#malloy answers your burning questions

[devilfic]

What is a "codependent psychosexual platonic relationship"? Genuine question

need I say more

[insomniac-jay]

Honor Among Rogues

Chapter 2: Got a Secret, Can You Keep It?

Vicia watched as the workers took the last of the merchandise out her truck. All that was left was to drive back and clock out. Then she'd head home to get some much needed rest before heading to the shop.

"Is that everything?" Vicia asked.

"Yep. Thanks for the help. Consider this a tip."

The warehouse manager put some money in her pocket. With her work done, Vicia walked back to the truck. But before she climbed into the driver's seat, a voice called out to her.

"Disculpe, señorita."

An older woman with brown skin and coily black hair seemingly appeared out of nowhere. She wore a fancy deep purple suit while a bag full of envelopes was slung over her shoulder.

"¿Puedes llevarme?"

Vicia quickly recognized the woman and let her into the passenger's seat. She then drove away from the warehouse.

"¿Qué haces fuera tan temprano, Pilar?"

Pilar's cupid's bow curved with delight. "I'm surprised you still remember me, Vicia," she crooned. "I always have the day the boss brought you to the manor on my mind. Did you know it was sunny that day?"

"Just tell me where you're going."

"Stop when you see the black pickup truck."

When she turned down the street, the aforementioned vehicle waited right on the corner of the avenue. The larger truck stopped, Vicia watching Pilar get out. She then drove straight back to her job to park her truck and take the subway home just like she planned.

Vicia was surprised to see she got a message from Will when she pulled out her phone. They'd be at work at this time, especially with that fancy blue collar job at Kord Industries.

Think you can come to HQ?

It's fine if you can't

I'll be there

Jahzara hated Gotham.

Its bleak stone gray and pitch black buildings filled her with dread and Gothamites got on her nerves. It was a miracle that she hadn't resorted to becoming a criminal or burning down the city. Maybe in a different universe she did.

No matter what her mother, or anyone for that matter, said, she'd never acknowledge this place as her home.

Her heart longingly ached for the beauty of Port Harcourt, her real home. She missed warm air blowing through her hair as she walked down to the nearby markets, the beautiful house her family lived in with a personal library made all for herself, and the countless summers spent with friends out on the water.

Why her mother chose to trade the glamorous life they had back in Nigeria for the dreary gloom of Gotham she'd never understand. But she knew one thing: she was not staying in this hellhole of a city. Especially true if she was going to be a lawyer.

Being a lawyer in this city is a curse, she thought walked through a hall of Gotham Academy.

Her refusal to befriend any of her classmates, often saying that no one here was worthy of even being her acquaintance, put a target on her back. But she definitely wasn't threatened by that or those jealous of her.

Too many people dealing in shady businesses and too many dead lawyers.

"Good morning, Jahzara!"

Oh god, not him again.

Jahzara rolled her eyes. What was this guy's name again? Malloy or something? She couldn't remember. But what she could remember is that he stood in particular spots everyday waiting for her. Not that she cared for the little stalker.

"How's your day going?" Malloy asked.

Jahzara didn't answer upon entering the large gym. Even worse that they shared this class. Sooner she made it to the girls locker rooms, the better.

"Do you need help with the chemistry project, Jahzara?" Malloy asked.

The poor fool was too lovesick to see Jahzara's annoyance. Made worse since his parents were business partners of Jahzara's mother, meaning she wasn't even free of him outside of school.

Her phone buzzed as she dove into the locker room, both saving her from his questions. On the screen was a text message from Aviva.

Wanna skip n go 2 the mall? :3

Yeah. I'll skip lunch

When she stepped out, her eyes settled on a different person: Duke Thomas. A face she'd seen around the academy before, especially in track events. Rumors were that he was the newest adopted child of Bruce Wayne. Not that it'd change Jahzara's opinion about Gotham's top dog or her mission.

A mostly uneventful gym class--say for Malloy's following--full of warmups and free play took a turn when Jahzara returned to find a message from one of her fellow Watchers.

Eyes open

The Watchers calling card.

Glancing around for anyone nearby, Jahzara rushed into the nearest bathroom stall and quickly changed into her costume. Maneuvering her way around the room, she crawled through the vent leading to the roof of the school.

"Fatale, come in," a voice requested. It was Duchess, another Watcher.

"What's wrong, Duchess?"

"Black Butterfly is back from honeymoon."

Fatale groaned. Black Butterfly was a long time enemy of the group. She'd almost forgotten that she was gone until she made headlines a few days ago. Her newlywed spouse was a frequent topic of discussion.

@floof-ghostie @calciumcryptid @jasontoddssuper @honeysgalaxy @moonage-gaydream @theautisticcentre

[mehoymalloy]

Back at'chu re: Aloy/Tilda 👀

I have feeeeeeelingssss...

[penaltybox14]

@dying-redshirt-noises  I tried to write sex but plot exposition and emotion happened instead, because that’s just how life is.

Pete Malloy believes in beautiful things.

That is, he believes in loveliness, in mystery, and that some things, sacred, should be observed cautiously.

Overall he is a practical man, with his mind on practical things.  In good, reliable cars.  In a good, steady job.  In good, hearty food.  

But because he believes in beautiful things, too, he wants his car to rumble and his roads to spin out like kite ribbons the wind, and his job is a vocation not unlike a priesthood, and he believes closing your eyes before the first bite hits your tongue.

Pete Malloy's always been a romantic.  The guys would roll their eyes, for sure.  He's got a girl for every day of the week if not two, he's got his girls who like dancing and wine, and he's got his girls who like tacos and drive-ins.  He's got girls who kick up their heels Friday night to Sunday morning, sleeping in til noon.  He's got girls who serve dinner with a yard of utensils on either side, who know how to use each one.  He's got himself girls who know how to have fun, who ring him up (what a scandal that'd be, for the guys, a lady asking a man out) and say, Pete, how'd you like to catch the picture tonight?  And he'll say, what's at the drive in this week, I'll buy the popcorn.

And they'll put the top down on his mustang and cuddle up close under the cool evening and watch the moon creep up shy over the city like it wants to watch the show, too.  Let the moon in, he'll figure.  Let the moon sit quietly by and wipe her stony eye when the picture gets sad.

What a sap, the guys would figure.  What a sap, to let the moon in.

When he was a younger man, still a kid, before he was a cop, before he was even the uncertain thought of a rookie, one summer he drove up the coast and back down the mountains, with friends from the city, and friends from Sacramento and San Francisco and Seattle and Tacoma, all the way up to Vancouver where he sat on the deck of a ferry in the cool mist of a morning before the sun woke up all the way and saw killer whales playing in the bay a long way off.  Black and white and shining.  He'd remember them all the time, when he saw the patrol cars in the parking lot.  Remember the way they rose up splitting the waves to breathe, learning that it was breathing, they had lungs and hearts and eyes like people, not fish.  Playing in the bay before the sun came up like kids.

Sometimes he stops at the cemetery just as the caretaker is opening the gates.  Sometimes he's still in jeans and shirtsleeves.  Sometimes he pulls his jacket close around him and sometimes he holds it in front of him.  

Sometimes he walks the narrow cemetery roads, criss-crossing the footpaths, looking for one particular plot.  Sometimes the flowers by the stone are new, sometimes they are beginning to sag in the heat or cringe in the chill.  

He still doesn't know what to say, so he stands, a little ways away, hands in his pockets, as if the tight-cropped grass and the chatter of the birds and the sultry breeze in the neat little trees that line the paths have any answer.  So far, they don't, but he looks over his shoulder anyway when he leaves.

(From his perch on the locker room bench, shining his shoes.  Listening to the boy tell stories, looking over his shoulder, trying not to crack a smile.  The boy trying to be the big man, and Pete still wearing his role stiffly like a new coat.  Blond hair fell over bright cheeks that still had a couple bright spots of acne.  A crooked tooth.  Pete had liked him at once, but he was the softie who let the moon in without paying for her ticket, after all.)

(How long ago was that?)

He's still angry, sometimes.  So the words don't come out.  So he bites his tongue.  So he looks at the sky like it's a personal insult, to have the sun still rise and the world keep on fucking spinning.  A man with a gun blows the face off a boy with a crooked tooth and the man goes to jail and the gun goes into a box in the basement and the boy goes into a box in the ground and a girl with a baby on her hip leaves flowers.  

He thinks about the way Tommy made him laugh, and how he tried to swallow it, like he'd crossed some kind of threshold, now he had to be the veteran, now he had to be the sensible one, but no one, not even time, had told him how.  

(Did you tell him not to stand in front of the door?

No, I didn't.

Why?

I thought he knew.  I just.  Thought he knew.)

Now the guys dance around him like he's a wolf in a trap, now they don't know what to say, now the Lieutenant gave him a new boy to replace the old one, and sometimes this feeling like an oil slick comes surging through him and makes his mouth taste red and black, and sometimes he wants to slam the boy with the straight dark hair and the straight white teeth straight into the wall and then - and then -

And then?

Sometimes Jim Reed looks at him so earnestly, Pete wants to close his eyes and tilt his head back and let the earth swallow him up whole.  Sometimes, his eyes are so bright it hurts, and sometimes the wanting sits on him like a shine of midnight rain.  The kid is not subtle.  The kid shines.  Pete yearns after it like some animal part yearns after the color of burn-down coals, the way the heat ripples inside them, the scales and souls of dragons.

Pete believes in beautiful things and romance, he believes in sex and making love and that there's a difference between the two, he believes in patience.  Truly, he does.  

He sits at home after shift watching the sign off and thinking about how Jim's low voice hits him like a blackjack to the gut, how Jim's lips press and part when he has a question, how he looks away when he asks, how his hands fold in his lap.

He sits at home at night staring at the ceiling where the lights of cars with the kind of midnight business you best not ask about come striding past and light up the specks and shadows.  Wakes bolt-eyed and sweating, convinced he will kill this boy, too.  Goes to work the next day, where Jim is still alive, still ironed into his uniform, still prattling cheerfully about the baby and the baby's room and his wife and his wife's cooking, while the thought is lurking, whispering, he will ruin this boy somehow, if not now then later, with the body in his arms one way or another.

[xwrote-my-way-outx]

Falling From Grace

http://archiveofourown.org/works/11652003

Category:

M/M

Fandom:

Natasha Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812 - Malloy

Relationships:

Fyodor Dolokhov & Anatole KuraginFyodor Dolokhov/Elena KuraginaFyodor Dolokhov/Anatole Kuragin/Elena Kuragina

Characters:

Fyodor Dolokhov Anatole Kuragin Elena "Hélène" Vasilyevna Kuragina Natasha Rostova

Language:

English

Summary:

Vodka was the taste that Dolokhov yearned for most, because vodka was the only thing that he tasted when him and Anatole made love. However, vodka could never cure the pain that his heart battled when Anatole declared his love for this Natasha. He hated her. He hadn’t even met the woman be he could hardly even fathom the thought of her yet he still helped his guilty pleasure ensnare her and abduct her away.

But what hurt him the most was the way that Anatole fell from the grace of God.

And fell.

And fell.

And fell.

Vodka was the taste that Dolokhov yearned for most, because vodka was the only thing that he tasted when him and Anatole made love.

The only times that Anatole would want him or Dolokhov would find it sensible to sleep with a man of all people was when they were both drowning their sorrows in alcohol and each other. Fervent touches that were implied to be for someone else but were always for each other were etched into his mind like the love letters that he scribed for a Natasha Rostova that he wrote with words only meant for Anatole. Words that Dolokhov would be never dare even whisper to the blonde ditz if they were in public, and his pride wouldn’t take it if he muttered them in the dark of his bedroom after they had spent their lust on one another.

The only way to cope was to publicly have his sister instead of what he craved the most, which was him. His sister was just as an enchantress as he was, and she was incredibly charming and luscious in any way that the burly, short man could imagine. He knew that when he threw her into his bed of furs that he should be gracious to be bedding a stark, beautiful woman such as the mistress, but all he could think of was the way that Anatole felt when they were both influenced by several glasses of vodka and closeted love.

However, vodka could never cure the pain that his heart battled when Anatole declared his love for this Natasha. He hated her. He hadn’t even met the woman be he could hardly even fathom the thought of her yet he still helped his guilty pleasure ensnare her and abduct her away.

But what hurt him the most was the way that Anatole fell from the grace of God.

And fell.

And fell.

And fell.

Until he crashed and burned, and his feathers turned to ashes, leaving him in a ruin, a shell of the man that he once was. His heart couldn’t flutter and he couldn’t fly away, having to ride his way to Petersburg on the penny of his friend. Part of Dolokhov felt as if he was dealt the hand that he deserved to be casted in life for not thinking, for not caring, for not considering others. For not considering him. But no matter what Anatole did to him or what Dolokhov believed Anatole did to him, the man could never cast away his open arms and endless comfort to the disheveled heap. The blonde tempest tumulted through his life mercilessly, stripping him of any personal dignity. The question of whether or not he would join the broken man to his plunder in Petersburg, his natural response was: absolutely.

The ride in the troika was pungent with tension, the frigid air chilling both of them in cruel way. The fair-haired man had nestled himself beneath Dolokhov’s thick arm, and the bearded man couldn’t help but allow the weakling to indulge, allowing the sorrowed man to bask in his warmth and steal his heart with each passing moment.

“If all I offer is trouble, why are you still here?”

A question that Dolokhov was not prepared to answer was presented and his mouth went drier than the cold winter air. Instead of dignifying the question with an appropriate response, the brash man simply moved a gloved hand the gently play with the other’s silky, stale locks and noticed that Anatole was looking at him with a sort of worn-out look, though there was a form of desperation in his eyes beneath the surface, craving an answer almost as much as Dolokhov craved to cave and oblige him.

And when the arrived to the house, the silence from the troika was still prevalent throughout the first few months.

--

The situation changed when Anatole would start to wander into Dolokhov’s room at the dead of night, his breathing ragged and torn. He was suffering a plague of nightmares that he would later admit that he had been having since the destruction of his elopement.

Fingers would find their way beneath the brunette’s shirt, slightly undoing the buttons that were on his nightwear, arms coiled tightly around his fragile edges and hot breath weaving through his hair like wind did leaves. The sobs that seemed to rip through his friend’s body throughout the night began to tear the seams that were binding Dolokhov’s brute, cold heart. A heart that he had closed when he had heard of the elopement. How dare Kuragin wallow in his grief after leaving him to drown in his emptiness throughout the days? Part of him believed that the boy had forfeited any rights to beg him to make the pain go away, though the less sensible half wanted nothing more than to soothe his cries of loss, for he wished that he could have had that for himself when Anatole unwittingly betrayed him.

And one day, he stumbled.

The night he did was a night of passion, one he knew would cause him to tumble down the same path that Anatole had. Clothes were forgotten in place of memories of heat, of desperate, frantic fingers trying to cloak every part of bare, vulnerable skin. They were vulnerable to the cold world that hurt both of them, and vulnerable to the way that they hurt each other, leeched off of one another, drank in the affection and the unbridled love that they shared. The sobriety made it worse, the fall hurting worse. Dolokhov could feel himself dropping as him and Anatole found a place of ecstasy once more. An ecstasy that was sickening and disgusting in the eyes of God, Dolokhov could feel himself crumbling as Anatole pleaded with him as if he was one, begging him, bathing him, saying sweet nothings that could convince him he was a prophet. All thoughts of the elopement were forgotten in the heat, the pants, the creaking of the bed frames which were as stable as their relationship. As they both released, they pleaded to the God they had descended from to continue their sin, to let them bathe in the fruits of their turmoil and pure pleasure.

He couldn’t taste the alcohol. He could only taste Anatole.

He was so much better than vodka or prayers.

And for once, Dolokhov pulled on Anatole. He pulled him close. Flush. He cooed his own song of endless apologies, oversaturating him with his emotion. He recounted the tale of how he felt. He wept and grieved into his hair. All he could do was apologize. Apologizing because he was in love with him. He was falling, and falling, and falling, and falling…

“Why do you apologize?”

Why was Dolokhov apologizing?

“God would not want this for me. For you. For any man alive.”

“Do not speak of him. He has betrayed me enough. I have fallen from him and have fallen for you. Will God’s graces make you feel the way that this does? Will it make you quiver with passion and heal the aches and soothe the qualms in your heart? Will it stop the wars the plague the land and cloud your mind? God has made you as you are. You have fought enough. Stop fighting yourself. Now please, lie down and relax. You’re warm, and I am cold. I don’t wish to catch a fever.”

And Dolokhov fell. His arm collapsed against the man’s side and his hands pulled him closer than he could have imagined. The way that Anatole shifted against him like a perfect puzzle piece made him feel whole. Whole was not a feeling that Dolokhov had ever felt, and no matter what God would have promised him, or the valor he was promised from war, or the dignity in indulging in the marriage of a woman did not make him feel as complete or as completely broken as Anatole had made him.

What rose from the dust and hot ambers of Anatole’s lost wings singed the edges of his being and melted his fears, burning his scent and his being into his skin and brandishing him for as long as the coals that burned kept him on his earth, his own fall decorating the world with debris and ashes, polluting it with his true being. His freedom.

[jesseneufeld]

Dear Mark: Broth, Fasting, Coffee, and Metformin (and More)

For today’s edition of Dear Mark, I’m answering a bunch of questions from comment sections. First, did I get AMPK and mTOR mixed up in a recent post? Yes. Second, I give a warning for those who wish to add ginger to their broth. Third, is it a problem that we can’t accurately measure autophagy? Fourth, how does coffee with coconut oil affect a fast? Fifth, is there a way to make mayonnaise with extra B12 and metformin? Actually, kinda. Sixth, should you feel awkward about proposing hypotheses or presenting scientific evidence to your doctor? No.

Let’s go:

Great article, but a couple of amends are required with regards to mTOR. Firstly, you mention in the last paragraph that curcumin activates autophagy by activating mTOR. Reading the actual article abstract though, it states the opposite, ie the effect of curcumin “downregulating AKT/mTOR signaling pathway in human melanoma cells”.

Great catch. I’m not sure how I flipped that around. AMPK triggers autophagy, mTOR inhibits it.

What you say about curcumin goes for all the other broth ingredients I mentioned. Ginger, green tea, and curcumin all contain phytonutrients which trigger AMPK, which should induce autophagy, or at least get out of its way. What remains to be seen is whether the amino acids in broth are sufficient to inhibit fasting-and-phytonutrient-induced autophagy. I lean toward “yes,” but is it an on-off switch, or is autophagy a spectrum? Does inhibition imply complete nullification? I doubt it.

Regarding autophagy and health and longevity, it’s important to note the manner in which glycine, the primary amino acid found in broth and gelatin, opposes the effects of methionine, the primary amino acid found in muscle meat and a great stimulator of mTOR.

One notable study found that while restricting dietary methionine increased the lifespan of lab rodents, if you added dietary glycine, you could keep methionine in the diet and maintain the longevity benefits. That doesn’t necessarily speak to the effect of broth on autophagy during a fast, but it’s a good reminder that broth is a general good guy in the fight for healthy longevity.

Funny you mentioned ginger and turmeric as I add both, along with a whole lemon and/or lime, to my list of ingredients when cooking my broth. Here’s another great tip: I juice turmeric root, ginger & lemon together in my Omega juicer and freeze in ice cube trays. I add a cube to curries and other dishes.

That’s a great idea. One cautionary note about the raw ginger: it will destroy your gelatin.

Raw ginger has a powerful protease, an enzyme that breaks down protein. If you grate a bunch of ginger into a batch of finished broth, or juice a few inches and dump it in, there’s a good chance you’ll lose the gel. The amino acids will remain, but you’ll miss out on the texture, the mouthfeel, the culinary benefits of a good strong gelatinous bone broth.

Heating the ginger with the broth as it cooks, or even just reducing the amount of raw ginger you add, should reduce the protease activity.

“Bone broth with turmeric, green tea, and ginger might actually combine to form a decent autophagy-preserving drink during a fast. Only one way to find out!” You say this as if there is a way for us to try this and see. Since we cannot measure autophagy, this statement makes no sense.

Touché.

Although it will all shake out in the end, or towards it. If things seem to be “going good” for you as you get older, if your doctor is always pleasantly surprised at your test results, if you maintain your vim and vigor as your peers degenerate, maybe it worked. Maybe it’ll add a few months or years to your life, and you’ll never quite know because you don’t have an alternate life in which you didn’t add the turmeric, green tea, and ginger to your broth for comparison.

At any rate, the mix tastes really, really good. That’s reason enough to drink the stuff.

What about drinking a cup of black coffee with one tablespoon of coconut oil blended in? What effect does that have on fasting?

You’ll burn less body fat (because you’re eating 14 grams of it).

Autophagy will be maintained (because fat has little to no effect on autophagy).

You may have better adherence. The fast might “feel” easier, although you might not be “fasting as hard.”

I often have cream in my coffee during a “fast,” and I see no ill effects. Although as I alluded to in the previous answer, these things are hard to definitively measure. Much of it is a mix of speculation, hope, intuition, and faith that our health practices are helping us and improving our outcomes.

Read my post on coffee during a fast for more information.

Can you make a Mayo with metformin and increased B12? Thanks

You know what? Let’s try to make this happen.

Start with your favorite mayo recipe. Then, swap out the chicken egg yolks for two duck egg yolks. Each duck egg contains almost 4 micrograms of B12—more than the daily requirement. For comparison’s sake, the average chicken egg has about 0.5 micrograms.

At the end, add in a few drops of barberry extract—barberry is a good natural source of berberine, an alkaloid whose effects are similar to metformin’s. I don’t know if the extract will affect the emulsion of the mayo, but it shouldn’t be too much of a hindrance. Barberry is said to be bitter, so perhaps add a few pinches of a natural sweetener like stevia or monk fruit to counteract it.

I recently read a PubMed article that possibly ties Metformin use in diabetic patients with MTHFR mutation (in particular C677T) causing Vitamin B12 deficiency leading to Hyperhomocysteinemia which then may increase risk of vascular thrombosis. I have also read many articles/opinions that convey there is nothing to worry about with MTHFR mutations. My Mom is a Metformin treated (several years) diabetic who has the C677T mutation and has had one blood clot in her leg and, now while on blood thinners, has been experiencing severe swelling in lower extremities. I’m trying to figure out if we should be looking into this combination of Metformin and MTHFR mutation as the cause behind this or if the docs will think I’m just another wack-a-doo who diagnoses things via the internet, especially since I’ve already self-diagnosed Hereditary Hemochromatosis in myself earlier this year! Genes are fascinating! 

Wack a doos make the world go round. Some of the greatest thinkers, creators, and doers throughout human history were considered by many to be insane.

And hey, this is your mother. There’s no shame in helping your kin.

A wack a doo would ask her doc about the potential for crystals to heal her tumor. A wack a doo would bring a printout of a random Reddit post to the appointment and use it as proof of her hypothesis. A wack a doo would ask the staff dietitian for a Breatharianism protocol. Bringing a legitimate medical article discussing a specific mutation that has been shown to induce B12 deficiencies in people taking the very same medication your mother is taking along with genetic results showing she has the mutation is far from crazy. Do it.

Besides, you’re totally right. A vitamin B12 deficiency (and the resultant elevated homocysteine levels) is a known risk factor for blood clots.

That’s it for today, folks. Take care and be sure to leave your comments and questions down below. Thanks for reading!

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References:

Joel Brind, Virginia Malloy, Ines Augie, Nicholas Caliendo, Joseph H Vogelman, Jay A. Zimmerman, and Norman Orentreich Dietary glycine supplementation mimics lifespan extension by dietary methionine restriction in Fisher 344 ratsThe FASEB Journal 2011 25:1_supplement, 528.2-528.2 

The post Dear Mark: Broth, Fasting, Coffee, and Metformin (and More) appeared first on Mark's Daily Apple.

Dear Mark: Broth, Fasting, Coffee, and Metformin (and More) published first on https://drugaddictionsrehab.tumblr.com/

[milenasanchezmk]

Dear Mark: Broth, Fasting, Coffee, and Metformin (and More)

For today’s edition of Dear Mark, I’m answering a bunch of questions from comment sections. First, did I get AMPK and mTOR mixed up in a recent post? Yes. Second, I give a warning for those who wish to add ginger to their broth. Third, is it a problem that we can’t accurately measure autophagy? Fourth, how does coffee with coconut oil affect a fast? Fifth, is there a way to make mayonnaise with extra B12 and metformin? Actually, kinda. Sixth, should you feel awkward about proposing hypotheses or presenting scientific evidence to your doctor? No.

Let’s go:

Great article, but a couple of amends are required with regards to mTOR. Firstly, you mention in the last paragraph that curcumin activates autophagy by activating mTOR. Reading the actual article abstract though, it states the opposite, ie the effect of curcumin “downregulating AKT/mTOR signaling pathway in human melanoma cells”.

Great catch. I’m not sure how I flipped that around. AMPK triggers autophagy, mTOR inhibits it.

What you say about curcumin goes for all the other broth ingredients I mentioned. Ginger, green tea, and curcumin all contain phytonutrients which trigger AMPK, which should induce autophagy, or at least get out of its way. What remains to be seen is whether the amino acids in broth are sufficient to inhibit fasting-and-phytonutrient-induced autophagy. I lean toward “yes,” but is it an on-off switch, or is autophagy a spectrum? Does inhibition imply complete nullification? I doubt it.

Regarding autophagy and health and longevity, it’s important to note the manner in which glycine, the primary amino acid found in broth and gelatin, opposes the effects of methionine, the primary amino acid found in muscle meat and a great stimulator of mTOR.

One notable study found that while restricting dietary methionine increased the lifespan of lab rodents, if you added dietary glycine, you could keep methionine in the diet and maintain the longevity benefits. That doesn’t necessarily speak to the effect of broth on autophagy during a fast, but it’s a good reminder that broth is a general good guy in the fight for healthy longevity.

Funny you mentioned ginger and turmeric as I add both, along with a whole lemon and/or lime, to my list of ingredients when cooking my broth. Here’s another great tip: I juice turmeric root, ginger & lemon together in my Omega juicer and freeze in ice cube trays. I add a cube to curries and other dishes.

That’s a great idea. One cautionary note about the raw ginger: it will destroy your gelatin.

Raw ginger has a powerful protease, an enzyme that breaks down protein. If you grate a bunch of ginger into a batch of finished broth, or juice a few inches and dump it in, there’s a good chance you’ll lose the gel. The amino acids will remain, but you’ll miss out on the texture, the mouthfeel, the culinary benefits of a good strong gelatinous bone broth.

Heating the ginger with the broth as it cooks, or even just reducing the amount of raw ginger you add, should reduce the protease activity.

“Bone broth with turmeric, green tea, and ginger might actually combine to form a decent autophagy-preserving drink during a fast. Only one way to find out!” You say this as if there is a way for us to try this and see. Since we cannot measure autophagy, this statement makes no sense.

Touché.

Although it will all shake out in the end, or towards it. If things seem to be “going good” for you as you get older, if your doctor is always pleasantly surprised at your test results, if you maintain your vim and vigor as your peers degenerate, maybe it worked. Maybe it’ll add a few months or years to your life, and you’ll never quite know because you don’t have an alternate life in which you didn’t add the turmeric, green tea, and ginger to your broth for comparison.

At any rate, the mix tastes really, really good. That’s reason enough to drink the stuff.

What about drinking a cup of black coffee with one tablespoon of coconut oil blended in? What effect does that have on fasting?

You’ll burn less body fat (because you’re eating 14 grams of it).

Autophagy will be maintained (because fat has little to no effect on autophagy).

You may have better adherence. The fast might “feel” easier, although you might not be “fasting as hard.”

I often have cream in my coffee during a “fast,” and I see no ill effects. Although as I alluded to in the previous answer, these things are hard to definitively measure. Much of it is a mix of speculation, hope, intuition, and faith that our health practices are helping us and improving our outcomes.

Read my post on coffee during a fast for more information.

Can you make a Mayo with metformin and increased B12? Thanks

You know what? Let’s try to make this happen.

Start with your favorite mayo recipe. Then, swap out the chicken egg yolks for two duck egg yolks. Each duck egg contains almost 4 micrograms of B12—more than the daily requirement. For comparison’s sake, the average chicken egg has about 0.5 micrograms.

At the end, add in a few drops of barberry extract—barberry is a good natural source of berberine, an alkaloid whose effects are similar to metformin’s. I don’t know if the extract will affect the emulsion of the mayo, but it shouldn’t be too much of a hindrance. Barberry is said to be bitter, so perhaps add a few pinches of a natural sweetener like stevia or monk fruit to counteract it.

I recently read a PubMed article that possibly ties Metformin use in diabetic patients with MTHFR mutation (in particular C677T) causing Vitamin B12 deficiency leading to Hyperhomocysteinemia which then may increase risk of vascular thrombosis. I have also read many articles/opinions that convey there is nothing to worry about with MTHFR mutations. My Mom is a Metformin treated (several years) diabetic who has the C677T mutation and has had one blood clot in her leg and, now while on blood thinners, has been experiencing severe swelling in lower extremities. I’m trying to figure out if we should be looking into this combination of Metformin and MTHFR mutation as the cause behind this or if the docs will think I’m just another wack-a-doo who diagnoses things via the internet, especially since I’ve already self-diagnosed Hereditary Hemochromatosis in myself earlier this year! Genes are fascinating! 

Wack a doos make the world go round. Some of the greatest thinkers, creators, and doers throughout human history were considered by many to be insane.

And hey, this is your mother. There’s no shame in helping your kin.

A wack a doo would ask her doc about the potential for crystals to heal her tumor. A wack a doo would bring a printout of a random Reddit post to the appointment and use it as proof of her hypothesis. A wack a doo would ask the staff dietitian for a Breatharianism protocol. Bringing a legitimate medical article discussing a specific mutation that has been shown to induce B12 deficiencies in people taking the very same medication your mother is taking along with genetic results showing she has the mutation is far from crazy. Do it.

Besides, you’re totally right. A vitamin B12 deficiency (and the resultant elevated homocysteine levels) is a known risk factor for blood clots.

That’s it for today, folks. Take care and be sure to leave your comments and questions down below. Thanks for reading!

References:

Joel Brind, Virginia Malloy, Ines Augie, Nicholas Caliendo, Joseph H Vogelman, Jay A. Zimmerman, and Norman Orentreich Dietary glycine supplementation mimics lifespan extension by dietary methionine restriction in Fisher 344 ratsThe FASEB Journal 2011 25:1_supplement, 528.2-528.2 

The post Dear Mark: Broth, Fasting, Coffee, and Metformin (and More) appeared first on Mark's Daily Apple.

[cristinajourdanqp]

Dear Mark: Broth, Fasting, Coffee, and Metformin (and More)

For today’s edition of Dear Mark, I’m answering a bunch of questions from comment sections. First, did I get AMPK and mTOR mixed up in a recent post? Yes. Second, I give a warning for those who wish to add ginger to their broth. Third, is it a problem that we can’t accurately measure autophagy? Fourth, how does coffee with coconut oil affect a fast? Fifth, is there a way to make mayonnaise with extra B12 and metformin? Actually, kinda. Sixth, should you feel awkward about proposing hypotheses or presenting scientific evidence to your doctor? No.

Let’s go:

Great article, but a couple of amends are required with regards to mTOR. Firstly, you mention in the last paragraph that curcumin activates autophagy by activating mTOR. Reading the actual article abstract though, it states the opposite, ie the effect of curcumin “downregulating AKT/mTOR signaling pathway in human melanoma cells”.

Great catch. I’m not sure how I flipped that around. AMPK triggers autophagy, mTOR inhibits it.

What you say about curcumin goes for all the other broth ingredients I mentioned. Ginger, green tea, and curcumin all contain phytonutrients which trigger AMPK, which should induce autophagy, or at least get out of its way. What remains to be seen is whether the amino acids in broth are sufficient to inhibit fasting-and-phytonutrient-induced autophagy. I lean toward “yes,” but is it an on-off switch, or is autophagy a spectrum? Does inhibition imply complete nullification? I doubt it.

Regarding autophagy and health and longevity, it’s important to note the manner in which glycine, the primary amino acid found in broth and gelatin, opposes the effects of methionine, the primary amino acid found in muscle meat and a great stimulator of mTOR.

One notable study found that while restricting dietary methionine increased the lifespan of lab rodents, if you added dietary glycine, you could keep methionine in the diet and maintain the longevity benefits. That doesn’t necessarily speak to the effect of broth on autophagy during a fast, but it’s a good reminder that broth is a general good guy in the fight for healthy longevity.

Funny you mentioned ginger and turmeric as I add both, along with a whole lemon and/or lime, to my list of ingredients when cooking my broth. Here’s another great tip: I juice turmeric root, ginger & lemon together in my Omega juicer and freeze in ice cube trays. I add a cube to curries and other dishes.

That’s a great idea. One cautionary note about the raw ginger: it will destroy your gelatin.

Raw ginger has a powerful protease, an enzyme that breaks down protein. If you grate a bunch of ginger into a batch of finished broth, or juice a few inches and dump it in, there’s a good chance you’ll lose the gel. The amino acids will remain, but you’ll miss out on the texture, the mouthfeel, the culinary benefits of a good strong gelatinous bone broth.

Heating the ginger with the broth as it cooks, or even just reducing the amount of raw ginger you add, should reduce the protease activity.

“Bone broth with turmeric, green tea, and ginger might actually combine to form a decent autophagy-preserving drink during a fast. Only one way to find out!” You say this as if there is a way for us to try this and see. Since we cannot measure autophagy, this statement makes no sense.

Touché.

Although it will all shake out in the end, or towards it. If things seem to be “going good” for you as you get older, if your doctor is always pleasantly surprised at your test results, if you maintain your vim and vigor as your peers degenerate, maybe it worked. Maybe it’ll add a few months or years to your life, and you’ll never quite know because you don’t have an alternate life in which you didn’t add the turmeric, green tea, and ginger to your broth for comparison.

At any rate, the mix tastes really, really good. That’s reason enough to drink the stuff.

What about drinking a cup of black coffee with one tablespoon of coconut oil blended in? What effect does that have on fasting?

You’ll burn less body fat (because you’re eating 14 grams of it).

Autophagy will be maintained (because fat has little to no effect on autophagy).

You may have better adherence. The fast might “feel” easier, although you might not be “fasting as hard.”

I often have cream in my coffee during a “fast,” and I see no ill effects. Although as I alluded to in the previous answer, these things are hard to definitively measure. Much of it is a mix of speculation, hope, intuition, and faith that our health practices are helping us and improving our outcomes.

Read my post on coffee during a fast for more information.

Can you make a Mayo with metformin and increased B12? Thanks

You know what? Let’s try to make this happen.

Start with your favorite mayo recipe. Then, swap out the chicken egg yolks for two duck egg yolks. Each duck egg contains almost 4 micrograms of B12—more than the daily requirement. For comparison’s sake, the average chicken egg has about 0.5 micrograms.

At the end, add in a few drops of barberry extract—barberry is a good natural source of berberine, an alkaloid whose effects are similar to metformin’s. I don’t know if the extract will affect the emulsion of the mayo, but it shouldn’t be too much of a hindrance. Barberry is said to be bitter, so perhaps add a few pinches of a natural sweetener like stevia or monk fruit to counteract it.

I recently read a PubMed article that possibly ties Metformin use in diabetic patients with MTHFR mutation (in particular C677T) causing Vitamin B12 deficiency leading to Hyperhomocysteinemia which then may increase risk of vascular thrombosis. I have also read many articles/opinions that convey there is nothing to worry about with MTHFR mutations. My Mom is a Metformin treated (several years) diabetic who has the C677T mutation and has had one blood clot in her leg and, now while on blood thinners, has been experiencing severe swelling in lower extremities. I’m trying to figure out if we should be looking into this combination of Metformin and MTHFR mutation as the cause behind this or if the docs will think I’m just another wack-a-doo who diagnoses things via the internet, especially since I’ve already self-diagnosed Hereditary Hemochromatosis in myself earlier this year! Genes are fascinating! 

Wack a doos make the world go round. Some of the greatest thinkers, creators, and doers throughout human history were considered by many to be insane.

And hey, this is your mother. There’s no shame in helping your kin.

A wack a doo would ask her doc about the potential for crystals to heal her tumor. A wack a doo would bring a printout of a random Reddit post to the appointment and use it as proof of her hypothesis. A wack a doo would ask the staff dietitian for a Breatharianism protocol. Bringing a legitimate medical article discussing a specific mutation that has been shown to induce B12 deficiencies in people taking the very same medication your mother is taking along with genetic results showing she has the mutation is far from crazy. Do it.

Besides, you’re totally right. A vitamin B12 deficiency (and the resultant elevated homocysteine levels) is a known risk factor for blood clots.

That’s it for today, folks. Take care and be sure to leave your comments and questions down below. Thanks for reading!

References:

Joel Brind, Virginia Malloy, Ines Augie, Nicholas Caliendo, Joseph H Vogelman, Jay A. Zimmerman, and Norman Orentreich Dietary glycine supplementation mimics lifespan extension by dietary methionine restriction in Fisher 344 ratsThe FASEB Journal 2011 25:1_supplement, 528.2-528.2 

The post Dear Mark: Broth, Fasting, Coffee, and Metformin (and More) appeared first on Mark's Daily Apple.

[cynthiamwashington]

Dear Mark: Broth, Fasting, Coffee, and Metformin (and More)

For today’s edition of Dear Mark, I’m answering a bunch of questions from comment sections. First, did I get AMPK and mTOR mixed up in a recent post? Yes. Second, I give a warning for those who wish to add ginger to their broth. Third, is it a problem that we can’t accurately measure autophagy? Fourth, how does coffee with coconut oil affect a fast? Fifth, is there a way to make mayonnaise with extra B12 and metformin? Actually, kinda. Sixth, should you feel awkward about proposing hypotheses or presenting scientific evidence to your doctor? No.

Let’s go:

Great article, but a couple of amends are required with regards to mTOR. Firstly, you mention in the last paragraph that curcumin activates autophagy by activating mTOR. Reading the actual article abstract though, it states the opposite, ie the effect of curcumin “downregulating AKT/mTOR signaling pathway in human melanoma cells”.

Great catch. I’m not sure how I flipped that around. AMPK triggers autophagy, mTOR inhibits it.

What you say about curcumin goes for all the other broth ingredients I mentioned. Ginger, green tea, and curcumin all contain phytonutrients which trigger AMPK, which should induce autophagy, or at least get out of its way. What remains to be seen is whether the amino acids in broth are sufficient to inhibit fasting-and-phytonutrient-induced autophagy. I lean toward “yes,” but is it an on-off switch, or is autophagy a spectrum? Does inhibition imply complete nullification? I doubt it.

Regarding autophagy and health and longevity, it’s important to note the manner in which glycine, the primary amino acid found in broth and gelatin, opposes the effects of methionine, the primary amino acid found in muscle meat and a great stimulator of mTOR.

One notable study found that while restricting dietary methionine increased the lifespan of lab rodents, if you added dietary glycine, you could keep methionine in the diet and maintain the longevity benefits. That doesn’t necessarily speak to the effect of broth on autophagy during a fast, but it’s a good reminder that broth is a general good guy in the fight for healthy longevity.

Funny you mentioned ginger and turmeric as I add both, along with a whole lemon and/or lime, to my list of ingredients when cooking my broth. Here’s another great tip: I juice turmeric root, ginger & lemon together in my Omega juicer and freeze in ice cube trays. I add a cube to curries and other dishes.

That’s a great idea. One cautionary note about the raw ginger: it will destroy your gelatin.

Raw ginger has a powerful protease, an enzyme that breaks down protein. If you grate a bunch of ginger into a batch of finished broth, or juice a few inches and dump it in, there’s a good chance you’ll lose the gel. The amino acids will remain, but you’ll miss out on the texture, the mouthfeel, the culinary benefits of a good strong gelatinous bone broth.

Heating the ginger with the broth as it cooks, or even just reducing the amount of raw ginger you add, should reduce the protease activity.

“Bone broth with turmeric, green tea, and ginger might actually combine to form a decent autophagy-preserving drink during a fast. Only one way to find out!” You say this as if there is a way for us to try this and see. Since we cannot measure autophagy, this statement makes no sense.

Touché.

Although it will all shake out in the end, or towards it. If things seem to be “going good” for you as you get older, if your doctor is always pleasantly surprised at your test results, if you maintain your vim and vigor as your peers degenerate, maybe it worked. Maybe it’ll add a few months or years to your life, and you’ll never quite know because you don’t have an alternate life in which you didn’t add the turmeric, green tea, and ginger to your broth for comparison.

At any rate, the mix tastes really, really good. That’s reason enough to drink the stuff.

What about drinking a cup of black coffee with one tablespoon of coconut oil blended in? What effect does that have on fasting?

You’ll burn less body fat (because you’re eating 14 grams of it).

Autophagy will be maintained (because fat has little to no effect on autophagy).

You may have better adherence. The fast might “feel” easier, although you might not be “fasting as hard.”

I often have cream in my coffee during a “fast,” and I see no ill effects. Although as I alluded to in the previous answer, these things are hard to definitively measure. Much of it is a mix of speculation, hope, intuition, and faith that our health practices are helping us and improving our outcomes.

Read my post on coffee during a fast for more information.

Can you make a Mayo with metformin and increased B12? Thanks

You know what? Let’s try to make this happen.

Start with your favorite mayo recipe. Then, swap out the chicken egg yolks for two duck egg yolks. Each duck egg contains almost 4 micrograms of B12—more than the daily requirement. For comparison’s sake, the average chicken egg has about 0.5 micrograms.

At the end, add in a few drops of barberry extract—barberry is a good natural source of berberine, an alkaloid whose effects are similar to metformin’s. I don’t know if the extract will affect the emulsion of the mayo, but it shouldn’t be too much of a hindrance. Barberry is said to be bitter, so perhaps add a few pinches of a natural sweetener like stevia or monk fruit to counteract it.

I recently read a PubMed article that possibly ties Metformin use in diabetic patients with MTHFR mutation (in particular C677T) causing Vitamin B12 deficiency leading to Hyperhomocysteinemia which then may increase risk of vascular thrombosis. I have also read many articles/opinions that convey there is nothing to worry about with MTHFR mutations. My Mom is a Metformin treated (several years) diabetic who has the C677T mutation and has had one blood clot in her leg and, now while on blood thinners, has been experiencing severe swelling in lower extremities. I’m trying to figure out if we should be looking into this combination of Metformin and MTHFR mutation as the cause behind this or if the docs will think I’m just another wack-a-doo who diagnoses things via the internet, especially since I’ve already self-diagnosed Hereditary Hemochromatosis in myself earlier this year! Genes are fascinating! 

Wack a doos make the world go round. Some of the greatest thinkers, creators, and doers throughout human history were considered by many to be insane.

And hey, this is your mother. There’s no shame in helping your kin.

A wack a doo would ask her doc about the potential for crystals to heal her tumor. A wack a doo would bring a printout of a random Reddit post to the appointment and use it as proof of her hypothesis. A wack a doo would ask the staff dietitian for a Breatharianism protocol. Bringing a legitimate medical article discussing a specific mutation that has been shown to induce B12 deficiencies in people taking the very same medication your mother is taking along with genetic results showing she has the mutation is far from crazy. Do it.

Besides, you’re totally right. A vitamin B12 deficiency (and the resultant elevated homocysteine levels) is a known risk factor for blood clots.

That’s it for today, folks. Take care and be sure to leave your comments and questions down below. Thanks for reading!

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ga('send', { hitType: 'event', eventCategory: 'Ad Impression', eventAction: '66049' });

References:

Joel Brind, Virginia Malloy, Ines Augie, Nicholas Caliendo, Joseph H Vogelman, Jay A. Zimmerman, and Norman Orentreich Dietary glycine supplementation mimics lifespan extension by dietary methionine restriction in Fisher 344 ratsThe FASEB Journal 2011 25:1_supplement, 528.2-528.2 

The post Dear Mark: Broth, Fasting, Coffee, and Metformin (and More) appeared first on Mark's Daily Apple.

Article source here:Marks’s Daily Apple

[mehoymalloy]

i was looking for good photos for a meme for my friend and found your photo set titled A curator, a masterpiece, and a restoration. i am in awe of it. i have a shit ton to say but i'm already writing an essay. i might come back and say everything i like but here's a short bulleted list

first thing i noticed was Aloy's facial expression. she almost looks stiffened with a negative emotion, or something extremely positive or unexpected. as if Tilda is telling her something she has trouble comprehending

Woman Reading a Letter between them is a great bridge. it's almost a hint as to what Tilda may be saying to Aloy, and why she is reacting the way she is. i'm reminded of your description of this painting in ch 7 (?) of Prometheus Bound, when you said that the painting has warm tones. the last photo in the set gives everything a warm hue, which i really appreciate because it 1. supports your description of the painting and 2. the base's hue is too cold and impersonal for me, and the filter helped lessen the chill.

i've actually hardly looked at Tilda until writing this. i am very enthralled by Aloy's expression. it's interesting that Aloy has half her face towards the camera while Tilda only has ~1/3 in view. it looks like she is aloof and feeling sort of superior (as per usual) and she has a relaxed expression. her eyes are less open than Aloy's, and her eyebrows are lightly weighted, whereas Aloy's are heavy with feeling.

there is a great dichotomy between Tilda and Aloy:

light and dark (purple armor w/white accents vs white suit w/ black and gold accents),

organic and manmade (machine parts (which you could argue is not organic but to me the machines are very organically like... presenting? yes they're machines but they're realistic idk) and cloth vs swirling metals and hexagons and fluid golds and implants) (distinct lines vs melding edges)

cool vs warm (Aloy has warm undertones, reddish hair, whereas Tilda has cool undertones and sandy hair)

shadow vs illumination (Tilda's suit reflecting and her skin catching more light vs Aloy's light-absorbing armor, less illuminated save for the focus)

prehistoric vs futuristic (shield, gold fluid, blue lights, suit embedded into jaw vs spears, bows, birds feathers, armor from prey/predator remains)

perfection/minimalism vs imperfections/maximalism (Tilda's perfectly clear skin, atom-perfect suit, gold and glittering accents, shining, hair in segmented, flowing, almost featherlike strands, little frizzing or whatever the term is vs Aloy's scars (less visible), freckles, the scuffs and dents on her armor, the bags under her eyes, messier hair pouring haphazardly around her shoulders and back and weapons, the tiny strands of hair peeking out from below her focus vs Tilda's high cropped sides)

i like that you were able to catch Tilda using a hand gesture because she does it often. i think she tilts her head a lot as well, sometimes moving one eye closer to Aloy (like she does in the photos)

wow ok so i lied. i guess i needed a break to analyze some photography. personally, i am drawn to the warmth of the last photo and the framing of the first photo. :^)

I'm so glad you like it as much as you do! I think this was one of the first photos I took of Tilda, waaay back when I was debating trying to write at all. Your interpretations of all the little details in the shot is super interesting (and stuff I never would have thought of unless prompted), so thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts!

[mehoymalloy]

I would LOVE 🌷 and 🍎 please!!!

🌷 Sweet quote from a published work:

From chapter 6 of Prometheus Bound:

Smiling softly, Tilda leaned in and casually bumped her shoulder against Aloy’s, filling the gesture with all the love she was capable of giving. No deception. No desperation. No possessive or jealous stake of claim. Just the intense desire to help, to soothe the ache, in any way she could. “Practically two peas in a pod, us,” she said.

It's, uh, it's sweet considering it's Tilda.

🍎 Angst quote from a wip:

Get ready for exclusive, never-before-seen content! Lol

The seconds ticked by at an agonizing pace, the silence heavy and stifling, save for Aloy’s deep, ragged breathing, frustration all too evident. Tilda tried to go to her again, desperate to comfort her. But Aloy whirled around and took a large step back, timed perfectly with Tilda's own hesitant step forward. She threw her arm out toward the hologram behind her, gesturing aggressively toward Woman Reading a Letter, and her sharp voice, thick with barely-wrangled emotion, cut deeper than any blade, “Am I just a copy to you? Like one of your stupid paintings?”

😬

[mehoymalloy]

YES! I love Silga too and feel like she had some extreeeeeme chemistry with Aloy. Aloy was like oh? An abrasive loner genius outcast chasing the secrets of the old world? She's mine I think <3

Omg she was adorable! And the way she came across as mistrustful at first because of how she'd been mistreated but then slowly opened up when Aloy wanted to help her, ugh, my heart. I'm going to have to hop on my research playthrough and record her side quest now for...future use.

[mehoymalloy]

🍒

🍒 Sweet quote from a wip:

But then there was a slight tug on her sleeve, fingers briefly ghosting across her hand, so gentle it was barely noticeable. Tilda turned to see Aloy studying her with that intensely scrutinizing look of hers. The one that made Tilda feel like she was being peeled apart, all her inner workings unveiled layer-by-layer, exposed and vulnerable. She almost hated it. If it weren’t for the fact that it was Aloy’s gaze roving over all her frayed and mismatched pieces.

Y'all are gettin' all the Prometheus Bound snippets 😬

[mehoymalloy]

🎶✨when u get this, list 5 songs u like to listen to, publish. then, send this ask to 10 of your favorite followers (positivity is cool)🎶✨

Alright, I just went through the last 4 years of top songs playlists on Spotify and picked my favorites out of each one; in no particular order we have:

Hellfire, but make it gay. I like evil ladies. I rest my case.

Makes me cry without fail. New personality quiz: listen to the album Ennegram and tell me which song makes your cry the hardest.

Favorite game ever. Favorite game soundtrack ever. The original beats the DLC version on sentiment alone.

The video game Outer Wilds managed to beat. Absolutely slaps. Goes hard like Dracula on drugs at a rave.

80s but with a gay vibe but about a car. ABSOLUTELY SLAPS.

[mehoymalloy]

for the meme I give you Crying. so much Crying. DELICIOUS.

I'm even crying as I stare at my outline for the final chapter of PB...

[mehoymalloy]

dealer’s choice⭐️⭐️ on anything you wanna talk about from Prometheus Bound!

I am desperately holding back the floodgates so I don't spoil my own damn story.

OK, so I had a lot of trouble with Tilda's flashback scenes in chapter 2, but I LOVED writing her entire early career one. Specifically, there was something just weirdly satisfying about researching and writing out a whole section about Tilda working out how she knew the Rembrandt sketches were forgeries. Wondering if it was something about the materials or the type of chalk used, only to find out it was just from one miniscule mistake in the overly-abundant signatures. Researching tiny details is very fun for me, even if it goes mostly unnoticed by most readers, so that whole paragraph felt so good to read once I finished editing it. I was especially proud of the phrase "nail in the curatorial coffin," though now that I'm looking at it again, I have a strong urge to change it from "real nail" to "final nail" 😬

For anyone who is curious, this is the section:

This work finally revealed what was 'off' to her about the sketches. It wasn't the chemical composition of the paper or the degradation of the black chalk. It was the signatures. Each of the drawings, 17 in total, had a signature. Previously, nearly 1,500 drafts had been attributed to Rembrandt, but only 46 of them bore his signature. He treated his sketches the way a writer might treat a messy first draft, inconsequential in the grand scheme of things, and as such, rarely bothered to sign them. While someone could amass 17 signed sketches through great fortune and dedicated research, it was nearly unfeasible.

Tilda's software revealed the real nail in this curatorial coffin: a single line. A blip, really. The swooping tail of the 't' at the end of Rembrandt's name was always bold, like he had dragged his writing instrument against the work with a heavy hand. In fact, the tail end was the widest point of the 't,' measuring between 0.7 and 1 millimeter, and this remained true regardless of the medium or substrate used.

But in this collection of sketches, the widest point was at the top of the tail, creating a carefully designed swoop resembling more classical styles of calligraphy, which encouraged a light and delicate touch.

Each one measured between 0.3 and 0.6 millimeters at its widest point.

They were all forgeries, and Tilda could finally prove what she had known all along.