#human foetal brain

[bhaskarlive]

IIT Madras releases world 1st 3D images of human foetal brain

In a significant feat, researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras on Tuesday released the most detailed 3D high-resolution images of the foetal brain.

Source: bhaskarlive.in

[a-room-of-my-own]

Anonymous surrogate mother

I was an altruistic surrogate a few years ago and was abandoned by the intended parents (IPs). We were really close before and I allowed them to get close to my children. My UK surrogacy agency instilled in me that I had to be close friends with the IPs to reduce the risk of the arrangement breaking down. I regret this now, I only hope my children aren’t feeling too much of a loss from being used by the IPs.

Anonymous midwife

During my 13-year career as a midwife I witnessed many negative consequences of surrogacy for women.

The first time I encountered a surrogate mother was when I was caring for her when she was unwell in the high dependency unit. She had been commissioned by two gay men to carry a baby for them. It was her egg. There was a vast age gap between the two men and one of them died during the pregnancy. The younger one no longer wanted the baby. This young mother was then left to bring up the baby by herself. She was vulnerable, poor, and had previously been a victim of domestic abuse.

I have also been involved in the care of a young woman who was carrying a baby for a heterosexual couple who divorced. It was their egg and sperm. They no longer wanted the child. She was bullied into a termination at 22 weeks gestation.

Another horrifying story was of a mother of three children in her 30s who discovered she had a terminal condition and had to terminate the pregnancy at 20 weeks. She later died leaving three children. The surrogacy did not cause the condition but it hastened her death.

There are many other stories of trauma which I cannot share due to them being identifiable.

In my experience it is only poor and vulnerable women who choose to become surrogates. Wealthy, educated women never choose to become surrogates. If it’s only poor women, how can it truly be a choice? It is exploitation.

In the UK we are not meant to have commercial surrogacy but it is evident that we do. Women are given vast sums of money as “expenses”. When they are using their own eggs, it can only be described as human trafficking.

I have also cared for women after “successful” surrogacies. These women feel immense loss and sadness after giving birth and handing over the child. Even if it’s not their genetics the mother-foetal dyad is still powerful. Women are not microwaves. We tell pregnant women to bond with their babies in utero and to talk to them to help brain development. The babies bond with the mother as they grow. Then they are ripped away at birth. Some never see them again after the first day. It is barbaric.

Share your story

We believe that there are many women who are suffering in silence after having an unhappy, damaging or traumatic experience of ‘donating’ their eggs or being a ‘surrogate’ mother for the benefit of others. If this has happened to you and you’d like to share your story anonymously, please see our Share your surrogacy or eggsploitation story page.

[do-you-have-a-flag]

sorry to come back to this but this truly fascinates and concerns me for so many reasons

obligatory "Ah sweet. Man-made horrors beyond my comprehension." comment

so first of all: brain organoids. which are grown from human stem cells into just little brains with underdeveloped eyes, they have a lifespan of about 100 days because they are an organ without a system.

these brain organoids are something that have a lot of potential when it comes to studying any number of things. just off the top of my head i would think- the process of human development, disease studies, healing tissue development, foetal and premature development of consciousness, ect ect ect i'm not informed on this type of research so i will freely admit idk.

and they are using 16 at a time as processors with computer chips. okay sure, scifi aside, the structure of an organ being used for it's complexity compared to the limitations of material and efficiency in current technology makes sense. if it helps imagine if a branch or a kidney were hooked up to a computer chip and we found out that it worked as good or better than mechanical processors for a fraction of the energy use. i am also not informed on how most technology works, please keep in mind, but i am also not opposed to the idea of combining these types of technologies in theory. and the biggest downfall currently is short shelf-life of the organoids required.

but the thing is, i think, that this is specifically an early development of a brain, at what point is consciousness defined? there is no sensory system beyond the basic light perception of the eyes and the input to the brain but at what point is the responses automatic and at what point is it complex enough to be aware in some abstract way. this question is one that can be applied to any form of animal of course.... but i think also that it is strange that these organoids are being specifically developed from human stem cells and not any number of other animal as a brain is a brain and at the small scale they are growing these organoids most of the speculative benefits of human logic are irrelevant- they are operating at pre mature infant levels which could just as easily be achieved by any number of apes cells surely?

is there going to be a developmental cut off for these organoids? at what point of biological development is the ethical ick factor for consciousness? because of how stem cells are able to be harvested in a non destructive fashion things like lab grown meat make sense to me- those are consumed but can also offset the requirements for the meat industry- and if these organoids are also grown from stem cells that's great but at what point is making that many to be burnt through as processors a wasteful use when there are other possible avenues of study? the wide commercial release of such experimental tech seems a little risky considering how quickly new technologies are exploited- just look at bitcoin farms and ai scraping- for the sake of profit with no care for ethical implementation or construction or impact.

this is a weird post from me but sorry i just have some questions i want you the person reading this to think about with me, seperate to any deep reading of the science because i wanna focus on the personal reaction to the concepts, (feel free to read the science tho i encourage it) just something to chew on i'm not expecting any philosophically concrete answers:

would you use the brain organoid processor tech if you had the chance?

why?

Why is it important that these have to be grown from human stem cells

where is the line between organ and being/consciousness

let's contend: there is the world (physical) and there is the senses (contact with the physical) and there is the experience (interpretation)

is it the senses or the experience that makes a creature conscious? how complex do the senses need to be before the experience is positive or negative?

where is that experiencial definition? is it as simple as feels good feels bad?

is it the tendency to circulate repeatedly on the same neural pathway? how are those neurological reactions controlled? are they controlled?

how do you feel about scientific testing on humans?

how do you feel about scientific testing on animals?

how do you feel about scientific testing on plants?

how do you feel about scientific testing on fungi?

how do you feel about scientific testing on single celled organisms?

how do you feel about scientific testing on organs?

how do you feel about scientific testing on technology?

what do you consider the line to be for ethical research? is it funding? is it theory versus practice? is it use of information? is it method of data collection? is it intent? is it implementation? is it within a limitation of precedent? is it within a limitation of subject? are there areas you think should be left alone on principle? why?

what level of complexity is required for the question of consent of participant?

where should limitations be imposed on use? why would limitations be necessary? who has the right to information? who has the right to profit?

Who is profiting from these studies? where will this technology be used? who is competing with this technology? what other technologies might this impact? will other technologies using the same concept adhere to the same limitations/ethics?

do you think everyone using the brain organoid based processors for $500pcm are thinking about these questions? should they have to?

disclaimer: i am uneducated and uninformed in the fields of science and technology so this is one hundo percent a personal response to information i have very little context for. But i also think it's important to think actively about technology and avoid complacency about the way it impacts our lives so doing little thought exercises in response to articles like this is, I think, a good thing.

[toskarin]

is it legal to marry an autofede

[this is an ask about Armored Blade Jetkaiser lore, a work-in-progress ttrpg setting, and is subject to change]

marriage doesn't really exist as a secular institution in the Third Cycle. it's an entirely religious thing, and as autofedes are not singular entities (a full swarm of autofedes operates off of one mind, an intelligence core) or humans, they are not eligible for marriage within the Unions

while there are things similar to marriages that can be entered as secular arrangements, they notably all require citizenship papers, which are only assigned by aforementioned Unions

so to cut a long answer short, you can't really marry an autofede for the same reason you can't marry one wheel from a train. they're not sapient, sentient, nor a distinct entity

well,

this gets into a bit of an interesting note about how AI works in the Third Cycle, but because intelligence cores (henceforth ICs) assigned to control divine machinery require a human for their implantation to form a pact with, they do contain a primitive form of a brain stem developed from human foetal tissue

in the event an IC manages to develop a sense of self, if it is discovered, it lawfully must be destroyed. because azariels can be spiteful about being forced into a pact with an IC, some are known to instruct them on how to hide their newfound consciousness until a sufficient opportunity for revenge reveals itself

awakened ICs can use holy arts in the same way as Jetkaisers so long as their autofedes have blood left inside of them. an autofede swarm acting spitefully and deliberately is a pretty clear sign that something's happened with the IC. there's nothing in an IC's programming that encourages them to, for example, honour someone's request for a fair duel

this is less "AI cascade/singularity/rampancy" and more akin to a gun suddenly waking up one day and realising it's being fired. the Unions' mandates against awakened ICs are more of a reactionary social policy around the control of what counts as "life" than an attempt to prevent an AI uprising

also they don't treat ICs particularly well when using them as tools and strapping godcorpse bits to them, so it's not like they're entirely baseless in suspicions that an awakening could lead to extreme military sabotage

in this state, it's theoretically possible to form a bond with an awakening IC, and while there are no organisational bodies in the Unions that recognise the personhood of awakened ICs, you might

at this point, marrying an autofede would be a bit more conceptually similar to marrying one finger from someone's hand, though

[consultingzoologist]

Infected are dying, the news says.

Bodies slumping to the ground, curling into a foetal position, the human hosts finally at rest. The fungus continuing to grow, forming a silhouette of the old host when the body finally crumbles into the embrace of the earth, fungal cups and caps and oddest of all, spires reaching towards the sky. Like how humans reached for the stars before she was born.

The world is changing once again. Ellie talks to the fungus in her brain.

One day it talks back.

Hello everyone I am back on my bullshit. Do you like themes of horror and grief and nature and transformation? Did stories like Annihilation make you question everything and stare at the wall for a few hours? Do you think there's potential for The Last of Us Part 2 to be emotionally devastating but in a different way to how it currently goes? Check this out!

[covfeandtv]

Bio-Mechanical Utility Exo-Suits

Known as Meta-Organs or Second Skins, Bio-Mechanical Utility Exo-Suits (BMUES) are artificial biological tools which are worn by the human user as a full-body suit, allowing them direct control over highly versitile bio-machinery. Its “skin” covers the human users body and, with assistance from non-biological mechanical and computational components, can change shape and function to the needs of its user.

For instance, a person wearing a BMUES may adapt their ankles and feet to better support long distance running by developing an exo-skeletal support and power system around relevant body parts out of organic matter, working in conjunction with the users own bio-mechanics as synchronous and co-operative organs. The user may then take on the form of something more resembling an animal in their relative limbs and organs if it may fascilitate their activity in ways more effective than their natural human bodies can allow. The user may adapt things like new eyes which move and position in ways to expand their point of view. As the BMUES “grows” around their own head, new apparatus communices directly with the user's brain to transmit relative input and output information, once again acting synchronous and co-operatively with the user's own organs as if they were one.

BMUES may also produce bio-mechanical organs which are unrecognisable in comparison to known organisms. For instance, one may use their BMUES while on a distant excursion through unsettled wilderness to provide for them a shelter for the night against the elements. Developers of BMUES have drafted programs which instruct the exo-suit to grow thin limbs from the user's back - limbs reminiscant most closely to the legs of a spider, or of the bones of a bats wings - which will encase the user in an egg shaped frame like cupped fingers, before the space between these limbs are webbed together by a fleshy tissue, which then toughens to encase the user in a safe, weatherproof egg. From inside, with the user sat in an upright foetal position, the BMUES may then anchor the hem of its encasing into the ground with tendrils acting as long roots to pin its canvas deep into the ground, ensuring it remains upright and undisturbed during high winds or investigation by wildlife. When secured, the BMUES may then fill the space inside its shell with sedatory gasses, putting the user to sleep. After a predetermined amount of time, adjusted by the user's personal computational device, the shell will open and retract back into the user, allowing them to wake up and continue their business, well rested for the upcoming day.

Maintaining ones BMUES is simple but demanding. While wearing a BMUES, a user must often consume 3 to 4 times their normal daily calorific intake in order to fuel its bio-machinery and provide it with compounds needed to operate, while still providing the user with their own dietary demands. Non-biological computing devices can monitor the nutritional input and expendature of the user and their BMUES as one singular organism, and adjust its use as required, such as managing fat reserves for either fuel or for tissue synthesis.

Some extra-human dietary supplements will be required also to provide for some of the functions of the BMUES. Materials such as mercury, francium, and copper, can be consumed with the help of pre-programmed oral and anal adaptations. It is very important that a user's BMUES is kept well nourished as a malnourished BMUES can severely harm its human user.

Extra-professional leisure use is strictly prohibited by the board, and users caught or suspected of using their BMUES for fetishised sexual activity will be banished.

[niharikawritings]

The Significance Of Stem Cell Banking: Explained

As an expectant parent, your main focus will undoubtedly be to ensure a secure future for your baby. And why not? It's quite natural to prioritize your little one's future and offer them the best-secured life! Having said that, you may have heard about stem cell banking to preserve your baby’s stem cells and the numerous benefits it offers. But, did you know that banking your baby’s umbilical cord blood stem cells post-birth can also safeguard your baby and entire family from over 90+ medical conditions? That’s right! In this article, let us learn about the world of stem cells, explore the benefits of stem cell banking and know how you can opt for it.

Unlocking The Potential Of Stem Cells And Stem Cell Banking

In simple terms, stem cells are special human cells that can develop into many different cell types ranging from muscle cells to brain cells.1 Unlike other cells in the body stem cells are unique due to the following reasons:2

They have the ability to self-renew themselves

They cannot perform specific functions in the body as they are unspecialised

They can transform into specialised cells such as blood cells, brain cells and muscle cells

There is ongoing, extensive research in the field of “regenerative medicine” exploring the ability of stem cells to treat various diseases and injuries. This is because experimental evidence suggests that stem cells can potentially function as repair mechanisms for the replacement of damaged cells.3

These stem cells are broadly classified into embryonic stem cells, foetal stem cells, adult stem cells, embryonic germ cells, and amniotic and umbilical cord stem cells.3 If you want to learn more about their sources and specific properties, read this blog on “All About Stem Cells: Different Types & Sources Of Stem Cells”.

Now, let’s discuss stem cell banking: the art of preserving stem cells to safeguard your baby’s future!

What Is Stem Cell Banking?

Stem cell banking involves collecting and freezing your baby’s umbilical cord stem cells using cryogenic technology. These cells have the potential to treat life-threatening diseases such as 4,5

Bone marrow diseases that require a transplant

Cancers like lymphoma or leukaemia

Sickle cell disease

Immune system disorders

By choosing stem cell banking, you can obtain biological assurance to protect your baby and family from life-threatening diseases, if the need ever arises.6 So, if you are looking to bank your baby’s stem cells, then LifeCell, India's first and largest stem cell bank can be a trusted option.

Established in 2004, LifeCell is chosen by over 4,50,000+ parents to preserve their baby’s stem cells. You’d also be surprised to know that it is the first stem cell bank to introduce community stem cell banking. By opting for LifeCell’s stem cell banking plan, you can gain access to a vast repository of 75,000+ qualified cord blood units. Quite fascinating, right? Now let’s explore the benefits of umbilical cord blood stem cell banking. 

Unique Benefits Of Stem Cell Banking With LifeCell

There are several advantages of banking your baby’s stem cells with LifeCell as they offer exclusive benefits to your little one and family.

Family Coverage: Benefits to immediate family members of the baby including parents, siblings, and grandparents (maternal & paternal)

Protects From Various Medical Conditions: Safeguards baby from the impact of 90+ conditions & family members from 82+ conditions

Largest Inventory: Access to 75,000+ qualified cord blood units 

Best Matchmaker: > 97% chance of finding an Indian-origin stem cell match

Medical Insurance: Financial assistance up to INR 20 lakhs for every stem cell transplantation

Highest Retrieval Experience: Safe transplantation program with 64 retrievals in India & 19 Internationally

How Much Does Stem Cell Banking Cost?

The best part is that you can now enrol for stem cell banking at just Rs 1 with zero-interest EMIs. To make stem cell banking affordable LifeCell has partnered with financial institutions such as Bajaj Finserv, Pinelabs, Axio (formerly Capital Float) and LiquiLoans. You can know more about LifeCell’s affordable stem cell banking plans in this article - “Zero-Interest EMIs, 1 Rupee Down Payment: LifeCell Makes Stem Cell Banking Affordable For All.”

It’s A Wrap!

We hope this blog has provided you with all the necessary information on LifeCell’s stem cell banking program. By opting to preserve your baby’s umbilical cord blood cells, you not only ensure the safety and health of your own family but also contribute to improving the lives of others. So, if you’re expecting a baby, grab the chance to protect your family with India's largest and most preferred stem cell bank for up to 75 years! 

To know more details about LifeCell’s stem cell banking call us at 1800-266-5533 or visit lifecell.in

[healthyheynutrition]

Unlocking the Power of Folic Acid: Benefits and Trends

Discover the numerous benefits of folic acid and why it's currently trending in health and wellness. Read on to explore how folic acid supports overall health, including brain function, heart health, and prenatal care. Learn why Healthyhey stands out as the best choice for high-quality folic acid supplements, offering premium formulations and exceptional customer satisfaction.

The vitamin B9 compound is essential for preserving human health. It has a wealth of advantages, so it's no surprise that it's become a hot issue in the health and wellness industry.

Cognitive Function and brain health By Folic Acid

It is necessary to promote mental and cognitive wellness by using Vitamins. Folic Acid is essential for the synthesis of neurotransmitters, which act as chemical messengers in the brain. According to studies, it may assist overall brain health by improving focus, memory, and learning.

Cardiovascular and Heart Function

Homocysteine is an amino acid that, when its levels are high, can raise the risk of heart disease. It also aids in lowering these levels. Levels of Folic Acid must be kept in a healthy range for cardiovascular health. Along with this, it promotes a healthy heart and optimal cardiovascular function by lowering homocysteine.

Prenatal Care and Folic Acid

In addition to this, it is essential for optimal foetal development throughout pregnancy, especially the development of the neural tube. The importance of folic acid in prenatal care is one of the most well-known advantages of this substance. To lower the risk of birth abnormalities, it is advised that women of reproductive age take enough folic acid.

Why Choose Healthyhey for Supplemental Folic Acid?

You can obtain the most significant benefits by using the premium pills that Healthyhey offers. They excel in the following ways:

High-quality folic acid supplements from Healthyhey are made with the cleanest components and have premium formulations for optimum potency and performance.

Trusted Brand: Healthyhey is a well-known brand in the health and wellness sector, with a focus on customer happiness, quality, and safety.

Wide Selection: Healthyhey offers a variety of supplements to meet a variety of needs and preferences, making sure there is a product fit for everyone.

Expert Advice: Healthyhey's team of professionals is committed to assisting you in making well-informed decisions about your health. They offer helpful advice and assistance to ensure you get the best results.

Experience the difference in quality and efficacy when you choose Healthyhey for your requirements. Put your health first with their high-quality supplements.

[drew-mga2022mi6011]

Conceptualisation | What Do I Want To Be Known For?

Concept Art from my upcoming children’s book

Asking this question at this point may seem redundant, after I've chosen my desired brief, but this question can help me narrow down the story that I want to tell.

The world right now finds itself in chaos and turmoil, and it is my belief that creators are producing many depressing stories. It could be that negativity simply sticks in peoples' minds more than happiness. I do not want to go down this route. As a designer and more importantly, as a person, I want my work to inspire creativity and comfort, spark a debate on one's ideals, inspire hope, write about the human experience and how we thrive despite life's hurdles. I want my work to be somebody's light at the end of the tunnel.

This is a good place to start. Something that inspired me was the story of the extinction of the Atlas Lion (more accurately known as the Barbary Lion). The last officially recorded sighting was likely as seen in the photo in 1924. However, there are several eyewitness accounts that detail the survival of the species as late as 1958. One imagines the "last" Atlas Lion lonely, walking to his death. I see this differently. Maybe he was going home to his family.

A story like this works well for the silent medium. A journey of solitude across many lands, back to one's home. This reminds me of the story of the Prodigal Son from the Bible. While not the same, the son leaves on his own journey, squanders his money, and returns home to his father, who accepts him with open arms, an obvious allegory for God. Combining the two ideas, perhaps I could write a story about someone who leaves home on a journey for greatness and glory, with much time passing. The final part of the story could be this character returning home to their family.

I enjoy this idea, although still in its foetal phase. I plan to think on this more and develop a proper narrative going forward. Still, in order to better understand what I am doing, here are a few more questions that I could ask myself in relation to this project.

What ideas have you been yearning to bring into the world?

Scientifically Accurate Render of The Earth from Space - Drew de Silva

My brain is constantly working on overtime, even when I am supposed to be resting. I find that my best ideas come to me in a vision, whilst pacing around my room with questionable intent. I’m constantly bouncing between the idea of bringing fun, short stories to the world just for the sake of being fun, or creating sprawling, touching narratives that speak to a very specific niche of the human psyche. For MI6021, I have decided to explore the former, so this posits a good opportunity to explore the latter.

This is why I want to explore the themes present in The Last Atlas Lion, it speaks to the human experience. I want to craft a story that ultimately leaves people feeling endless emotion, purely through the visual medium. A story of an abstract, emotional, solitary journey framed against the deserted Atlas Mountain Range. I am reminded of a quote that speaks to the sort of art I want to create for this project;

"Art should disturb the comforted, and comfort the disturbed."

Essentially, I want to create something that, while not necessarily 100% happy, eventually brings comfort to the viewer in the end.

What is the best project to demonstrate all of the skills you have learned so far?

An Excerpt from I Love Bugs and Why I’m Scared of Dying - Drew de Silva

Tied with my MI5018 submission for my favourite project that I have worked on thus far is the answer to my Experimental Motion Graphics brief. This project truly allowed me to explore all the things that I loved in animation; composition, traditional and digital 2d animation, mixed media, stop motion and more unorthodox methods of creating engaging visuals such as screen printing.

The art of experimental animation speaks to my desire to create, to fuse digital techniques and more traditional, analogue ones. At this point in time, I am contemplating exploring different textural methodologies, to the extent of possibly creating some completely hand-drawn elements for this project, albeit this is subject to change. This brief creates the perfect opportunity for me to take a more manual approach with my work, and even optionally print it out as a physical submission.

What does the world need right now?

Amidst the countless ruthless conflicts that are happening across the world, the growing climate crisis and the general apathy that our society has built up over the years, the world is in a constant state of disarray. Does the world even care about what I have to say? Does the world need more Sri Lanka? More Drew?

I think the world needs more feel-good stories, more happy endings. We as a society have become so disconnected from our own emotions; so apathetic. I want to create something that brings that spark back into peoples' hearts and minds, to get them to really think about their current circumstances and just, in general, feel.

[sublimeobservationarcade]

American Movies Celebrating Guns

They say that you can tell a lot about a nation/culture by the kind of movies that come out of that country. Well, American movies are by and large full of guns and really stupid characters doing dumb things. Films and popular culture are a mirror held up to that nation. No wonder democracy is reputedly on its last legs in the US of A. The greater mass of American movies are dire tripe. The screenplays of many of them must have been written by 13 year old’s with foetal alcohol syndrome (with apologies to 13 YO’s). The plot, characterisation, and dialogue are so putrid that turning them off is the only option. American movies celebrating guns says a lot about the culture. Amazon, as a streaming service, must have the worst selection of American films I have witnessed in a long time. Dumb and dumber must be their mission statement or cheap and cheaper perhaps.

Stop Watching American Movies With Guns In Them

I have a suggestion for every person who abhors the gun deaths and massacres occurring weekly in the US. Make a New Year’s resolution in 2024 to switch off every movie with a gun in it. Make a commitment to not support guns and gun violence by cancelling your participation in watching movies that celebrate guns. Hollywood is the biggest supporter of guns in America via their continual making of guns into stars in their product. Imagine if all right thinking citizens voted with their feet in terms of not watching films with guns in them. Pretty soon the producers and screen writers would have to change their movie making formulars to reflect what the public will watch.

Give Guns The Flick In 2024 Movies featuring guns that kill people are the stars of most American movies today. Actors pretending to be characters in a story pick up guns and shoot extras and stuntmen in movies. The human brain processes these things as pretty real and has visceral responses to the things it sees on the screen. Kids watching these movies get all excited and wound up by the violence portrayed on screen. Hollywood has been making these dumb films for decades. They call them action movies. The characters don’t think much in these films, they act with their guns in hand spraying bullets left, right and centre. Car chases and gun fight scenes are the bread and butter of action movies. Dumb sensory shit sending dumb messages about dumb behaviour. Killing someone with a gun is not a heroic act. Guns and bombs are really for cowards. It is using machines, devices, and technology to do your fighting for you. Real courage uses no weapons. Real smarts utilises conflict management skills. Hollywood movies don’t celebrate these things. Their superficial concerns are all about entertainment via pyrotechnics and loud explosions. Movies and popular culture are mirrors, however, to the society they reflect.

America has no standards and they call this freedom. What’s that quote? “Freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose.” The entertainment business in the US is awash with simulated violence and gun deaths. This is the mirror being held up to the American people. American movies celebrating guns are singing the death song of this once hopeful nation. Do yourself a favour and turn off the gun filled movies from your screens. Take a stand in 2024 and raise your own standards. These dumb films are damaging your psyche and perpetuating the myth of guns as solutions to problems. Guns only make things worse. Guns and bombs are for cowards. “In the wake of the mass shooting in Uvalde and far too many more, Hollywood veterans have circulated an open letter calling on Hollywood to be part of the solution, not the problem. The letter suggests being “mindful of on-screen gun violence and model gun safety best practices,” showing on-screen gun users locking guns correctly and making them inaccessible to children, limiting the ways they’re used on screen, and exploring alternatives. The initiative was led by activists Robert Bowers Disney and Christy Callahan, who is co-chair for the advocacy group Brady United Against Gun Violence. Disney, the group’s national organizing director, told me that modeling good on-screen behavior around guns can have a much bigger impact than one might think and that social activists have had success with storytellers rethinking how they depict other social issues in the past.” (https://www.vox.com/23180187/hollywood-good-guy-gun-movies) Robert Sudha Hamilton is the author of Money Matters: Navigating Credit, Debt, and Financial Freedom.   ©WordsForWeb Read the full article

[justminawrites]

Harvesting a Dragon Heart

AO3

Summary: Anna Primrose had only meant to scare the slave. Aria, help her, not fall in love with him. tw: suicidal tendencies; slight swearing.

Anna Primrose had only meant to scare the slave. 

She’d found him outside the Department of Human Resources Building, curled into a foetal position as mana dripped from a vial, forming a cobalt-blue pool around his bandaged wrist. 

Well, found was a strong word. Anna had tripped over the bastard and gone sprawling across the dusty ground, staining her white skirt, breaking a heel – and was about to cuss him out, in public, before she caught sight of the unmistakable shock of white hair and fell silent. 

Scrambling to her knees, Anna took his face in her hands examined it to be sure. Yep, it was him all right. The weirdo who offered to sell his organs to buy a few paltry bottles of recovery water. And it wasn’t just from her, no. She heard the man had been taking out loans right and left, and gotten himself into lifetimes worth of debt in a matter of days – missing interest payments, incurring late penalties – like he’d expected Aria, Goddess of Light, to come down from the sky and bail him out. Or the god of death.

Anna frowned down at his other palm frozen in an obscene gesture at the sky, and gently relaxed the fingers. He didn’t smell like mead, or anything else the tavern offered, so she doubted he’d been drinking his life savings away. It must be a result of hopelessness then. She’d seen it before, though not often – people went slightly insane once the slave mark had been placed on them, a despair like no other setting in. If this continued, not only would he never escape the mine, Anna would be plucking out his organs within the week. And she wanted to avoid that route as much as she could, if only to save herself the guilt of killing another person.

What this punk needed was a good scare, something to snap him out of his suicidal stupor and focus on repaying money to the Temple, before he lost his life as a result of this temporary stupidity. Maybe she’d threaten to cut off a finger; that usually brought them back to reality. Lowering his head back to the ground, Anna rose and dusted herself off. 

‘Zephyr’, he’d scribbled onto the form she’d made him sign – no last name. An orphan like her then: (Primrose was the name the Temple gave her when they swore her in). 

Anna uttered a silent plea in the back of her mind before she left to gather a few men to carry out her plan. 

Get it together, Zephyr, she looked down at his unconscious form, evening light crowning the back of her head like a halo. You deserve to live.

“..white.. rose..” 

“WAIT!”

The blade stopped, hovering a hair’s width above his finger. Zephyr gave her a devilish grin, sprawled out on the white sheets a few hours later, one hand cuffed to the bed-frame, almost lounging as he smirked away, her secret tucked between his pearly white teeth. 

Anna was glad she shooed her two henchmen away immediately because the next words out of that lunatic’s mouth were ‘monster broker’, either of which would’ve instantly gotten her official priest privileges suspended for a fortnight (her supervisors only cared if she got caught) at least– not to mention confiscating her savings.

But there was something strange about the way Zephyr said it, so full of conviction, like her alias was far more famous than she realised. Though that wasn’t the case– at least not yet. White Rose was a rising star in the black market, yes, largely a result of using her affiliation with the Temple to discretely transport goods across borders but she’d hardly dealt in the larger catches within the Kingdom: Divine armoury, Potions and Dungeon-spoils, in particular, were completely out of her league. 

Who the hell was this guy? She wracked her brain to remember if he was one of her old clients or someone she’d briefly run into at the black market, but Anna’s eyes kept drifting back to his snow-white locks– no, she would’ve definitely remembered someone with hair that unusual. 

Zephyr kept grinning, knowing he had her in the palm of hand now – and she resisted the urge to smack that expression off his face. 

In any other situation, she would appreciate the bitter taste of irony blooming on her tongue; being held hostage by the secret to her financial freedom. Until she figured out who’d run their mouth about her identity, she couldn’t kill him.

Anna pressed her hand into the white-fleece mattress, determined to stare Zephyr down, but his grey eyes only shone gleefully daring her to take up the challenge. So she did.

“I have a better proposal for you,” he said finally.

The predator’s head was huge. 

Though it was merely a child of the species, it took up 60% of the room she’d rented. Her anger melted away into awe as she took in the beast’s leathery purple hide, rows and rows of sharp teeth and that hideous red tongue, dull and slimy–  leaving a trail of watery blood and spit on the wooden floorboards. 

“Well?” Zephyr asked flatly, arms crossed, “Do you like it?”

Did she like it? Anna could practically hear the cha-ching! of gold coins falling into her lap as she eyed the monstrous head. A (no longer) walking gold mine, she could name at least ten separate men who’d be free of the slave-mark if they had half of what this egregious thing was worth. 

Not to mention the skills needed to exterminate a predator were.. Anna suddenly had a better idea why she’d found Zephyr passed out in the middle of the street. 

“Anyway, let me make sure I get everything right–“

Once she explained the value of the other items he needed, and talked shop, they settled on a second exchange three weeks from now. A buzz of anticipation ran through her veins when they’d finished, the current carrying with it the intoxicating promise of notoriety.

A powerful man like Zephyr was sure to gain fame, despite being a slave, perhaps even because of it, and as everybody knows; fame begets money, lots of it– enough for her to buy her safety a thousand times over. Anna Primrose had just found her ticket out of here.

“But first..” Zephyr’s eyes narrowed wickedly, the crystalline grey clear enough, she imagined, to see through her soul. 

“I need another favour.”

That jackass.

Anna swore as the mid-morning heat left her forehead and the back of her drenched with sweat. 

Zephyr had taken the bottle of expensive liquor– worth more than the predator by the way– she’d saved especially for her supervisor (who said he’d put in a good word with The Holy One for her) so she had to visit the shops last minute to buy another. Unfortunately, the liquor store had a capacity limit at any given time. 

Though no one dared crowd her outside, perks of being an official priest, the wind’s muggy embrace was almost too much for Anna to bear; humidity mixing with the minute particles of sand, coating the service of her neck in an itchy, sticky film. The paper fan in her hand provided no relief from the temperate climate, and she quickly ducked under a nearby blue awning for a blissful second of shade.

“Sister Primrose! I thought that was you!”

“Sister Bettiol!” Anna snapped her fan shut, as a woman with long lilac hair and round glasses came up to her, cloth bag in hand.

“What brings you to the shops so early?”

Angelia Bettiol smiled in her usual secretive manner, and Anna felt her grin twitch a fraction. 

Though the woman was one of, if not the best, enchanters in the Temple– Angelia had acquired a reputation for being a ruthless information monger; she could sniff out a dirty secret like a kobold in mating season. It’s why Anna had largely kept out of her way till now.

“I could ask you the same, Sister,” Angelia’s violet eyes flickered with curiosity, “This isn’t usually your scene.”

“Oh you know,” she floundered, scrambling around in her own cloth pouch to produce something to explain herself, “I’m just looking for a few essentials– erm..”

Anna pulled out the parchment with Zephyr’s list, but Angelia plucked it out of her palm instantly. 

“Oh my.. blessed enchantments, a Salamander stone, even a miraculous rosary..”

She snatched it back but it was too late; the damage had already been done.

“These are quite essential, Sister Primrose,” the other nun nodded sagely, “To take on a dungeon.”

“A dungeon?” She paled. Could Zephyr be–

“Don’t tell me you’re planning on joining the raid party next month?”

“I’m.. considering it,” Anna lied through gritted teeth, not meeting Angelia’s eyes. If Zephyr really was going to join The Holy One’s raid on The Tomb of the Fallen Princess then he’d need far better armour and weaponry than he’d demanded. That dungeon hadn’t been conquered in ten full years. She definitely had her work cut for her. 

“How ..unlike you, Sister,” Angelia gave her a once-over and cryptically smiled again, “Well, if you need help preparing, you know where to find me.”

Anna was about to open her mouth but then Angelia waved over her shoulder cheerily and added,

“But don’t forget– I charge 4000 gold coins per blessed object!”

“Here’s the uniform and entry pass.”

Anna held out the folded robes (largest she could find) and the forged entry pass, up to a bemused Zephyr, with a huff.

They were following the pathway leading out from the Temple, across the picturesque lawns, peppered with trees and shrubs. 

She’d been trying to glean any information about why he’d needed any of the items he’d asked her to acquire, for the last twenty minutes, much to no avail. Tight-lipped and frosty as ever, Zephyr mutely let her chatter herself out, while he watched on with something like condescension in his eyes. He was probably still be mad about the whole finger-chopping thing.

“Alchemy equipment is big and hard to move,” She said thoughtfully, “–so I can’t just lend it to you."

As she explained the plan (he could sneak into the Temple and use the alchemy labs after seven o’ clock) she noticed her client relax slightly, his look of disapproval melting into begrudging admiration of her resourcefulness. Before she could capitalise on it, however, they were interrupted. 

“There you are, Sister.”

Anna felt a chill overtake her as Ned Stryer’s voice interrupted her, the tone running a cold knife down her spine, pallid skin rippling with goose-pimples under her robes. 

She dropped Zephyr’s arm like a hot stone and stepped forward, forcing herself to look the Inquisitor’s agent in the eye, as she covered her client’s hulking torso behind the Temple sigil on her robes. She knew that lot would try something (especially after that nasty business with Sahak) but she applauded the audacity he must have to do it right in front of her, an official priest.

Ned didn’t even bother to acquiesce her eye contact when he invited her out for tea, those burning ochre eyes locked onto his prey with the precise focus of a black steel spider. Zephyr returned his sentiment all too readily, grey eyes hungry for the challenge as he stepped forward but held out a bandaged arm to shield her. The intent was loud and clear: This is between you and me, the action seemed to say, Leave her out of it.

Before Anna could read too much into that, the mana force-field began crackling on the surface of her skin. It was like two live wires had collided into one another with an unmatchable ferocity, restless-red versus an impulsive-blue, the leftover magic skidding this way and that; charged with electricity sharp enough that it drilled into her flesh, into her bone. 

The trees around them began to sway with the influx of energy, birds hastily taking flight leaving their nests behind in fear of the electric storm. Even the air became heavy with the unmistakably metallic taste of blood. 

She had to do something.

"Get on your knees, both of you.”

An unmistakable shiver of pleasure shot through Anna like adrenaline as the two men bowed to the Temple’s power, their twin slave marks glowing in response to her command. 

Before Ned could gather his wits, or even realise what she was doing; Anna walked up to Zephyr, grabbed her client by the scruff of his brown collar, summoned every bit of fear and anger into her the flat of her palm and slapped him– hard. 

“If you lay a finger on him, I’ll kill you.”

Anna steadied her shaking hands against her knees. 

She couldn’t imagine what had possessed her to lie so brashly, but her final confrontation with the red-haired assassin replayed over and over in her head, leaving her insides knotted with anxiety. 

They’d managed to evade Ned because of her milking the charade, loudly announcing to no one in particular how much she was going to discipline Zephyr – who, to his credit, looked more confused than hurt (by the slap) – the second they returned to the Temple. 

Anna let go of his collar the moment they turned a corner and collapsed onto the stone steps out of sheer relief, not caring how discoloured her skirt would get. Zephyr leaned against a wall instead, looking more like a put out child than someone safe from certain danger, his eyes clouded with memories of somewhere or someone far away. 

The sight irritated her so much she began to scold him, just how many more times would she need to save this ungrateful bastard? Not just Sahak and the Inquisitors, he’d had to go pick a fight with someone infamous for beating his enemies so thoroughly, all that was left were their corpses. It was a miracle Zephyr hadn’t died of his own accord yet– a miracle, or a desperate bargain he’d struck with fate. 

Anna promptly rose and walked up to his place by the wall. The only acknowledgement she received in return was her client’s eyes clearing back to grey. 

“I swear if you don’t pay back your debt, I’ll kill you myself!” She chided half-heartedly, the anger finally draining out of her in one fell swoop to make room for dread. Surely Ned wouldn’t attack her just for using the slave mark to break up a fight– surely the Temple would keep her safe.

Anna recalled the night-dark chill she’d felt in her heart when the assassin had first said her name. No, the Temple couldn’t protect her from anything. But Zephyr.. Zephyr had tried.

Warmth surged into her face when she recalled the vaguely defensive stance he’d taken when the fight seemed to be on the verge of breaking out– his arm poised to shove her behind him at the first sign of attack. The same arm she’d threatened to mutilate. 

Anna sighed, eyeing the smarting mark on his cheek with a mix of shame and gratitude herself, and reached out to gently take the side of his face in her hand. It must have stung, but her panic in that moment hadn’t allowed her to do anything else. She’d have to find him some kind of balm for that later– potions weren’t her forte, though she could try. 

Zephyr went taught at the unexpected caress but stayed still, eyes laser-focused on her next move. The words left her mouth before she could even make sense of them.

“Try to be more careful,” she said softly, “I can’t protect you outside the temple.”

A part of her was glad he brushed her hand away from his face then (though another part was mortified), and waved away her worry with some nonsense about how if Ned wanted to fight, neither hell nor high water could keep him from it. 

This time, Anna could almost pinpoint the second when Zephyr’s clouded over with that far off responsibility and he turned from her, slinging the uniform she’d given him, over his back. He had an urgent matter he needed to carry out and the Alchemy labs couldn’t wait. 

She watched him go with pursed lips, determined not to let the embarrassment overrun her cheeks until he was a safe distance away, when she was sure he couldn’t see her. 

What was she thinking? Protect him?! This incorrigible, idiotic, reckless asshole–  

“Also..” he stopped to flash her another insufferable grin over his shoulder, and Anna swore her heart hiccuped in her chest. 

“You wouldn’t mind doing me one more favour?”

That damn Jackass.

Anna hurriedly kicked the soiled rag under her bed frame as a group of nuns walked by her open door, peeking in to see a spotless room and a neat, blue carpet. The carpet was new, she’d bought it especially to cover up the trapdoor that led down to the abbey’s liquor cellar (where she usually did her dealings). She didn’t know exactly why Zephyr needed her room but she wasn’t about to give him any ideas. 

He said he needed to remain uninterrupted for the evening but that was such a vague explanation that he could have said nothing at all and she would’ve had a better idea of his plan. And how could she refuse when he’d so cleverly thrown her words back in her face– c’mon White Rose, you said you’d protect me as long as I’m in the Temple, didn’t ya? 

Anna’s face burned with the memory and she had the inexplicable urge to hide her face in her hands like a smitten schoolgirl. 

Slumping back onto the bed, she felt the tension in her shoulders release temporarily as she massaged the back of her neck– this man would be the death of her. 

“A little spring cleaning, Sister?”

Anna looked up to see Angelia gracefully standing by the open doorframe, scripture in hand, a wooden rosary dangling from of its pages. 

“I’m.. expecting a guest,” Anna replied, sensing that a white lie would be the only way to placate her fellow nun, “By the way, have you given any thought to what I mentioned before?"

“Oh yes,” the lavender-eyed woman nodded, “It’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.”

“But–“ she began, about to defend her point; Angelia held up a silencing hand. 

“3000 gold coins for five full enchantments? Why, it’s like you’re trying to rob me in broad daylight!”

“They’re hardly complex–“ Anna refuted but the other nun only rolled her eyes. 

“Complexity has nothing to do with it!” Angelia shot back, “–it’s just business, Sister Primrose. Surely you know that better than anyone.”

She fell quiet at that. The lilac-haired nun wasn’t wrong, 3000 gold coins for five enchantments from even the weakest sorcerer was a surefire highway robbery but she doubted Zephyr could afford much more. He hadn’t brought in a single catch since the black-steel spiders, too busy getting himself involved with the Inquisitors and their subordinates– but if he was to stand a fighting chance in The Tomb of the Fallen Princess, only Angelia was skilled enough to make it happen. 

Not for the first time, Anna wondered if she should just pay the lot of it off and add it back to Zephyr’s debt, now declining at an even slower pace than before. But at that rate, he’d be in debt to the Temple of Light forever; though much good that would do her if he simply died in the dungeon as a result of subpar equipment.  

Angelia narrowed her eyes as Anna argued back-and-forth with herself internally; shutting her book with a gentle thud! to pull the younger girl out of her reverie. 

“Well..” Angelia broke the silence, finally getting her blonde friend’s attention, “–I’m not heartless, you know. I could be persuaded to offer a little discount.”

Anna perked up, “And I do mean little discount,” the purple-eyed woman repeated sternly, “If.. you tell me who your mystery guest is to you.”

“O-oh..” Anna looked away, unable to meet her shrewd gaze. 

It wasn’t the lack of a lie that made her pause; far from it, in fact, she could probably spin three separate, carefully detailed stories about Zephyr’s identity on the spot, with just enough to gossip to satiate her friend’s appetite. No, it was the fact that the question itself seemed like a double-edged sword. Angelia had asked her who the guest was, but had implied something else– who is your mystery guest.. to you?

Who was Zephyr.. to her. That was an answer Anna wasn’t sure she wanted to discover. He was her client– a client who knew a little bit more about this world than anyone his age had the business of knowing. A client who drove her insane with his antics. A client who had a mouth so foul she’d ought to make him eat soap for the rest of his life. A client who sent her heart fluttering. 

Anna had forgotten her heart could flutter like that. 

As she absentmindedly touched her cheek (recalling the fateful slap), Angelia remarked dryly, “So it’s a man.”

“No!” Her dissent was too high-pitched, too squeaky, to be the truth; Angelia picked up on it just as quickly.

“Uh huh,” the nun shook her head in disbelief, “You know, I never pegged you for the romantic type.”

“I- I beg your pardon?” Anna replied, irritation creeping into her tone– had Angelia gone mad? Her, a romantic? And for him of all people?!

Anna pictured those damned grey eyes, fixing her with a look that was both a challenge and a plea, the eyes of a desperate man constantly on the verge of taking a step too far into the darkness. She recognised the expression all too well, she’d worn it often enough back when she still had something left to lose. 

“I wonder what kind of man he must be,” Angelia teased as she left, pulling the room door shut with finality, “–to fluster the great Anna Primrose.”

“Are you ready, White Rose?”

Anna sucked in a breath as Zephyr’s croaky voice urged her to stick the poisoned needle into the centre of his scalp. It was supposed to be easy, a standard procedure where he was from, he’d assured her (though he omitted where exactly that was), as long as she did not, under any circumstances, panic. 

She wasn’t panicking, she wasn’t panicking. Anna’s fingers trembled as she imagined the needle slipping out of her grasp and clinking onto the wooden floorboards. She definitely was not panicking. 

“Now,” he said, not waiting for her answer, the muscles in his shoulders tensing, bracing for impact. She took a breath and stuck it in. 

The effect was electric– more so than the forty others he’d stuck along the length of his arms– Zephyr’s face drained of colour so fast it matched his hair, purple veins forming a sickly, protruding web across his countenance, as his bloodshot eyes shuttered. 

He swayed slightly, and Anna dropped to her knees to catch him, one hand going straight to his face, as the other supported his torso.

“Hey listen,” She tapped the side of his cheek, faithfully repeating what he’d asked her to say, “You need to use your mana-flow. Circulate the poison throughout your body.”

“Can you hear me?” Zephyr looked up at her in confusion, his grey eyes clouded over with a purple haze. Shit, shit, shit, this wasn’t supposed to happen. 

Don’t let me close my eyes, he’d made her promise before handing her the needle, if I fall asleep..

There was a good chance he wouldn’t wake up. 

“Hey, Sir,” Anna’s voice was level despite her rising panic, “Sir, you need to stay awake.”

 “Althaoirrth–” he slurred, trying to prop himself up, but his head lolled back uncooperatively. She shifted his weight against the bed frame instead, to better hold him up, and keep those eyes from closing. 

“Althairrrshhhwrrfuckoff–”

“Zephyr,” Anna hissed, shaking him by his bare shoulders as his head swayed back and forth and back and forth, “Zephyr, get it together.”

It was useless. The fearsome warrior (fearsome idiot, more like)– was completely incapacitated by the poison. How could she have thought this was good idea? Now her greatest source of income was going to die on the floor of her own room, and the temple acolytes were going to fillet him for his organs without a second thought. 

Switching tactics, Anna extricated herself from his body and frantically began to pull open the draws on her bedside table. Her hands closed around a wooden healing rosary she’d tossed in there for emergencies. She hurriedly turned around to find Zephyr lying on his back now, his breathing shallow, as beads of sweat began to trickle down his temples.

Anna swept his drenched bangs off his forehead and pressed the rosary in its place, muttering a simple enchantment under her breath. The spell couldn’t do anything to remove the poison, but it would jumpstart for Zephyr’s heart and his mana circulation– she hoped that’d be enough to bring him back to his senses too. 

Golden light glowed where the wood met skin: Zephyr’s breaths slowly got deeper, his chest rising and falling as his body built up immunity to the poison. After a few excruciatingly long seconds, he reached up and weakly plucked the needle out of his head, eyes still closed, letting it drop to the floorboards with a soft clink! 

“Thank Aria,” She sighed in relief, slumping forwards as her shoulders fell – all the terror leaving her at once, “You gave me a real scare there, jerk.”

Zephyr blinked up at her slowly, the purple still tinting his gaze, and stretched out his calloused fingers to gently, gently tuck a lock of Anna’s hair behind her ear.

Her breath caught in her throat when he tilted his head and whispered “Altair?”

Anna scrambled backwards, her back to the bed-frame, as Zephyr painfully propped himself up. 

“Altair,” he said again, the ache in his voice plain as day, “–it’s me. Do you remember?”

Anna didn’t know what to do. She’d meant for the rosary to reboot his brain but not this drastically. Maybe the poison was messing with his perception of reality? She figured it must be doing something, since Zephyr was looking at her like she was someone else all of a sudden; the stoic facade cracking open to reveal a wounded deer within.

“No,” she said more calmly than she felt, “I’m not.. uhm..”

Her voice rose in pitch as he leaned closer, face (lips) inches from hers as he examined her own, unable to tear his gaze away from her emerald green eyes, sparkling with desire. 

Blood rushed into Anna’s head so fast, her vision blurred with spots. Somewhere in the corner of her mind, Anna realised her nun’s habit had slipped off her head, leaving her feeling strangely vulnerable. 

Zephyr’s gaze, normally blade-like and sharp enough to slice through glass, was feather soft now; filled with so much raw emotion that she felt like he was marking her skin with only his eyes – leaving a trail from her eyelashes, down her cheeks, hovering at the crook of her neck, where the gold lining of her collar chafed into the pale, freckled flesh.

Moonlight spilled into the room, illuminating his moonshine hair with an otherworldly luminescence. In this light Anna could almost think him a god– immortal beauty, immortal pain etched into his features like a birthright. For the first time she wondered what could’ve happened to this man to leave him so (empty wasn’t the right word, more like) incomplete; missing an essential piece of himself. 

Like he wanted to be human so badly but couldn’t quite remember how.

Zephyr exhaled a little, the warm breath eliciting goosebumps in places Anna hadn’t ever felt before, and the tiny pinpricks of want suddenly fanned into a burning, scalding passion in her; a live drakōn writhing under her breast, setting her heart aglow. 

“Alt–“ He began to say, until she pressed her index finger to his bottom lip to shush him.

“Anna,” she corrected hoarsely, her voice little more than a whisper. 

He raised an eyebrow but leaned into the touch, pulled by a magnetic force, as though he was testing how far they’d go – how far she’d let him go. The candle on her nightstand blew out.

“Anna,” Zephyr’s voice rumbled with approval as she moved her hands from his face to around his neck, leaving a hair’s with of space between their lips as her body succumbed to that same force field– wanting, no, needing to press up against him, her nails piercing the scarred flesh of his back. 

All of a sudden, Anna had to draw blood– deep, crimson blood to prove it: Zephyr wasn’t a god, he wasn’t a monster, he was just a man. 

A man who wanted... who wanted..

“Who’s Altair?”

Zephyr looked up from the bed to give her a pointed glare Anna was too busy scuffing the floorboards, to see. 

She had a hard time meeting his eyes after the ‘Incident’; even though it happened over a week and a half ago. The madness Zephyr had been under because of the poison, disappeared the moment her nails broke through skin, his roulette wheel of memory clicking to a stop when she’d hesitated instead of kissing him. 

“White Rose?” He’d said then, the lust in his tone replaced by dry bemusement– and in a fit of thoughtlessness, Anna shoved him away and fled her own room, panickedly slamming the door after her to hide her embarrassment. 

Zephyr hadn’t asked what all of that was about for weeks, and Anna hadn’t volunteered any information on her end either.. until now.

“No one,” He replied finally, twisting the gold ring she’d given him. The curse-breaking ‘Ring of Purification’ was Anna’s trump card, one of the best deals she’d ever made but hadn’t found a worthy enough investment to trade against. The Tomb of the Fallen Princess, however, looked hellish enough to warrant a change in mindset. 

And it was almost worth it to see Zephyr’s face break into a rare, warm smile, when she’d ambushed him in his room. 

“You said her name when you were poisoned,” Anna leaned against the bedpost, hands behind her back, faking nonchalance as she scrutinised the exact way Zephyr’s back muscles tensed when he leaned forward.

“She must’ve been someone important.”

“She wa– is. She is,” he corrected, pinching the bridge of his nose, “She’s the most important woman in my life.”

“Oh,” Anna coughed, “Is she the one who taught you to brew those poisons?”

“What? No– listen White Rose–“

“Shh!” She hissed, shooting a glance at the closed wooden door, “Are you trying to announce my identity to everyone in this building?”

“It’s Anna.”

“Listen Anna–“ Zephyr raked his hands through his hair in frustration, “–what exactly did I do when I was under the influence of the poison?”

Anna fought the blush that lingered in the back of her cheeks, “N-nothing.” 

“Why, what do you remember?”

“Nothing,” he sighed, “It’s like a blank slate. And you left so suddenly–“

“That’s because you were fine–“ she deflected, “The procedure worked.”

“You’ve been avoiding me since,” he said indifferently, “–and you show up out of nowhere with this gift– how did you know where I live–“ 

“Th-that’s not important–“ Anna felt herself get more flustered with each statement, “I’m an underworld broker, I have my sources.”

This time Zephyr’s pointed look hit her full force, grey eyes narrowed with disbelief. 

Anna crossed her arms stubbornly, willing to call another one of his bluffs, her greed temporarily overshadowing her nun’s sense of decorum.

“Was Alt– was she in Persephone with you?” She pressed. 

“The Assassin guild?”

“C’mon, you don’t have to play coy with me,” Anna cupped her face conspiratorially, like she was letting him in on a secret, “I know.”

“Uh.. huh. You know that..”

“That you’re an assassin, silly.” She winked, “Why else would you be so freakishly strong or have all these poisons no one’s ever heard of?”

“You’ve got it all wrong,” Zephyr began, but she steamrolled right through his protests. 

“Tell me truth, you’ve got some kind of love potion in there too, haven’t ya? I caught wind of its side-effects the other day. Pretty potent stuff, you could make quite the killing on the black market with that.”

“I’ve got– what–“

“Alright, play hardball,” she huffed, her bangs fluttering away from her face, “I’ll get it out of you one of these days, just watch.”

“I’m truly not sure what the hell you’re talking about,” he said plainly as Anna shrugged and made to leave.

“Yeah, yeah,” the blonde rolled her eyes, pulling open the wooden door, “Take care of that ring, you hear me? It cost me a lot you ungrateful bastard.”

The door shut brusquely, and Zephyr was left staring  blankly at the place Anna was as the last traces of floral perfume diffused through the wood with her.  

“Wait, Anna!”

Anna turned around to see Angelia puffing as she struggled to catch up with her cheery strides. 

“What’s got you in such a great mood?” The purple-haired woman demanded, noticing the uncharacteristically sunny disposition Anna had been flaunting the past few days.

“Nothing that would interest you,” Anna said slyly, “I just heard a rumour recently that was very.. dull.”

“Oh?” Angelia wheezed, wiping her glasses on her satin skirt, “Is that so.”

“Yes, but it’s hardly your cup of tea, Sister,” She tutted, one hand to her chin, “after all, it’s about..”

Anna knew she had her friend, hook, line and sinker when mouthing the word “poisons” was enough for Angelia to jerk back, as if stung by a wasp. The information monger and notorious temple gossip knew the right data could sell for thousands– possibly millions– of gold coins and Anna had built up a reputation for being reliable when it came to knowledge. And Angelia Bettiol had connections running deep within the nobility, as Anna had come to find. 

“How much do you want?” Angelia said immediately, not beating around the bush. She reached within the sleeve of her robes to pull out a satchel of gold. 

“It’s not money I’m interested in, dear sister Bettiol,” Anna put on an affected air, though her heart jumped with glee, “Remember my little favour?”

“What do you think? Do you like it?”

Anna couldn’t suppress the thin undercurrent of pride in her tone as she watched Zephyr take in all the armour and weaponry she’d procured for his raid. 

He said little, but his eyes widened when he reached over to unsheathe the ‘Twilight Longsword’ from its place in the wall with a gentle hiss. Anna had known him long enough to  know that was how he expressed gratefulness. Gratefulness and relief; the ever mysterious burden he carried easing it’s weight on his back, just a little.

“Sorry I’m late!” Anna turned to see Angelia knock on the door, carrying a brown muslin bag for her enchantments.

“My name is Angelia– I work as an enchanter for the lab,” she introduced herself, gently plopping her the bag down on the floor as she shot Zephyr a cryptic smile.

“You must be the client Anna told me about.” 

“It’s nice to meet you,” he crossed his arms.

“Likewise,” the purple-haired woman looked back and forth between them, “You’re quite the interesting man.”

Zephyr raised his eyebrow at the subtle jab (no doubt meant for her), as Anna huffed and snatched the sword from his hands to hand over to the other nun.

“Let’s get on with it, then.”

As Angelia enchanted the five essential weapons, Anna felt the weight of Zephyr’s grey eyes hover over her skin like lead– was it suspicion? Curiosity? Could he somehow tell that she’d traded away information about him being an assassin in exchange for Angelia’s reduced charges?

Maybe it was awe, she thought to herself; maybe he harboured a greater fondness for her now. Not as much as Altair but maybe, maybe just a little. The idea made her smile, even if it felt cursed to think. 

“Oh, Mother of Glory..”

Zephyr’s heavy gaze shifted to Angelia as her spell casting grew louder, and Anna fought the urge to look up at him then, training her gaze to the needle-scars on his forearms instead, and the unmistakable gold band looped around his left index finger. 

He wasn’t hers, and he wouldn’t be. Not now, not ever– but for the first time, in the safety of the Temple with the warm evening glow enveloping the room like a loving embrace, Anna allowed herself to wonder what it would be like if he was.

CRASH!

Angelia sighed as the younger girl’s fingers trembled over the remnants of yet another smashed porcelain set.

“Really, Sister Primrose,” the purple-haired nun sighed, kneeling to look her blonde friend in the eye, “Do you hate my tea that much?”

Anna didn’t even bother to lift her head, gaze fixed on a broken teacup shard that was gently swaying back and forth, wondering again of the man that had left her months ago. 

The Holy One had returned, the parish had been cleansed of Tartarus worshipers, and Zephyr had set off on yet another adventure, his slave-mark removed, his debts fulfilled, to join the Blue Dragon raid in the city of the Elves. 

Everything had seemingly changed overnight, and even though weeks had passed, Anna was still finding it hard to get used to the forcefield around the Temple and the hordes of angry warriors at the gates. Brokering was out of the question, especially since The Holy One was cracking down on any and every form of illegal activity he could sniff out within the mile; so Anna busied her days with praying and taking tea to his wife– the nuns had set a routine to keep themselves occupied, though many like Anna were bordering on stir crazy due to the isolation of it all.

“Sister? Are you listening?”

 “Hm?” Anna looked up to see Angelia’s purple brows knitted with worry, and gave her a weak half-smile. 

“How clumsy of me, Sister,” she forced cheer into her voice, “All this rest is making me lazy, isn’t it?”

Angelia looked unconvinced. 

“Have you been eating, Anna?” The older woman asked, placing a well-manicured palm on the flat of her forehead, “You look unwell.”

Anna let out a mumble of dissent but couldn’t bring herself to completely lie to her friend. She wasn’t trying to starve, it was just the food had become so tasteless within the first few weeks of confinement that she’d just replaced her meals with a dry river of wine instead. All the thoughts she’d been carrying throughout the day disappeared when the first sip hit the back of her throat, and lulled her to bed– it was basically medicinal. 

Sure, her cheeks hollowed and her hands shook quite a bit now but Anna was hardly the only one going through a crisis. Most of the Temple nuns had been part of the bustling underworld of the town, and now, cut off from all their resources, it seemed that many of them were rethinking their choices to remain in service to Aria. 

“Is there any news about–“ Anna asked instead, swallowing the rest of her sentence when she watched Angelia’s face fall. 

“We don’t know anything about the Blue Dragon Raid yet, except that it’s underway,” Angelia sighed, “–and that Princess Altair is betting everything she has on it.”

“Oh.” 

Oh. 

Anna caught her breath– surely this wasn’t– she wasn’t– Princess? 

‘The most important woman in my life,’ Zephyr had said. That damn bastard, Anna cursed in her head half-heartedly; he’d been in love with the crown princess.

“May Aria be with them,” she mumbled softly, as Angelia helped her to her feet.

“I hope so,” Angelia continued, oblivious to her friend’s face paling at each word, “It’s hard to recover from a loss like this one. If the Princess fails, she might never regain the trust of her country again.”

“Is she.. pretty?” Anna hated the words as soon as they came out of her mouth, “You know, I’ve never actually met her in person–“

Angelia narrowed her eyes, “Yes, a great beauty from what I’ve heard.”

“‘Raven-dark hair, lily-white skin and eyes of sea-glass green,’ I think the minstrels put it.”

“Oh,” she said again, recalling the fateful night of Zephyr’s poisoning, how he couldn’t look away from Anna’s own green eyes.. That’s why he thought.. 

“Right. She must be gorgeous. She’s a princess after all.”

“What’s this about?“ Angelia asked, putting a comforting hadn’t on Anna’s shoulder, “Is it Ze–“

“No! No–“ Anna replied quickly, shrugging her hand off, “Nothing to do with that dumb jerk. He’s so crazy he’s probably going to get eaten by the Blue Dragon itself this time.

Anyway, I should– I should clean this up. I’ll see you around Sister Bettiol.”

As Anna turned heel and hastened her way to the Temple cellar (where the cleaning supplies were kept) she desperately hoped Angelia hadn’t seen the tears lining the corner of her eyes, before she rubbed them away.

She took the left corridor and hurried down a flight of stone stairs, back to the alcove where she’d first traded away the predator head and black-steel spiders Zephyr had got her. Crossing the fateful place, Anna held her breath, like she was afraid the memory of that day would slip into her lungs and take root in the poisoned remains of her dying affection.

Throwing open an inconspicuous door built into the wall, Anna found herself facing vials of cleaning liquid, and a single mop. Before she could pick either of them up however, the imperceptible shiiing sound of an unsheathed blade hit her ears, just as she felt a bead of blood slide down her neck and stain her white collar.

A man was standing behind her (how had she not seen him?), dagger to her throat, his breathy whisper in her ear. 

“Hello, WhiteRose.” He said. Anna looked at him out of the corner of her eye and almost gasped in surprise. Half of his face was covered in bands of scarred, sun-beaten flesh.

“I believe you have something of mine.”

His other hand swooped up to reveal the two vials of poison Zephyr had entrusted to her, the ones she’d safely locked away in her room. 

“Want to tell me where you got these?” The man growled. 

Anna looked into his amber eyes, crackling with anger, and gulped.

 

______________________________________________________________

A/N: Sooo Doom Breaker has taken over my body mind and soul and Anna Primrose AKA Whiterose is one of the best characters IN THE COMIC. Don't get me wrong i like Altair n stuff but a morally grey nun who's also a top monster broker???? Cmon female characters are never half as interesting as that TITLE alone like yes tell me more.

Plus her dynamic with Zephyr is just refreshing bc it's NEW for him too like he didn't have some kind of already existing relationship with her it's fun it's good it's entertaining I PRAY Fade doesn't kill her in like the first 10 minutes.

[kindazymmetrical]

What A Guilty Conscious can trigger... procedural fairness in courtrooms for the neurodiverse

I watched A Guilty Conscious <毒舌大狀> over the weekend (brilliant movie, highly recommend as one of the best recent Hong Kong locally-produced films) and it inspired me to look into how neurodivergent people navigate the justice system.

The defendant' was accused to have manslaughtered her own daughter who was deaf, and the daughter's non-oral clues to the truth were explored in the courtroom trial. Wealth, societal status and power aside, I imagined what might happen if the deaf young daughter was alive and in the courtoom, how is the court designed to accommodate specific needs for procedural fairness?

Article 13 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) outlines the importance of ensuring equal and effective access to justice for those with disability, including through the provision of accommodations where required. To date, 184 jurisdictions worldwide have formally committed to the CRPD.

There is increasing research pointing to the large proportion of young adults with neurological differences facing higher incarceration rates possibly due to mis- or undiagnosis and are unsupported during court proceedings. (1)

Neurodivergence may cover traumatic brain injury (TBI), autism spectrum disorder (ASD), foetal alcohol spectrum disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), intellectual disability, communication disorders, non‐traumatic acquired brain injury, and specific learning difficulties (for instance dyslexia, dyspraxia, or dysgraphia), which could present challenges in court proceedings due to, for example, the strong reliance on oral language for communication. (2)(3)

As in the word "procedural", the outcome of an individual's case is not the only concern but perhaps more critically, how the case was handled. Valued criteria such as given the opportunity to participate, judge neutrality, being treated with respect and trust in the system, stems from understanding the process. (4)(5)

Sources:

(1) Foster, T. R. , & Young, R. L. (2021). Brief report: Sentencing outcomes for offenders on the autism spectrum. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 1–7. [PubMed] [Google Scholar] [Ref list]

(2) Ericson, K. I. , & Perlman, N. B. (2001). Knowledge of legal terminology and court proceedings in adults with developmental disabilities. Law and Human Behavior, 25(5), 529–545. [PubMed] [Google Scholar] [Ref list]

(3) Edwards, C. , Harold, G. , & Kilcommins, S. (2012). Access to justice for people with disabilities as victims of crime in Ireland. In Centre for Criminal Justice and Human Rights (pp. 1–189). University College Cork. [Google Scholar] [Ref list]

(4) Dorfman, D. (2017). Re‐claiming disability: Identity, procedural justice, and the disability determination process. Law & Social Inquiry, 42(1), 195–231. [Google Scholar] [Ref list]

(5) Brems, E. , & Lavrysen, L. (2013). Procedural justice in human rights adjudication: The European Court of Human Rights. Human Rights Quarterly, 35, 176–200. [Google Scholar] [Ref list]

[commercialroplants]

Can industrial RO systems be used for removing specific contaminants such as heavy metals or pathogens?

Those metals with a density more than 5 g per cubic centimetre are typically referred to as heavy metals. Quite a few things fit within this category. Despite being a semi-metal, arsenic is frequently thought of as a dangerous heavy metal. Significant health consequences of heavy metals include stunted growth and development, cancer, organ and nervous system damage, and in the worst cases, death. A person's immune system attacking their own cells is known as autoimmunity, and it may be brought on by exposure to certain metals like lead and mercury. This can result in renal, cardiovascular, nerve, and joint problems including rheumatoid arthritis, as well as damage to the developing foetal brain.

For a healthy environment and society, it is crucial to remove heavy metal ions from wastewater. The removal of heavy metal ions from diverse wastewater sources has been the subject of many documented methods. These techniques might be divided into treatments based on adsorption, membranes, electricity, chemicals, and photocatalysis.

Here we are going to discuss the use of industrial RO systems for removing heavy metals and pathogens. So, let’s get going…..

With the expansion of industry and human activities, such as plating and electroplating, batteries, mining, pesticides, rayon production, metal rinse processes, fluidized bed bioreactors, tanning, textile production, metal smelting, petrochemicals, paper production, and electrolysis applications, there has been an increase in the presence of heavy metals in wastewater. Water tainted with heavy metals makes its way into the environment, endangering both human health and the ecology. Because the heavy metals are non-biodegradable and may cause cancer, their inappropriate concentration in water poses a serious risk to the health of all living things.

Lead (Pb), zinc (Zn), nickel (Ni), mercury (Hg), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), and arsenic are the most often used heavy metals (As). Even if traces of these heavy metals can be found, they are still dangerous. The metals indicated above, along with others like silver (Ag), iron (Fe), molybdenum (Mo), boron (B), calcium (Ca), manganese (Mn), antimony (Sb), cobalt (Co), etc., are frequently found in wastewater and must be eliminated.

Reverse osmosis systems are extremely successful in eliminating microorganisms, such as Campylobacter, Shigella, Salmonella, and E. coli.

Reverse Osmosis for the removal of heavy metals_

Only smaller molecules can pass through a semi-permeable membrane (pore size 0.5–1.5 nm) used in the pressure-driven separation process known as RO. By providing pressure (20-70 psi) over the osmotic pressure of the feed solution, the RO process reverses the typical osmosis process. The solutes that are inhibited typically have molecules between 0.00025 and 0.003 m60 in size. 95-99% of inorganic salts and charged organics may be extracted using the RO process. The RO process is efficient and has a small footprint. However, the primary flaw of RO systems is the fouling and degradation of the membrane.

With a removal effectiveness of >98.7562, the RO separation method is employed to remove heavy metal ions from electroplating effluent, including Cr6+, Ni2+, and Cu2+.

Conclusion:

The best method for removing heavy ions from wastewater relies on a number of important criteria, including the cost of operation, the starting concentration of the metal ions, the pH levels, the environmental effect, the chemicals applied, the removal efficiency, and the economic viability. These processes can be divided into four categories: adsorption treatments (using various adsorbents, such as carbon-based, carbon-composites, minerals, CS, magnetic, biosorbents, and MOFs), membrane treatments (such as UF, nanofiltration, microfiltration, forward osmosis, reverse osmosis, and electrodialysis), chemical treatments (such as chemical precipitation, coagulation-flocculation, and flotation), electric treatments.

In general, the most practicable approaches are chemical, adsorption, and membrane techniques. There should be more study done on the introduction of low-cost components and techniques for heavy metal removal from wastewater. Future study should take into account the best methods for achieving effective metal recovery with minimal negative effects on the environment and cheap costs.

Why choose Netsol!

By deliberately fusing cutting-edge treatment technology with workable solutions, Netsol Water engages with a wide range of international organisations to address challenging RO issues.

If you want the greatest water treatment system for your residence or place of business, contact us. Industrial RO Plants, Commercial RO Plants, STPs, ETPs, as well as a number of practical after-sales services, are among the products and services we provide. Our experts will first assess the customer's location, then go over the possibilities and let you decide which is ideal for your home.

Contact us on +91-9650608473 or send an email to enquiry@netsolwater.com to find out more.

[rnewspost]

Study suggests cortical hemorrhage in fetal brain may be associated with COVID-19

In a recent study published in BRAIN, researchers evaluated the impact of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections on fetal brain health. Study: Haemorrhage of human foetal cortex associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection. Image Credit: Prostock-studio/Shutterstock Background Previous studies have reported that maternal SARS-CoV-2 infections and immunological responses…

[vullcanica]

adding the new blood from my roster because [checks my clock] sure enough, this is relevant again...

Danny - Sleeps. Rabbit-light sleeper, easily roused by sound. Swiss clock early riser. Like, to an eerie extent. Picky as hell about routine and getting six hours in, the whole nine yards, or else he's dead on his feet.

Avita - Sleeps. Feels less need for rest than a human might. She does like her sleep though but as result of her physiological differences, the circumstances have to be perfect or she can't shut her brain off. Full darkness, no disturbance, comfort item, soft surface, good pillow and, occasionally, ambient scent or it's a no-go. A full night's sleep is a Luxury Event. Slightly nightmare prone.

Angel - Sleeps. Curled up full foetal position, two to three blankets covering him head to toe. You'd think he always wakes up pissed, but it's just how he looks in the morning. Subsists on coffee to survive. More sluggish and sleepy during the winter months. It's not easy out there for tired little guys...

Unnecessarily ranking my muses' sleeping habits because it's 3 am so evidently mine are shit.

Sally - Sleeps. Light sleeper, fast reflexes, gun under the pillow. Naps at her nightshift job like your dad does at 10 pm in front of the tv - arms crossed, chin on her chest, scowling for some reason.

Vannie - Sleeps. Like a human, actually, just during the day. Why buy an overpriced coffin when you can get a beautiful four poster with thick drapes for the same price and just put it in the basement?? Sorry to other vampires but she's different. Does it look like a sex dungeon, yes, but some ladies are into that.

Silas - Sleeps. Full mountain man style. Log-like, often nude, no covers, face down and at constant risk of suffocation. The feral urge to Burrow TM. Snores like a woodchipper.

The Guide - Sleeps? Doesn't slumber. Her situation is very 'raised by wolves' so she adopted some part of the wraiths' lifestyle after her memory loss. Sort of stands or sits motionless, eyes open. Fully checked out. Has perfected the art of napping during council meetings.

Matthew - Do dreams sleep? No, but human habits are hard to kick. He still curls up in the library and rests his eyes from time to time.

Constance - Doesn't sleep. Though he does occasionally wander into the Tower's depths and re-emerge days later with newfound wisdom from the entity's omniscience. Kind of like a robot vacuum automatically going to its lil stand to charge before scuttling off again. A man has to embark on a road to enlightenment from time to time.

Nikodemus - Does being dead count? Horribly disordered sleeper unbothered with shit like comfortability or safety. It's a cointoss whenever he knocks out randomly - you could be looking at minutes or days. Though these days he's still riding the high from that one 50 year nap he took in the 100s AD. Known to sleepwalk and talk on rare occasion.

Lumen - :)

[bpod-bpod]

Feeding Foetuses

During pregnancy, a foetus needs a steady supply of nutrients via the placenta. If something goes wrong with the placenta, foetal growth restriction (FGR) can occur, which can be fatal. Currently, there's no treatment, other than early delivery. Research into treatments has proven challenging as animal models aren’t yet well-characterised enough to provide useful results for translation into human trials. Researchers now describe placenta function and structure in an FGR rabbit model. Rabbit foetuses and accompanying placentas were delivered 5 days after inducing FGR. Placentas were analysed using computed microtomography (normal placenta pictured, colours indicate vessel diameter) revealing fewer blood vessels in the region supplying nutrients to the foetus. What's more, the delivered foetuses showed behavioural and lung problems, with subsequent testing of their brains and lungs revealing structural changes too. This model highlights how placenta blood vessel changes coincide with brain and lung problems in foetuses during FGR.

Written by Lux Fatimathas

Image from work by Ignacio Valenzuela and colleagues

Department of Development and Regeneration, Cluster Woman and Child, Group Biomedical Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium

Image originally published with a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Published in Scientific Reports, November 2022

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