gave it up? The most accomplished agent of corporate espionage in the Unified systems, knowingly being chased by a crazed farming cult, and you stowed your firearm? For this I lose sleep?”

“I - actually that's fair,” She edged down to the corner and peeked around. Nothing. She slipped across as the tapping of runic keys came through the spell-link.

“Wait really?”Surprise tinged the rough voice in her ear, the clicking of keys paused.

“No. Fuck off Ock. I didn't have the cash to pay for a fake license on the fly and the guards wouldn't take bribes. The new security bots in star ports have integrity programs installed, what an annoying world we live in. Just find me an exit, please. If I live, I’ll buy you those noodles you like.”

“That sounds more like the girl I know! Ah- ok, so blueprints. Looking though now, It seems you have two real options. Go find your gun-”

“Really Ock?”

“Let me finish sheesh. Or get to the bridge and get through the Gate before they can black bag you. The warp should play enough havoc with their power sources to give you a shot of getting off that tub. Bots need to shield their arcane cores to remain functional during Gate travel, which means-

“If I can get the ship into warp before they expect it, I can fry them and dust out before they know what hit them! You’re a genius Ock!”

“That's why they pay me the big bucks, little miss. Just remember that you need to-”

But Jack wasn't listening. She had already hung up and shifted direction, running down the hall full tilt as mechanical feet pounded onto the steel floor after her.

‘Now it gets fun.’

#wip whenever #awhellstothejoe #my writing #wip #writeblr #sci-fi #science fiction #cyberpunk #cyberfantasy #space #fantasy writing #oc #original character #original story #cyberfantasy wip #fantasy worldbuilding #scifi fantasy #fun

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lumosinlove · 6 years ago

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Solntse

part ii

Remus sits in Lily and James’ tiny living room and tries to ignore the subtly laid out pillow and blankets set on the corner of the couch. Lily doesn’t let him.

“Your apartment has flees.”

Remus sets his glass down, “That was one bug and it was a beetle.”

Lily twists her hair over one shoulder, unrelenting, “Remus. Please.” She nods towards the pillow, “Just—I’m worried. We’re worried.”

Remus looks away so he doesn’t have to see the way James nods, they way they’re both looking at him like he’s already a lost cause. He wishes for a moment he’d never told them what he does other than serve pizza and take the early shifts at the gas station around the block, but then he’d be all alone in it. And they were his best friends, that was why he had told them. Just in case one day all of James’ fears came true and some guy murdered Remus in a hotel room. Or something.

James sighs, “Mate, we’re not ganging up on you.”

“No, I know.” Remus nods down at his mug of tea, “I know. I just…I don’t want to be that friend you can’t get rid of. Like. That would be awful.”

“Re, you’re never going to become that.” Lily puts a warm hand on his shoulder, squeezing, “That’s not how we think about it at all. We just want to know your safe.”

James raises his mug to his mouth, “As safe as you can be…”

“James.” Lily snips, then her face turns soft again for Remus, “Will you stay here?”

“Lils, really, my apartment is fine.” He curls his feet further beneath him, “I’ll finish my tea and go. Don’t worry.”

He thinks back to his two night hotel escapade and shakes his head more firmly at Lily. He already feels enough like a charity case as it is. Even if he did get good money for it. Sirius had pushed an extra eighty dollars into his hand at the door and closed it before Remus could protest. He had pressed a chapped kiss to his cheek too. Remus was still mulling that over.

When he finally does make it out of the apartment he pulls his ratty coat tightly over his shoulders and ducks his head against the wind. He could probably buy a new one if Sirius called again. He did ask for two nights in a row, and it went great so, maybe. But he didn’t want to be flashy about any new money. His landlord had already raised his eyebrows when Remus had handed over two months rent in advanced.

His apartment wasn’t flea infested although it did give off that sort of look. He had a cheep futon bed frame, just to keep his mattress off the floor so it didn’t mold, and a dresser from IKEA. His kitchen consisted of a stove and a sink. The gas was usually pretty iffy and his sink ran mostly cold, like his shower, but…he had a roof and food. It’s fine. He has James and Lily if he was really, really in trouble but he doesn’t want it to come to that. He’ll never want it to come to that.

He throws his keys down on the dresser and goes to check the leak under the sink. It hasn’t gotten worse but he empties out what water is in the bucket just while he’s there. He re-tapes the crack in the window and makes a note to ask his landlord about that. Again. He’s just sitting down on his bed when his phone rings. He groans and closes his eyes when he pulls it out, hoping it isn’t one of his less polite customers. He sighs in relief when he sees the name.

“Frank, hi.” Frank almost never wants sex. He likes to talk. He’s lonely. Remus can relate. He’s the son of two wealth-soaked parents who don’t pay him a lick of attention. Remus can half relate. “How are you, mate?”

“Oh. Hi, Remus. Wasn’t sure I’d get you, um. I’m fine. I—um. Was wondering…” He trails off.

“Sure, when were you thinking? I’ve got something Tuesday and Sunday and you know when I work, so…”

“Actually, I was thinking now?” His voice is up an entire octave with nerves, “I just…Family problems right now. Was hoping to just talk a bit.”

Remus runs a hand over his face but tries not to pause too long. He doesn’t want Frank to think he doesn’t want to, “Sounds great! Should I meet you at the—“

“I couldn’t get the usual room. It’s 207 tonight. Same hotel though, the Pierre.”

Remus nods, tries to keep a smile in his voice, “Great. See you soon.”

He’s barely hung up when another name flashes up at him. He’s almost embarrassed by how fast he answers, “Sirius. Hi.” That didn’t come out anywhere close to how he wanted it to.

“Remus! Life is good?”

Remus laughs lightly, still caught off guard but warmed by Sirius’ simple honesty, “Uh, yeah, life is good. How are you?”

“Good. Busy. Always busy, you know? I’m at airport now, going to be in town on Wednesday. You want see together? Or, ah, not together.”

“Each other.” Remus supplies.

“Yes, perfect. You always know. What you think, Remus?”

Remus half wishes Sirius would stop saying his name like that and half wishes he’ll never stop saying his name like that, “Yeah, that works for me. What time were you thinking?”

“Seven? I get us dinner in room, so don’t eat. I’m, ah…” Sirius lets out a soft laugh and Remus presses the speaker closer to his ear, “I’m think about you a lot.”

Remus swallows over a suddenly dry throat, “Yeah?”

“Hm.” There’s a loud speaker in the background and Sirius says something low in Russian, “Flight calling me. Wednesday okay, yes?”

“Yes. Have a good flight.”

“You too. Or—“ They both laugh, “Okay, I’m go now. Bye, Remus.”

The line goes dead and Remus lets the phone fall to the bed. He breathes in deeply and looks down. He’s half hard in his pants now and he really doesn’t know why. He’s suppose to be on his way to Frank’s, he tips well, he honestly needs Remus a little bit and…fuck. He splashes some freezing water on his face from the sink and yanks his door shut as he leaves.

Frank’s is fine. The hotel room is nice and Remus ends up sucking him off—twice. He doesn’t get hard either time but Frank seems either completely fine with that or he doesn’t notice. What does get him going is the ping he gets on his phone while he’s walking home from the tube. It’s a picture. Of Sirius. A selfie. He’s grinning in front of a beautiful sunset outside a plane window. There’s no message except a few sideways parentheses that Remus takes as smiles. Looking at the grin triggers thinking about Sirius’ large, warm hands on his hips and back. That leads to thinking about the way Sirius had carefully pushed his fingers inside of Remus, then the hot slide of his cock to replace them, his weight covering Remus’ back—

By the time Remus is walking up the stairs to his apartment again he’s more or less waddling around his tented trousers. By the time he’s throwing his keys on his dresser all he can do is lean back against his door and shove his hand into his boxers. They’re already damp with pre-come so what’s the point anyway? He smears his thumb over his head and squeezes the base, letting out a breath. It’s not as good as Sirius and his fucking huge palms. Now that he’s got a hand wrapped around himself he can really feel the difference. He pushes his pants down around his knees so he can get two hands around himself instead, twisting around the head and keeping a tight grip around the shaft. It barely takes a dozen pulls before he’s shooting into his fist with a harsh sound, Sirius’ name almost on his lips. Almost. He makes the mistake of thinking about the way Sirius had trailed his fingertips over his sensitive cock after he’d made Remus come in his mouth, keeping the pleasurable nerves alight, and takes a cold shower so he doesn’t have to go again. The shower only makes him think about how, next time, maybe Sirius won’t come untouched. Maybe Remus will get to return the favor. He doesn’t even know how much of Sirius he could fit in his mouth but fuck if he doesn’t want to try. He groans and wraps a hand around himself again. He’s too sensitive but he doesn’t care. He works himself fast and hard until his cock is a flushed red and he comes weakly against the shower wall, panting into the cool spray.

He looks at his phone as he towels off his hair. It’s Saturday, and it’s going to be a long couple days.

There’s a different woman at the front desk this time and Remus is glad. Not that he thinks the other one would remember him but, still. He stares at the twelve on the door for a moment, trying to calm his heart rate, before he knocks.

The door doesn’t open immediately so he knocks again, feeling more awkward by the second.

This time there’s a muffled shout and a few seconds later the door is yanked open by Sirius—dripping wet and a towel hastily wrapped around his waist.

“Sorry!” He gasps, “Sorry, flight late, felt kind of like plane—plane all over me? Thought I be fast, sorry.”

“Okay.” Remus meant to say it’s okay but, well, Sirius’ towel is slipping sort of low.

“Come in, come in, I’m be ready in minute.”

Ready for what? Remus wants to ask.

He goes to sit on one of the couches and strokes his hands over a soft pillows while Sirius pads back to the shower, dropping his towel without closing the door. For a second, Remus debates on whether he can consider that as an invitation or not. He stands up twice and sits back down before the water shuts off and he sits again. Sirius emerges a second later, grabbing the towel from the floor to wrap around his waist and another for his hair. He rubs at his hair until the waves fluff around his ears and into his eyes. He smiles over at Remus somewhat guiltily.

“Sorry again. You want look at menu?” Sirius flips open a sleek looking suitcase and starts rifling through it, “Starving. Airplane food most bad, you know?”

Remus doesn’t but he’s not about to start that conversation. Instead he reaches for the leather-bound hotel book, “Where did you come from?”

��Sydney, ah…Hard for me to say.”

“Australia.”

Sirius laughs and pulls a loose fitting pair of sweatpants on—bare, “Yes, right.” A white long sleeve shirt follows and—to Remus’ surprised delight—a black snapback. It sits snugly on his damp hair, pushing the front part back out of his eyes while the rest wings out above his ears. Remus can see the shape of his ring necklace through his shirt. He swallows. Sirius looks good.

He pulls some warm looking socks on and Remus glances briefly at the hole in the heel on his own left foot. The couch bounces a little as Sirius settles next to him, leaning in close to look at the menu, “Good food? What you like?”

Remus tries to read the menu, he really does, but Sirius’ arm is thrown over the back of the couch and his fingertips are brushing over where he sweater gives way to skin. He holds the menu out to Sirius, “You decide. I’ll eat anything.”

Sirius gives him a teasingly disapproving look but takes the menu and reaches towards the side table for the phone. He orders too much. A steak, fries, a plate of brisket ravioli, a cheese board, a salad, calamari, and two slices of chocolate cake. Remus doesn’t know where they’re going to put it all, but he hopes maybe he can take some of it home.

“We do tea later,” Sirius reaches out and fans one of Remus’ curls between his fingers. “After.” He amends, “They say thirty minutes.” Then his fingers are lightly brushing Remus’ hip, just beneath his sweater, “We stay busy while wait. Is okay?”

“Yeah.” Remus breathes, because what Sirius doesn’t know is that he got off to the mere memories of what they did last time every night leading up to now. Sometimes twice. Of course it’s okay. He’s never had a job this fucking okay, and he’ll damn sure make the most of it until Sirius moves on. They always do. Remus usually feels more grateful when they do, but he has a feeling Sirius will be different.

Sirius flashes him a grin and tugs him right into his lap. His lips are warm and chapped against Remus’, but the rough texture is nice. Remus feels like it keeps him there, in Sirius’ arms. He runs his tongue across Sirius’ bottom lip just to feel it and is rewarded with a soft sound and a palm to the small of his back. Sirius, who seems to be able to take Remus aback in almost everything he does, is holding Remus close, chest to chest. Not by the hips, not by the shoulders. Remus has never had any problems with abuse and he’s lucky in that way but Sirius, Sirius isn’t holding him like he’s there for sex at all. He’s cradling Remus in his lap, hands running lazily up and down his back. He’s licking into his mouth like they have all the time in the world, like they’ve been kissing forever and they’ll do it tomorrow, and tomorrow.

Remus’ palms cup his jaw and he runs his fingers along the edge of the snapback.

“You want off?” Sirius’ voice sounds like he’s just woken up.

Remus shakes his head and his eyes slip closed as Sirius’ mouth moves to his jaw, “No.”

Sirius’ warm breath against his neck as he laughs softly almost feels better than the wet kisses he’s leaving there. Almost.

They stay like that until the knock on the door makes Remus blink his eyes open blearily, suddenly aware of how warm he is.

Sirius shifts him to the side gently, kneeling on the couch for one last peck, “I’m get food, relax here.”

Remus blinks at him, licks his kiss-swollen lips, and honestly just wants to ask Sirius why he is like this. He rests his head back on the couch and listens to Sirius’ bright voice chatting away to the bell boy who brought their food. He’s thanking him, telling him how good it all looks, and Remus thinks maybe he’s just this nice to everyone he meets. He isn’t sure what to do with that.

“Hey,” Sirius head pokes back through the door, cart trailing him, “Food.”

Remus isn’t going to say no to that.

The spread of food looks even bigger when laid out and Remus can’t help but laugh as Sirus sits down next to him again, “Sirius, this is…a lot.”

Sirius shrugs one shoulder, “We don’t finish, you take home.”

Remus isn’t going to say no to that, either. He has a brief moment of wondering whether ordering this much was purposeful on Sirius’ part, but pushes it aside. That’s ridiculous. Sirius doesn’t even know him, much less anything about his financial situation. Well. He might know a little given who they are to each other.

Remus spends most of the meal listening to Sirius try to explain some funny story that happened on his trip, and anticipating the occasional moments of being fed bits of steak and such by Sirius, who barely breaks in talking despite how it takes Remus’ breath for a moment.

“I spend lot of time in hotel, you know?” Sirius’ voice breaks into Remus’ thoughts, mid story. He wished he’d been listening fully to know how to respond.

“I, ah, lonely?”

Sirius shrugs, but shoves a large scoop of pasta in his mouth. Remus takes that as a yes.

“How did you…” Remus searches for the right word before trying, “find me?”

Sirius actually pinks a little at that, “Ah. Friend. You know him. Recommend. Say you very sweet.”

Remus nods and respects the anonymity even if he’s dying to know who, “Sweet, huh?”

Sirius smiles a little, “I’m think so, too.”

They move onto the cake and the hotel had sent up an two extra desserts, seemingly just because Sirius is Sirius.

“I’m stay here lot, they know me.”

“Probably because you order the entire menu anyway.” Remus jokes.

It makes Sirius’ entire face light up, spreading his hands, “Hey, why not? Hungry after long day of flying.” He knocks his ankle against Remus’, “Good food, best company.”

Remus rolls his eyes a little and Sirius snorts. That shouldn’t be attractive, but it is.

“You live here always?” Sirius asks through a bite of cheesecake, “London?”

“Yeah, always.”

“Born here?”

Remus nods, “Yeah. I live a few streets over from my parent’s flat.”

“Must be so nice.” Sirius is smiling, but his eyes are down at his plate and he looks a little mournful. His fingertips not holding his fork are twisting the ring around his neck, “Be near family always.”

Remus takes a bite instead of answering. It had been nice. For a while.

“Not…Not nice?” Sirius says softly, “Sorry, not want to bring up bad things, Remus—“

“No. No, it’s okay. It’s fine, I just…yeah, I don’t really talk to my parents much these days.”

Sirius places a warm hand on his thigh, thumb rubbing on the inside slowly. But it isn’t sexual. It isn’t even verging on sexual. It’s soothing and warm, and it makes Remus want to keep talking.

“Not since I came out.” He finally manages, “To them. They weren’t…” But it turns out that’s all he can say on the matter.

“Make you feel better…” Sirius wets his lips, “Parents not know. Mine, I’m saying. Scared to tell, not good thing in Russia.” He gives Remus’ thigh a little squeeze, “I understand. Remus, it’s—it’s most brave.”

Remus blinks hard, “Yeah.” He doesn’t know why he’s sitting here having this semi-melt down with Sirius. Sirius definitely isn’t paying for this. He’s probably annoyed with him under all his kind words and so Remus snuffles and digs his palms into his eyes, trying to wipe the tears away and the redness that’s probably there both. There’s nothing really to do to make this not an awkward transition. How do you go from tears to sex? And with a stranger? “I’m sorry.” He begins, “Fuck, this—was not what I had planned.”

“Remus, it’s not apology—no, okay?” He’s suddenly pushing the food table away and tucking his legs beneath himself, sitting on his socked-heels and taking both of Remus’ hands, thumbs rubbing gently against the vulnerable insides of Remus’ wrists, “I’m not mind, really. Really.”

“I’ll take this out of your pay. Honestly, Sirius, this isn’t what you brought me here for, I just want you to know that I know that.” Remus can’t help it though, and despite his words curls his fingers around Sirius’, “Sorry."

“Please stop saying, Remus.” Sirius tone is firm, “Please, you—not an apology.” Even the word ‘apology’ sounds nice in Sirius’ mouth.

“I…make okay? A bit?” Sirius tugs very lightly on Remus’ hands but when Remus shakes his head he—he lets go. Which Remus can’t decide how he feels about that.

“Sorry.” He says again, then at Sirius’ face, he pushes a hand through his hair, “Fuck, sorry—Sor—“

And then Sirius is kissing him. His thumbs are stroking slowly along his cheeks and he’s sucking Remus’ bottom lip slowly into his mouth, brushing his tongue along it with the same amount of leisure. Remus sighs into it, fingers digging into his own thighs for a moment before he’s leaning forward and pressing his palms flat on Sirius’.

“Only if want.” Sirius says against his mouth, “Remus.” He pulls away just enough to look at Remus’ glassy eyes, “You not want a second ago, I’m just want no more sorry. No, ah, not need to do anything, okay?” He curls his fingers back around Remus’ ears, around the curls there, “карамель, can just put movie on. Have more cake.”

Remus sniffles a little, blinking hard at Sirius, “Did—Did you just call me caramel?” He remembers the soft word from last time.

Sirius smiles, a bit, and lifts one shoulder, “It’s good, no? It’s…not sure how to say…small names important in Russia. Mean two people are close.”

Is that really what we are? Remus wants to ask. He sort of wants to yell it because, as great as this is, he sees nothing but a darker end. For himself, anyway.

“Oh.” Is all he says out loud and falls sideways a little on the couch into the cushions. He’s suddenly so tired. Sirius doesn’t seem to mind, though, and mirrors his position, their knees knocking together. His soft smile is still aimed right at Remus. “What’s yours then?”

Sirius’ smile grows, “Mama give to me when little.” He raises his eyebrows, “Little bit funny, not laugh.”

Remus feels a smile of his own start up and he uses his sleeve to wipe his nose, sitting up a little more, “I won’t laugh.”

“Sivushka.” It rolls nicely off of Sirius’ tongue, and his cheeks pink a little but he looks pleased, “Sort of…for family? Friends. Not so much lover, too…small?”

“Casual?” Remus offers, “Like, it means a different feeling.”

Sirius’ smile is soft, “So good with english. So helpful.”

“Sivushka.” Remus tries it out, but it doesn’t sound half as good. Then, he can’t help it, heart in his throat when he asks, “What’s…what’s more than friends? Like, not—just, I’m curious what that would be.”

“Lover? Sirusya, maybe.” Then he smiles, eyes crinkling warmly, “You like? You call me?”

“Surely someone already calls you that.” Remus tries to keep his voice light. I mean, look at you. He wants to add.

Sirius sits up at that a little, eyes going hard, hand—that had been rubbing idly against Remus’ knee—going still, “No. No one call me.”

Remus swallows, “I—I didn’t mean—“

“I’m not—изменя́ть.” He huffs in frustration, “изменя́ть—I’m not know, not know, okay?”

Remus’s chest goes cold, “Okay. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to imply anything.”

“Not be here if with—someone else.” Sirius shakes his head, “Not like that, Remus. I’m not.” The phrase is followed by a disgruntled spell of Russian that Remus does his best to follow through tone alone.

“I know.” Remus finally says, “I know you aren’t.” Because he’s only met Sirius twice but he can honestly say he does know this about him, “I’m sorry.”

“Not apology, карамель.” Sirius rubs his hands over his face, “Too much action, sorry.”

Remus looks on in confusion, “What?”

“Me, me,” Sirius gestures aggressively towards himself, “Me. Too much action. Not right.”

Overreaction, Remus thinks and nods, “No, I understand.”

“I’m know…what guys you probably see doing…this.” Sirius doesn’t look at him as he acknowledges exactly why Remus is there for what feels like the first time other than money exchanges, “Not wrong for you to think. But no.”

“Sirius, it’s okay.” But that feels wrong somehow and so he says instead, “I mean, we’ve done this three times.”

Sirius is quiet for a long moment this time. “It’s true.” Then, after running his fingers over his necklace a few times, “You have other small name?”

The topic change pings a little, “Um. Not anything big. Re, mostly, if anything.”

“Re.” It sounds like a lovely mess of vowel in Sirius’ mouth, “That’s all?”

Remus nods, “Nothing like Russia, huh?”

Sirius runs a hand over his face one more time but when he moves it there’s a trace of his usual smile, “I’m find you one, not worry.” Then, eyes down and voice quiet but questioning, “You have…small name…for lover?”

Remus swallows. His throat is so dry all of a sudden so he just shakes his head, then realizes Sirius isn’t looking at him so he croaks out, “No.”

Sirius nods back, “Oh.” Then he grabs the remote and pushes it into Remus’ hand, “Find something. I’m call for tea and get money before forget. Be back.”

It seems like the end of the conversation, but the conversation doesn’t feel over. Remus choses a movie, but he couldn’t say what it was about. When its over Sirius has to tuck the money into Remus’ back pocket himself. He presses another kiss to Remus’ cheek. Then Remus doesn’t hear from him for two weeks.

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thebibliomancer · 3 years ago

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25 Additional Days of Comics! 5/25: SOLAR Man of the Atom #20 (1993)

Hey, another Valiant comic!

One day I want to try to read some of the olde Valiant catalogue, if I can find a cheap slash economical way to do that.

Here’s some unimportant backstory context. Valiant was initially built on licensing old Gold Key comic characters and Solar was one of them! This guy goes back to the 60s but never made it out of them.

And the Valiant take on the concept is meta in that golden age Flash to silver age Flash way. Valiant Solar was aware of the Gold Key Solar and also became him? A bit confusing.

When a science accident happened Phil Seleski got split into Doctor Solar based on Gold Key Solar and Phil Seleski. Then Earth fell into a black hole. The two personas fused into one being and prevented it from happening again after recreating the universe, except with superpowers. As ya do.

Solar won the superpower jackpot with the ability to manipulate all forms of matter and energy.

Anyway, this issue picks up after Solar and love interest Gayle try to have a fun virtual reality experience which instead goes horribly wrong as Solar’s powers make the simulation go rogue. As ya do.

Gayle saves the day but in the process she gained some memories that Solar had been keeping from her: not that whole thing about accidentally destroying the world. She knew that. But that he knew and loved her back on the previous Earth. And that previous-Gayle died in his arms.

So they have a big argument about trust and sharing and replacement goldfish and Solar decides to take off to let her cool off.

He flies out to the desert to look melancholy at the night sky but notices one that seems too big and not any of the planets. So he decides to fly out into space and finds its a mysterious spaceship.

Its not a spider alien ship but Solar is a big believer in the Fermi paradox so two whole ass alien races that both are highly advanced and mosey towards Earth strikes him as unlikely so he investigates.

Solar goes through the strange alloy of the hull and pokes around finding more enigmas and mysteries. The ship is entirely devoid of life, filled with odd energy containers, and with no consistent design philosophy.

And then he discovers that getting into the ship was easy but it repels him when he tries to get out. And that its draining his energy like the whole ship is a huge capacitor.

Solar unconsciously recreates the VR creature from that earlier thing and takes a chance on imbuing it with most of his remaining energy. The ship switches focus to draining the VR creature recreation and Solar slips out of the ship while its distracted.

Out of the ship, he gets his power back and launches the ship halfway across the galaxy because he’s semi-convinced that he sensed a malevolent intelligence with a greater agenda from the ship.

Also, the ship crashes into a planet after Solar launches it. And I don’t know if thats what the ship was planning or a consequence of Solar just throwing it at space aimlessly.

Anyway! Kinda liked this story. Felt like it intersected with some Rendezvous with Rama energy. Solar is the biggest gun in the setting and he has no idea what all just happened and the best he can manage is to just get the mystery ship away from Earth. He says it felt malevolent but he also admits that he was pretty out of it as he was leaving the ship through the hull.

Good times.

#25 Additional Days of Comics!#liveblog #Solar Man of the Atom #Valiant comics

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nikki-reuclife · 6 years ago

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harmonicatabs · 6 years ago

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Why 3rd and 4th Positions Are Minor

New Post has been published on https://harmonicatabs.net/why-3rd-and-4th-positions-are-minor/

Why 3rd and 4th Positions Are Minor

Close encounters of the third kind

This question was asked by a student in our Harpin’ By The Sea beginners’ workshop; we had touched on positional playing as a way to extend the scope of the diatonic harmonica. And to be honest, it’s a fair question. Perhaps we accept the fact too easily, without asking or fully understanding the reason why. But we were a group of beginners. So we decided to explain the finer details after the workshop for those who were interested, rather than risk putting the majority off music for life. Here’s the result.

If you are unfamiliar with the concept of modes and positions, then I recommend you first check out the post entitled Modes (or visit Modes via the Theory menu at the top of the screen) and come back when you’re comfortable with everything. It’s quick and it won’t hurt!

Ground control to Major Tom

So what are positions all about? In the simplest terms, we can take a C major harmonica and use it to play in different keys just by using a different hole as our root note, or starting point, each time. Some keys will be more useful than others, but in theory we could start from any natural, sharp or flat note (black or white key on the piano) and find some fun phrases. In doing so we are inadvertently working in different musical positions. By way of example, When The Saints works well from 4B, Juke works well from 2D, Summertime works well from 4D and Au Claire De La Lune is best played from 5D. To forge an answer to our original question however, we need to apply some logic and find a workable formula or DNA to explain what’s going on. Why? Because it will enable us to express ourselves as musicians rather than just harmonica players. And with this comes greater understanding and enjoyment of our instrument and music in general. The solution is where music and maths collide in the form of the circle of fifths.

Thumbing a lift

Take out your patented, circle of fifths, double-checking system; you’ll find one on the end of each arm. Starting with C on the thumb of your right hand, let’s move five steps up the musical alphabet; so, D is on your index finger, E on your middle finger, F on your ring finger and finally G on your little finger. You’ve just counted a diatonic interval of 5 degrees from C to G. Think of it as Monday to Friday if this helps. I know this is technical stuff, but you’d better get used to it. You’ve just moved from 1st position on a C harp (C), to 2nd position on a C harp (G). From your thumb to your little finger. From Monday to Friday.

Now let’s count up five degrees from G to find third position on the same C harp. Thumbs at the ready. Your thumb is now G, so your index finger becomes A, middle finger B, ring finger C and your little finger D. Getting the hang of it? You could keep this pattern going and eventually work your way round twelve different positions. Which is all well and good, but let’s just pause with third position for a moment. When we actually play along to a tune in D, we find we’re clashing badly. And that’s because our third position is actually D minor, not D major.

Beam me up Scotty

The majority of harp players will accept this and run with it, using third position to accompany minor chords. Fourth position does the same thing. Five up from D on a C harp is A – you can check this on your hand. The detail however, is it’s actually A minor. So how can all this be explained? When is a position major and when does it go all minor on us? Our piano keyboard will help illustrate the answer, which is intervals. The relative distance between notes.

Remember that we’re playing a diatonic instrument in C. This is the same as having a piano keyboard with no black keys. If we chose to play the C major chord using our right hand, this would not present a problem. We’d place our thumb on C (our root note), our middle finger on E and our little finger on G. That’s three notes in all, or a Major Triad. It’s a solid musical building block and it sounds complete. In scientific terms, we’re using the first, third and fifth degrees (notes) of the C major scale. But you don’t have to be scientific if you don’t want to be, just blow 1B-2B-3B together. That’s your C chord and that’s first position done. Just to reinforce things however, let’s play the C major arpeggio – or broken chord – as separate notes up and down: 1B 2B 3B 4B 3B 2B 1B

Now let’s move up to G from C for second position using the circle of fifths and follow the same process. To play the G major triad on the diatonic (white key only) keyboard, we’d place our thumb on G as the root note this time, our middle finger on B and our little finger on D. Once again we’d have a satisfying and complete sound. Try it by playing 2D-3D-4D together. And again we’ve used the first, third and fifth degrees (notes) of the G major scale. And that’s second position nailed. But again let’s reinforce things by playing the G major arpeggio up and down: 2D 3D 4D 6B 4D 3D 2D

Take me to your leader

Are you ready for third position? We move up to D from G using the circle of fifths and place our thumb on the root note of D on our diatonic (white key only) keyboard. Our middle finger then falls on F and our little finger on A. But when we play the chord, it no longer sounds as satisfying and complete as before. It sounds forlorn. This is because it’s a minor triad. But before we explain this change in full, let’s just play the D minor arpeggio, or broken chord, up and down: 4D 5D 6D 8D 6D 5D 4D Can you hear how 5D is the ‘sad’ note? If we were to ‘cheer it up’, we’d need to sharpen or raise it a half step to make things sound major again. This would turn it into F# rather than F. But we don’t really have an F# because we’re using a diatonic keyboard remember? White keys only. F# is most definitely a black key. So we’re kind of stuck with what we’ve got.

Lowering the tone

I say kind of for two good reasons. Firstly because those in the know – our advanced players – will tell you that you can find F# by overblowing hole 5. In Harp Surgery tab this would be written as 5B#. Overblowing is the technique that bends a reed pitch upwards to find a missing note – a topic we’ll cover another day. However, you’d be very hard pressed to include an overblow in hole 5 as part of a chord combination. The second reason is that by accepting third position gives us a minor key and finding pleasure in this change, we can turn a negative in to a very big positive. Just listen to Sugar Blue!

Better by half

Now here’s the bit you’ve been patiently waiting for; the underlying explanation for the change from major to minor in empirical terms. We count our intervals chromatically instead of diatonically. Cue the J.Arthur Rank gong and sweaty man. This means re-introducing the black notes of the keyboard, then recalculating the total number of half steps between the notes in our triad chords. Back to the drawing board. Starting with 1st position, or C on a C harp, we played C-E-G. Chromatically, that’s 5 half steps from C to E, and 4 half steps from E to G. Check it out on the piano above. The result of this combination of chromatic intervals is a major chord.

Now to 2nd position, or G on our C harp. Here we played G-B-D. Chromatically, that’s an interval of 5 half steps from G to B, and 4 half steps from B to D. Check it out on the piano above. Again, the result is a major chord.

Finally, let’s look at 3rd position, or D on a C harp. This time we played D-F-A. Chromatically things have now switched – that’s only 4 half steps from D to F, and now 5 half steps from B to D. Check it out on the piano above. The result of this combination of chromatic intervals is a minor chord. We’ve effectively ‘flattened’ or lowered the third degree of the diatonic scale. Which is the basic rule for turning a major key into a minor key. Or a major chord into a minor chord. And that’s all there is to it. It’s all about the half-step intervals between the notes!

G’night John Boy!

As a post script, we mentioned 4th position above, which would be A minor on our C harp. So if we know that the A minor triad is A-C-E, let’s see if you can work out the chromatic intervals for yourself. We won’t actually find this triad chord on the diatonic harp, but the arpeggio would be 6D 7B 8B 10D 8B 7B 6D You might find use of 7B-8B as a double stop, or two-note combination, in lieu of the full chord however. Try it now and imagine you’ve just watched The Waltons.

#Harp Theory

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cyberdelusionphilosopher-blog · 6 years ago

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I'm 20 years old almost 21 and I've had a permit for a year next month on the 14th. I want to get a driver's license asap. I know I need liability insurance in order to get it but how do I do that if I can't get insurance without a license? Everytime I call the dmv they say I have to go in person to have my question answered only problem with that is I live 20 miles from the nearest one and no way to get there in the day time. Someone please help!

Health Insurance question?

I live in California and I will be 20 years old when I have my baby. I am currently still on my parents health insurance plan and all of my prenatal visits are covered and I believe my hospital stay is also. My boyfriend and I are not married yet and we live together I am not currently working. And I am aware I need to get insurance for my baby from her being born on but does anyone have any suggestions of what company to use? Could I still be approved fr a low income plan?

How much is insurance for young drivers?

Young drivers 18 & over

Can I buy car insurance if the photo on my driving license needs renewing?

Hi. Ok I appreciate I am technically breaking the law on a number of fronts with this. I have bought a car, It is taxed and tested. It is parked on the road. However I don't have any insurance and the photograph on my license has expired. It is still possible for me to buy insurance (and therefore make the car itself fully legal) before I have received my new license? Reading the DVLA websites implies I can. The license is still valid it just needs renewing. I have no convictions, health issues, etc. Just wanted to make sure as I don't want to pick up a load of points just for a misunderstanding. Thanks!!""

Do parents really expect their teens in highschool to pay for their own cars?

Its enraging when I hear my parents/parents in general tell their kids, who have their licenses to pay for a car yourself . Not even a split? A loan? These kids are still in highschool! Even after highschool in college, I just don't see how one can pay for even a cheap used car themselves unless they dedicate their life and save every penny for the damn car. People that age usually earn close to minimum wage, and if they spend all their time working instead of studying, that's all their ever going to make. Ex) my friend earns 9.25 hourly at a grocery store (he's worked there for a while so its not exact minimum wage), and works 40 hours a week. He is ALWAYS at work. At the end of the week, his checks are worth about 338 after taxes. A crappy used car is probably about 5000? I'm not fully sure. Someone that age would have to work 40 hours a week for quite a long time. Since they're teenagers, that would pretty much leave them no time for studying/doing homework and a social life in general. Don't parents want their children to perform well academically as well? Aside from financial issues of their own, why wouldn't a parent with a decent amount of money atleast agree to help their responsible teenager pay for a used or inexpensive car? I'm not suggesting brand new BMWs or mercades, but why not like an 06/07 used toyota or honda in good condition? Why not agree to help pay for.half or a smaller fraction of it? And don't they get sick of their kids always using their cars? What do you think?""

How would you fix health care in the US?

I feel good and bad about this law. I'm conservative. I don't entirely agree with the law. But it's good that people are able to get on an affordable insurance plan if they have a pre-existing condition rather than being left out to die. But what about the people who are getting kicked off insurance plans and now have to pay even higher rates than they already were? I get a subsidy for my plan. I don't feel like I deserve it. I saw a lady on the news who had cancer and couldn't get insurance. I feel like she is the one who deserves a subsidy so she can get a plan. How do you feel about this law? And what happens if a Republican gets into office or they control the legislative branch in 2014 and repeal the law? Then what?

How much is car insurance for an inexperienced first year driver 18 years old in North Carolina?

Like can I get estimates from each company. I've never had a license and my family refuses to pay for my car insurance...so I have to pay it...

How come different auto insurance agencies charge different prices for the same insurance company?is it a scam?

yes i went to three different insurance agencys to see what quotes theyll give me. one say said ill pay 50 a month and 140 down payment for access auto insurance . the other agency said ill pay 60 a month and 90 down payment for the same company. and the third agency said i would probably not qualify for access auto insuranc. im 20 year old male riverside ca 94 accord. why would three different agencys quote diferently for the same auto company ? whyyy is it a scam

Can an auto insurance company suspend my license?

I was hit by a woman in a parking lot. In Texas where I live, certain parking lots are no fault zones if they are private property. I was in one of these no fault zones. I was uninsured at the time. She had Uninsured Motorist Protection as part of her insurance policy. I suffered no damages to my vehicle or person. She suffered $1500 worth of vehicular damage. Her insurance company paid for her damages. I was backing out of a parking space and she came flying around the corner and messed up the entire passenger door of her car on my rear bumper. Like I said I received no damage to my vehicle since I was the one barely moving. She called the police immediately after this minor accident took place. I was not cited on the ticket I received for any accident, only for no insurance. The officer informed me verbally that the accident was my fault only because she had the right of way but that there was nothing they could do about it because of the no fault zone policy. Anyway, now her insurance company is coming after me to collect payment of the $1500 they paid for her damages. I have not agreed to pay this amount because it was a no fault zone and I don't feel I should pay for it. She should not have been going that fast in a busy parking lot with a car full of kids. Although the unofficial technicality states that I was at fault, legally no one was at fault. Her insurance company is also threatening to have my license suspended if I do not pay the amount specified. I did not think that they, as a private company, had the power to have that happen. I've never been in this situation before and need an answer as to whether or not the insurance company can do that or if its just some kind of scare tactic to jolt me into paying but really has no merit behind it. Someone please help!""

liability auto insurance quote

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/health-insurance-quote-2018-ryan-ramirez/"

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apsbicepstraining · 7 years ago

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Is It True Exclusively Half Your Friends Actually Like You?

It is clear that your friends is in agreement they are your friends. But recent findings published in the gazette PLOS ONE announcement this into question.

At least thats the content you are able to take if you departed with popular media coverage of the findings and conclusions. Headlines such as Only half your best friend actually like you, analyse exposes may see you wonder about the holes in your social network.

Friendships contribute to our mental and physical health; our well-being accepts without them. So is it true only half your best friend looks just like you?

The research in question does not, in fact, speak to that. But it does shed light on the subtleties of how friendship is recognized. Liking someone is not the same as electing them as a sidekick: we are to be able think of a friend we dont like very much, cant we?

Nor did the research aim to find out whether friends liked one another. Rather, the authors set out to explore how friendship reciprocity mattered when implementing broader social involvements, such as facilitating someone to quit smoking.

The research addressed two questions. First, what ratio of friendships are reciprocal? That is, how many of a persons friends likewise charge such person or persons as their pal? Second, to what degree does reciprocity in affections matter when it comes to how peers influence one another?

CC BY-ND

The first question

To answer the first issue, 84 students in a Middle-Eastern, undergraduate business-management class were asked to proportion the other 83 students on a proportion from zero to five. In this reciprocity examine, zero represented I do not know this person and five was one of our friend. The midpoint anchored at acquaintance. Students were also asked to indicate how the other 83 would charge them.

The benefits of this approach was that researchers had access to full cross-overs of data in a closed system. This enabled sophisticated statistical network analysis, which couldnt be afforded by looking at an open parish in which all members cannot be identified or accessed.

Researchers coded the data such that a score of threeor higher was considered a love. From the 6,972 ratings provided by the 84 students in the business class, 1,353 weighed as friendships.

In 94% of these seen relationships, students expected them to be reciprocal. So if John rated Jack as his friend, he expected Jack to rate him as a pal also. But this was so in only 53% of cases; less than half of the students had their friendship creeds about others reciprocated.

What does this mean ?

From this data it seems that, in social networks, there is low agreed to by saw love. The studys generators float one ground for this: we carry an rosy belief of friendships with higher-status mortals. That is, we project friendship with people who have more social clout than us in the perhaps naive hope they will reciprocate.

But because the reciprocity survey cant speak directly to this possibility, it remains for future experiment to measure this logic.

Can we really extrapolate to humanity based on 84 students in colleges and universities classroom? Felipe Bastos/ Flickr, CC BY

Its also important to ask whether we were able to extrapolate to humanity based on 84 students in a university classroom. Between the relatively small sample size, the constrained situation of an undergraduate classroom and cultural constraints in the test, you are able to reason no extrapolation should take place.

Another thing to keep in mind is the scoring approach: carve the line for love at threeor above on a five-point magnitude is a subjective announce. One can question whether friendships should be treated categorically or whether there is a more valid approach to quantifying relationships in all their complexity.

The second question

For the second question, investigates deployed a fitness intervention on a separate test of participants who lived in the same residential community and had all completed friendship ratings as in the reciprocity survey.

Participants had software installed on their mobile invention that tracked their physical work and allocated fiscal reinforces for their fitness advance. In two versions of the application, tenants were taken together with two cronies who could see one anothers progress and potentially be reinforced for the others progress.

The critical exam for the research wonder, with regards to peer affect, stemmed from analysing participants’ fitness changes as a function of the type of friendships they held with their buddies.

Once again, the approach of sampling from a residential community passed health researchers access to full data regarding a closed network, enabling nuanced analysis of the social dynamics at romp. But, once again, the sample size was tiny and different contexts has similar limitations when it is necessary to broader extrapolation.

What were the results ?

It would be logical to reckon acquaintances who concur they are friends( reciprocal sidekicks) affect one another, in a preferably positive mode. The acquires demonstrated this: when nearby residents fitness friends were reciprocal pals, those buddies helped promote positive outcomes in the form of more activity.

When nearby residents fitness sidekicks were reciprocal acquaintances, those cronies facilitated facilitate positive outcomes in the form of more activity. from shutterstock.com

But when it comes to non-reciprocal buddy-to-resident love, it is crucial to be addressed by the direction of each affection. An incoming friendship represents a sidekick rated the resident as a sidekick, but the resident did not frequency the friend as a pal. An outgoing relationship signifies a resident rated the chum as a friend, but the sidekick did not do the same.

The study found outgoing affections from occupants to buddies had no influence on residents’ physical act. If Max contemplated Jack was his friend but Jack didnt agree, and the pair were chums, Jack had no influence( either positive or negative) on Maxs fitness outcomes.

But the affect when it came to residents’ incoming relationships from their chums was positive. Max would have positively influenced Jacks upshots, even though Jack didnt agree that Max was his friend. And the force was even more positive when it came to reciprocal friendships.

What does it signify ?

A popular approaching in public health interventions is electing a sidekick to assistance person in their efforts for behavioural change.

The reciprocity survey testifies parties are inaccurate in predicting who considers them a acquaintance and that many friendships are in fact outgoing rather than reciprocal.

A favourite approaching in public health interventions is nominating a sidekick to subscribe person in their efforts for behavioural change. California National Guard/ Flickr, CC BY

These conclusions have practical significance in that they demo the popular buddy-nomination approach is likely less effective than we would want. Instead, we need to identify reciprocal relationships, since these are most effective. Next beneficial would be incoming affections, rather than the outgoing ones.

What else should we take into account ?

It important to highlight that the researchers showed the reciprocity questionnaire detects in five more samples.

First, the reciprocal relationship charge among the fitness residents was 45% even lower than the 53% in the business class.

Second, investigates carried out the analysis on various other data sets they had worked on in the past. Reciprocal relationship calculates derived from these were similar, wandering from 34% to 53%. Replication heightens the extent to which we can generalize broader social procedures based on the dynamics established in this particular study.

But again, all this talk of whether our friends like us misses the item. When it comes to social affect in particular, the kind of positive peer influence we try to seek when fully participate in behaviour change reciprocal friendships are of key import.

When we cant access reciprocal pals, we need to seek reinforce from people who elect us as friends , not the other way around. Lisa A. Williams

Peer Review

This article has identified key fatigues in this papers analyze layouts as well as the challenges of the the scale used to evaluate friends’ affections towards each other.

My biggest problem with this paper, though, is the sensationalised interpreting of the results. The consider abstract claims beings are generally good at recognizing the direction of their friendship ties, and media reports state that only half of your best friend like you.

But the data subscribe a humbler, and perhaps happier, legend. In detail, when participants claimed person as a sidekick, the other person reciprocated 70% of the time. So while its true-life around half of the friendships in such studies were reciprocal, it still seen close to three-quarters of your friends like you.

For instance, Bill says Sally is his friend and she concurs. Jim says Bob is his friend, but Bob doesnt identify Jim as a friend in return. We now have two friendships and exclusively one( 50%) is mutual. But of the three people who claimed a sidekick, two( Bill and Sally) were right( 66% ). It takes twice as many parties to make a reciprocal friendship, which is why those two numerals differ.

Its worth noting we do have a tendency to slightly overestimate our friends closeness, but my take-home letter from this paper is that were actually better at adjudicating how close our friends experience to us than just about anything else about them. Sean Murphy

Lisa A Williams, Senior Lecturer, School of Psychology, UNSW Australia

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Speak the original essay.

The post Is It True Exclusively Half Your Friends Actually Like You? appeared first on apsbicepstraining.com.

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topsolarpanels · 7 years ago

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Inspired by nature: the thrilling new science that could transform medicine | Laura Parker

The Long Read: Jeffrey Karp is at the forefront of a new generation of scientists using natures blueprints to make breakthrough medical technologies. Can bioinspiration help to solve some of humanitys most urgent problems?

In the summer of 2005, Jeffrey Karp, a bioengineer at Brigham and Womens Hospital( BWH) in Cambridge, Massachusetts, was running late one night when he spotted a journal article on a colleagues desk. What caught his eye was not the text itself, but the full-page colour illustration of Spider-Man that accompanied it. Intrigued, Karp sat down and started reading.

The article detailed how a group of researchers had created a new synthetic material by simulating the properties of gecko feet whose tiny, hair-like pillars let the lizard to stick to and detach from apparently sheer surfaces with ease. Imagined utilizes for the material included gloves that would allow military personnel to climb up the sides of buildings, just like Spider-Man.

The wheels in my head started turning, Karp told me lately. His first thought was to use the material to create a new type of medical tape that could replace sutures and staples, which are able to injury sensitive tissue surrounding wounds. Karp was working alongside the world-renowned bioengineer Robert Langer at the time, analyse ways to create biodegradable materials that could seal meanders inside the human body. The videotape could even go a step further than sutures or surgical staples, he thought, and be used in particularly intricate surgical procedures for instance, tying together the small intestine during gastric bypass surgery.

The next morning, Karp stopped by Langers office and persuaded him that he had come up with the perfect notion to win a prestigious research award. But as he began his research, Karp found that it wasnt enough to simply rely on friction between the hair-like pillars to construct the videotape stick. That may be how geckos feet work, but he was going to need something much stronger if he hoped to bind human tissue inside the body.

When he tried coating the surface area of the videotape with a glue, Karp found that it oozed in between the pillars, like honey drizzled on to a hair brush. Next, he played around with the position of the pillars on the surface area of the tape, placing them closer together. That didnt run either when the pillars were too close together, there wasnt enough friction with the surface of the tissue. So he moved them apart again, and then tried coating each individual pillar with the glue, instead of simply brushing it over the top. Now, whenever the tissue came into contact with a pillar, it stuck in place. Ultimately, Karp had his solution.

It was a great example of a holistic approach to problem-solving, David Kaplan, chair of the biomedical engineering department at Tufts University in Massachusetts, told me. In 2008, MITs Technology Review magazine named Karp one of the top innovators in the world under the age of 35.

Karp, who is now 40 and operate his own lab at BWH, is what is known in the business as a bioinspirationalist a person who looks to nature for solutions to scientific problems. The gecko tape was Karps first bioinspired invention; these days he is regarded as a resulting figure in the field.( He often tells people that he owes his success to Spider-Man theres a large depicting of the Marvel superhero in his office, and he once wore a Spider-Man T-shirt during a TEDMed talk .) Karps current projects include surgical staples inspired by porcupine quills, which create smaller punctures in the scalp and prevent bacteria from entering meanders, and a new kind of surgical glue inspired by the sticky secretions of marine worms, which is strong enough to bind moving tissue inside major organs, such as the heart.

This last invention has helped to cement Karps reputation as a rising star in the world of bioengineering. Because he doesnt only invent cool stuff he turns his creations into actual products. When we look to solve problems, its not so we can publish papers and get pats on the back from the academic community, said Nick Sherman, a research technician at Karp Lab. Its more like, Is this work going to help patients? If not, how do we make it help them?

Earlier this year, Karps surgical glue began a human clinical trial in Paris. It is the first of Karps innovations to advance this far. Unlike other surgical glues on the market, his actively repels blood, making it ideal for sealing holes in blood vessels, intestinal tissue, even bone. It is also much sturdier, means that surgeons could use it to fix cardiac flaws without the necessity of achieving open heart surgery. This could wholly transform how we perform surgery, said Jean-Marc Alsac, the cardiovascular surgeon at the Hospital European Georges-Pompidou in Paris who is overseeing the trial.

Karp Lab, which opened in July 2007, is concealed behind a heavy white door on the third floor of an office building in Cambridge, near Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Inside, a stockpile of white lab coats hangs near the entryway, and beyond lies a jigsaw puzzle of heavy machinery, vials, tubings and jars, sanitising stations and discarded rubber gloves. Plenties of labs are doing what appears to be similar run but, genuinely, they are not in[ Karps] league, Arnold Caplan, a professor in government departments of biology at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, told me.

Every Wednesday at 8am, faculty fulfill in a large conference room to discuss notions. The lab employs around 25 staff, from undergraduates to postdoctoral fellows, although its ethos is strictly non-hierarchical. One research trainee, Thomas Kuncewicz, joined Karp Lab merely over a year ago, before finishing his undergraduate degree, and is now resulting two projects. Everyones experience is different and thats what matters most here, he told me. Not some dumb pyramid scheme where we have to work our way up through the ranks. Lab employees are encouraged to email Karp whenever they have a question or idea. If you ever email him, within five minutes youll have a reply, Kuncewicz said. It can be 11 pm or 3am, and hell reply.( I have exchanged emails with Karp long past midnight. His average response time is about 10 minutes .)

Jeffrey Karp in his lab at BWH Photograph: Rick Friedman for the Guardian

The lab attracts the kind of budding scientist who wont turn up their snout at the occasional lab outing to the zoo or the aquarium. A couple of years ago, one of Karps students returned from a field trip with a handful of porcupine quills. At the time, Karp was in the middle of designing a new type of surgical staple, which are most often used in surgery to close sensitive wounds that cannot be sutured by hand. Karp appeared closely at the quills and noticed that each had multiple tiny barb on the end of its tip-off, like a serrated knife. He took a few quills and stuck them in his chin to test how much force-out would be required to puncture the scalp, and how much it would hurt.( Astonishingly little, he said afterwards .)

Over the next few months, Karp designed a surgical staple with serrated objectives, like the quills. He tested it on raw chicken and received it slid in easily, and created small, clean holes that caused virtually no damage to the surrounding tissue. The staples that are currently in use cause big punctures in surrounding tissue which allow more bacteria to enter the meander and cause infection. Karp Lab patented the staple and is working on get it to market. Karp believes that the invention could significantly reduce post-surgery complications, which are often caused by current surgical staples.

For Karp and others in his field, nature often holds the key to critical scientific and medical problems. This approach also devotes scientists free access to a vast number of solutions that have already benefitted from millions of years of trial-and-error testing. The appeal of bioinspiration, for Karp, lies in the idea that every living creature that exists today is here because it tackled a number of challenges. And those that havent have quickly become extinct, he said. In essence, “weve been” surrounded by answers. Evolution is genuinely the best problem-solver.

A distinct advantage of the bioinspiration route is that pre-existing answers are somewhat handed to us, Leif Ristroph, an assistant professor of mathematics at New York Universitys Courant Institute, told me. Of course we have to figure out the mechanisms behind the answer, and ascertain which components we care to mimic and which do not carry over to our problem of interest. The foliage as natures solar panel is a great instance: scientists have been trying to better understand photosynthesis for a long time, even well before we wanted to collect and store solar energy ourselves.

In recent decades, advances in technology, engineering, and robotics have attained it easier to observe nature and borrow from it with more accuracy than ever before. In the early 2000 s, Japan Railways Group, which operates the Shinkansen bullet train, asked one of its engineers, Eiji Nakatsu, to come up with a route to fix a longstanding problem. Whenever the train went through a narrow passageway at high speed, the atmospheric pressure created low-frequency waves that spread out from the tunnel and made vibrations in the air. These vibrations were so powerful that residents 400 metres away from the railway line wrote in to complain about the noise.

Karp has developed a new type of surgical staple inspired by porcupine quills. Photograph: Humpata/ Getty Images/ iStockphoto

Nakatsu, who is a keen birdwatcher, wondered if his weekend pastime might provide him with ideas for how to deal with sudden changes in air resistance. His intellect turned to the kingfisher, a bird whose long and flat nose allows it to dive from the air( low resistance) into water( high resistance ), with a minimal sum of disorder so as not to alert its prey. Nakatsu redesigned the snout of the Shinkansen 500 -Series, making it longer and flatter. The new design successfully reduced air pressure by 30%.

The story of Nakatsu and the Shinkansen is a favourite among advocates of bioinspiration. Many of the worlds top academic institutions Harvard, Oxford, Stanford, and Columbia now offer courses in bioinspired engineering, while organisations such as the World Biomimetic Foundation and the Biomimicry Institute have been established specifically to help spread the word by highlighting the work of companies who dabble in bioinspired design an electricity-free ventilation system modelled on termite mounds, for instance, or gale turbines with aerodynamic bumps similar to those found on a humpback whales flippers.

Still, even those who believe that bioinspiration may hold the key to solving humanitys most urgent problems water scarcity, overpopulation, climate change are careful to point out that the field is still in its infancy. Beth Rattner, the executive director of the Biomimicry Institute, told me: We can find and build mathematical replications of a kingfisher nose on the nose of a train, but were still unable to fully emulate or replicate a lot of biological phenomena, either at all or to the point where its commercially viable.

Biomimicry should be considered as a means to understand nature and conceive engineering design, but not as a tenet, says Maurizio Porfiri, a prof at New York Universitys Tandon School of Engineering. In other terms, while evolution has pursued an optimal path from swimming to flight this happened in a specific context, with specific constraints. Even Leif Ristroph concedes that he would not, for example, slavishly copy a bird or insect in order to design a robot. Clearly, birds inspired the basic design of aeroplanes, but the early designs with flapping wings did not win out, he said.

Still, Karp is not suggesting that scientists copy nature directly. Instead, he wants to look at what works and improve on it. The key is to analyse the answer evolution has converged on, and then take advantage of those principles in an engineering context, Adrian Thomas, professor of biomechanics in the zoology department at Oxford University told me. The obvious mistake is to transcript nature it is possible to do much better than nature by exploiting the best engineering materials.

While research labs dedicated entirely to bioinspiration are rare, Karps is not the only one. Don Ingbers Wyss Institute at Harvard University, which has been running since 2009, is a bioinspiration factory. There are some 375 full-time personnel, who together enjoy more than $600 m in grants and philanthropic funding. The laboratory has co-founded 15 startups in the last three years, and has more than 15,000 patents out for a range of bioinspired technology and designs across a range of disciplines, from medicine to robotics. They include a self-organising swarm of tiny robots that can be used for undertakings such as surveillance, traffic monitoring and crop pollination, and a mattress that senses the cardio-respiratory functions of babies and can help detect when they are having trouble breathing. Jeff has done astounding stuff in his lab, Ingber told me. But we can do it much faster. Were able to take much bigger risks here, and were more likely to succeed, both technically and commercially.

But sheer volume is not Karps aim. When the lab first opened, Karp thought he might use bioinspiration to tackle problems around cell migration, the process whereby cells move around an organism to aid in tissue formation, wound healing and immune response. That same year, after speaking at a biomedical conference to drum up support for the lab, person approached Karp and told him bluntly that the only interesting thing about his talk was the gecko videotape. Thats all people asked me about, Karp told me. So that got me thinking, maybe I should just focus on medical devices. It seemed to be the thing that got people excited.

One evening in August 2009, Karp received an email from Pedro J del Nido, functional specialists in cardiac surgery at Boston Childrens Hospital. Del Nido was having difficulty sealing pits in the hearts of young patients suffering from congenital heart flaws. Whenever Del Nido tried to suture a hole, the surrounding tissue would tear. He had read Karps paper on the gecko videotape, and wondered if Karp could help him design something similar to help treat his young patients.

This presented a new challenge for Karp. While the gecko tape can seal things like tissue and gastrointestinal tracts, the heart is not stationary. It moves very fast and violently, as blood constantly gushes in and out. Any adhesive would have to be strong enough to defy being washed away in the spate. Karp wondered if a surgical glue might help solve Del Nidos problem. Gluing internal surgical meanders is quicker and sometimes more effective than sews, particularly around sensitive areas where any rip or tear in the scalp will damage surrounding tissue. But Karp did not know any surgical glues that could work successfully in the presence of a lot of blood, and none that are strong enough to actually bind moving tissue. Whats more, surgical glues sometimes have harmful side-effects( such as releasing formaldehyde inside the body) and can take as long as 30 minutes to set. As any surgeon will show, the less day a patient lies on the operating table with their insides exposed, the better.

Karp told Del Nido that he would try to come up with something. Except, he didnt truly know how. The gecko videotape had been an academic invention. There had been one animal trial on mice. Del Nido needed something practical that he and his surgeons could actually use when operating on children. Karp realised that if he was going to help Del Nido, he had to talk to some people who had experience turning inventions into products. One of the reasons most medical devices invented in an academic environment never make it to patients is because theyre so complex and you cant fabricate them at the right scale, or at the right price, Karp told me. The laboratory is truly just the first step.

Karp decided that he would need to build his own network of contacts: entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, patent attorneys, regulatory body contacts, consultants, and business managers, who would be familiar with his methods and guide him on every step of the process. He spent the next two years meeting with venture capitalists around Boston, attending networking events sponsored by local law firms, consulates and biotech companies. He flew around the country presenting his work to various companies. I wanted to make it in such a way that as soon I came up with an idea, all Id have to do is just fire off an email to the right person and that would be it, he said.

Karp looks at some glue inspired by the secretions of marine worms. Photograph: Rick Friedman for the Guardian

One morning in late June, I accompanied Karp on a visit to the New England Aquarium in Boston. Scientists have a reputation for being somewhat awkward, but Karp is at ease in his own skin. Tall, with a lean build and slight husk, he peppers lengthy scientific explains with jokes, usually at his own expense. Stop me if I get too boring, is something he says often. He is fond of depicting diagrams to explain what he is talking about. Hes one of those very rare scientists who can talk to everyone at their level, Sherman, the Karp Lab research technician, told me. How he talks to high-schoolers is different from how he talks to PhD fellows, and thats different to how he talks to physicians. But its always at the same level of excitement.

Karp grew up in Peterborough, a rural county in Ontario in a Frank Gehry-designed house that his mothers bought from a local builder. The family moved in when Karp was eight; it was his first time living outside the city. There was a buffalo farm across the road, and a sheep farm next door. There was a creek operating through the backyard, and the property backed on to a woodland. I would wake in the middle of the night, said Karp, and there would be a pack of wolves on my front lawn headed to the sheep farm for a snack!

Karp began taking trip-ups into the woods, looking for serpents. Afterward, he would mount expeditions to trap frogs and snapping turtles by the creek. He got used to seeing foxes on the driveway at nightfall and listened out for the hoots of the great grey owls nesting nearby. For a kid with no appreciation of nature, this was a really big turning point for me, he said. It was like, here was this whole new world I never even knew existed.

Inside the aquarium, Karp led me to a great, fluorescent tank filled with lions mane jellyfish, one of the largest species, with a bell-shaped hood that can reach eight feet in diameter and tentacles that they are able stretching over 100 feet. The key thing to recollect is that the problem comes first , not the solution, Karp said, peering inside the tank. We dont sit in front of the jellyfish tank and think, How can we design a medical device that does what these jellyfish do? Its more like, we have a problem we need to solve, and these floating heaps of jelly might be able to help us.

A few years ago, Karp began looking at jellyfish to try and improve the design of a blood analysis device that can detect whether a cancer has metastasised after the removal of a tumor. Devices like this already exist: they resemble a small, rectangular chip approximately the size of a sim card. The blood flows through the top part of the device, while the bottom is lined with antibodies, which attach to any cancerous cells present in the sample. By seeming inside the chip under a microscope, it is possible to determine if any cells have been captured and therefore if the blood sample contains cancerous cells.

A lions mane jellyfish. Photo: Cultura RM Exclusive/ Alexander Semenov/ Getty Images/ Cultura Exclusive

An early problem with these devices was that the blood sample flowed too fast and too far above the antibodies, which meant that even when cancerous cells were present, “theyre not” always detected. Later versions of the device shortened the distance between the top and bottom, but this meant that the blood sample had to be smaller, which in turn meant the results were less accurate.( The bigger the sample size, the more accurate the results .)

Karp wanted to know if there was a way to force the cancerous cells to slow down and better attach to the antibodies. So, instead of lining the bottom of the device with antibodies, Karp made synthetic jellyfish-like tentacles made out of DNA. The tentacles, which are roughly one-tenth the thicknes of a human hair, are imbibed with a capturing agent that targets circulating tumor cells, and can extend to grab them. In exams of an early prototype, Karp found that his new design could increase the flow of blood by 10 days, building it far more likely that cancerous cells would be accurately detected.

We had moved downstairs to the aquaria cafe by the time Karp had finished laying all this out, and when I conveyed some disarray about some of the details, Karp grabbed a napkin from a nearby table and retrieved a pen from his pouch. It was in the shape of a bright orange crab claw. What? he said, in reference to my amused expression. I think its funny. I got it from a souvenir store. He then proceeded to draw a diagram of his device on the napkin.( Karps business card features a very similar depict of the tentacles, and a picture of jellyfish on the back, to demonstrate the process from inspiration to creation .)

Now, Karp said, leaning in conspiratorially. You want to touch a stingray?

In early 2011, Karp asked one of his graduate students, Maria Pereira, to help find a solution to the challenge that Pedro del Nido had defined him: namely, how to seal holes in childrens hearts. We tried to define the key criteria for their own problems: training materials that couldnt be washed away by blood, was easy to deliver and minimally invasive, Pereira told me. Something that a surgeon could control.

Following Karps example, Pereira looked to the natural environment for solutions. She held lab meetings and asked everyone to email her notions or pictures of animals that live in especially wet environments. People circulated photos of slugs and snails. We began thinking, how do snails stay attached to leaves when its raining? Karp told me. Why arent the trails they leave behind washed away by the rainfall? What are those secretions made of?

One day, someone emailed Karp and Pereira a link to a research paper on sandcastle worms, which live in shallow water on the Californian coast. The worms secrete a sticky, viscous gunk that they use to build underwater shelters by gluing together bits of shells and sand grains. The gunk is also hydrophobic meaning it repels water to ensure the shelter withstands the force of waves.

Slowly, Karp and Pereira began to imagine a product that would not only be used to treat small internal wounds in children, but that would have wider applications. They now foresaw a liquid surgical glue, strong enough to work in any major organ. It would be both biodegradable and capable of repulse blood and water.

In 2013, Karp co-founded Gecko Biomedical in Paris with the assistance of Bernard Gilly, the chairman of a group of small French biotech companies. Pereira subsequently moved to Paris to join the company as its head of research.

Over the next few years, she and Karp tested versions of the glue, each with a slight difference in viscosity or adhesive properties. Some versions were too runny and not sticky enough; other prototypes were so sticky they would not spread easily on to tissue. It was not enough to have the glue sit on top of the tissue it needed to infiltrate it, in order to create a perfect seal that would avoid air or blood from seeping through. Karp was just thinking about how ivy attaches to the sides of builds the plants root hairs seek out crevices and crackings, then secrete a glue that spreads the hairs in different directions. The hair then shrivel up and dry in a spiraling shape, which anchors the plant to its locating. Many of the glue formulations did not work, but the ones that did worked very similarly to ivy, because they were able to burrow into the tissue, Karp said.

Karp and Pereira also developed a device in the shape of a pen, which emits a visible LED ray of light that reacts to the glue, so a surgeon can define the glue once it is applied.( The process takes five seconds .)

Each version of the glue was tested first in animal or human tissue inside the lab, and then inside a living organism, usually a rat or animal. The right version presented itself wholly by collision. Karp and Pereira set up an animal trial at Boston Childrens Hospital to test a new iteration of the glue: a small, circular patch rather than a liquid version. They created a hole inside the heart of a living rat, and were just about to seal it with the patch when it slipped off. They set it back on top of the hole, but by that phase there was so much blood that the patch would not stay in place long enough for Karp to cure it with the light pen.

Scrambling for a solution, Karp asked Pereira to scrounge up as much of the most recent batch of liquid glue as she could. Pereira then spread the glue on to a spatula, and applied it to the leak in the rats heart. Karp followed with the illumination, and the glue defined. It did exactly what it was supposed to it repulsed the blood and it remained in place, Karp said. We ended up with a perfect seal. This was a massive pit, so showing that we can seal it without sutures or staples was a big deal to us.( When Karp and Pereira checked up on the same rat six months later, they discovered no signs of people with disabilities or stress. The glue on the animals heart had gradually biodegraded as tissue has been an increase over the patched up hole .)

Last spring, Karp presented off the glue during a talk at Zoobiquity, a semi-regular conference that brings physicians and veterinary surgeons together to swap notes. The event took place at the New England Aquarium, and Karp spoke from a semi-raised platform in front of the penguin pond. After the talk, a dental surgeon named William Rosenblad approached Karp to ask if he would be willing to give him some of the glue to use on one of his canine patients, a bulldog named Little Papi. Rosenblad had carried out three unsuccessful procedures to treat an oronasal fistula, a common problem in dogs and cats that results in a large pit in the mouth leading to the nasal cavity. He looked pretty desperate, Karp said. He just said, Get it to me as fast as you can.

A week later, Rosenblad sealed the hole in Little Papis mouth use Karps glue. I knew the real test would come where anything had healed, Rosenblad told me. Karp was present at the follow-up appointment two weeks later. Little Papi sat patiently while Rosenblad checked inside his mouth, finally declaring that the glue had worked the hole was sealed. We all got a bit emotional, Rosenblad told me. Little Papis owner strolled up to Karp and shook his hand. He maintained repeating, You changed my life, Karp said.

In March this year, after successfully creating 22.5 m euros, Gecko began a trial of the surgical glue at four hospitals in Paris. The glue was tested on 36 patients, most of whom underwent vascular reconstruction surgery, in which blood vessels are either cut open to remove plaque or enlarged to enable better flowing. Jean Marc Alsac, the surgeon supervising the trial, said that it tested two things: one, how quickly the bleeding stopped when the glue was applied, and two, that there were no adverse effects in patients in the three months after surgery. It ran immediately, Alsac told me. I wasnt prepared for the surgery to be over that rapidly. It was astonishing.

A human trial of the glue is planned for next year in the US. Karp hopes the glue will become part of the surgical armamentarium available in all hospitals throughout the world to reduce surgical days and complications of current procedures. He also wants to see it used in surgeries where there are currently no suitable methods to close tissues, such as in minimally invasive procedures where it is difficult to tie knots in small spaces, or where bulky stapling devices cannot fit. Currently, many surgical procedures are much more invasive than it was necessary to, he told me, but with better ways of sealing tissues in small spaces, this can drastically be reduced.

Making the glue indispensable to surgeons could also help boost bioinspirations profile, particularly in medication. I suppose as others watch successful examples, they will be more inclined to give it a try, Karp said. When I first started off, I didnt genuinely watch bioinspiration as a tool or platform merely a project. I surely didnt realise how powerful it could be.

When I visited Geckos headquarters in Paris this summer, I asked Pereira to show me how the glue runs. She filled a small syringe with 0.2 ml of the glue, which is yellow and gloopy. She took a piece of clear rubber and pressed a small dot of glue on to its surface. Lets pretend this is a ruptured boat inside the body, she said. She took a thin metal rod and spread the glue around on the rubber surface. She then took the pen lighting and held it over the rubber for five seconds. Here, she said, pushing the rubber into my hands. Feel it.

The glue had set into a shiny, flexible coating on top of the rubber. I played around with it for a few minutes, then asked Pereira if I could try applying the glue myself. She shook her head, chuckling. Youll simply have to wait your turning like everyone else.

This article was revised on 25 October 2016. An earlier version described Jeffrey Karp, who is an affiliate faculty member at MIT, as also operating a laboratory at the university. His lab is actually affiliated with Brigham and Womens Hospital, where he is also a professor.

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