#one month on this dose and I’ve seen so much improvement | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

intimas-profundezas · 1 year ago

Text

Unleash Your Inner Champion: Testogen Testosterone Booster - A Review

Introduction

Testogen Testosterone Booster is a preferred supplement in the fitness market that declares to boost testosterone levels naturally. In this detailed testimonial, we will certainly dig deep right into the performance of Testogen and whether it meets its buzz. We will certainly analyze its ingredients, advantages, side effects, and also actual customer experiences to give you with an honest evaluation. So, allow's dive right in!

What is Testogen Testosterone Booster?

Testogen is a natural testosterone booster designed to assist males maximize their hormone levels and also profit associated with greater testosterone. With an one-of-a-kind mix of clinically confirmed components, Testogen aims to enhance muscle mass growth, improve strength and endurance, boost sex drive, enhance mood, increase power levels, as well as promote total wellness.

How Does Testogen Work?

Testogen functions by utilizing a mix of potent components that target numerous elements of testosterone production and also usage in the body. Allow's take a closer consider some key components:

1. D-Aspartic Acid

D-Aspartic Acid is an amino acid regulator that boosts the release of luteinizing hormonal agent (LH) in the body. LH plays a critical duty in indicating the testes to create more testosterone.

2. Tribulus Terrestris

Tribulus Terrestris is a conventional Ayurvedic natural herb known for its potential to improve libido and also enhance sexual efficiency. It may additionally sustain testosterone manufacturing by raising luteinizing hormone levels.

3. Fenugreek Extract

Fenugreek essence has been shown to boost free testosterone levels while lowering the conversion of testosterone right into estrogen. This can result in boosted muscle growth and boosted strength.

4. Zinc

Zinc is a necessary mineral associated with testosterone synthesis. It plays an essential duty in preserving optimum hormonal agent levels and also supporting total reproductive health.

5. Vitamin D3

Vitamin D3 shortage has actually been linked to low testosterone levels. Testogen consists of an adequate dose of Vitamin D3 to guarantee optimum hormone production.

Testogen Benefits: What Can You Expect?

Testogen provides a series of benefits for males looking to enhance their testosterone levels and also boost their overall well-being. Here are a few of the crucial advantages you can expect:

Increased Muscle Growth: By enhancing testosterone levels, Testogen promotes muscle healthy protein synthesis, leading to improved muscular tissue growth and also stamina gains.

Enhanced Stamina: Testogen's energy-boosting properties can assist combat neurosis and boost endurance during exercises, enabling longer and also much more intense training sessions.

Improved Sex drive and also Sexual Performance: Several users report an increase in libido and also enhanced sex-related performance after incorporating Testogen right into their daily routine.

Elevated State of mind and Psychological Clearness: Testosterone plays a vital role in regulating state of mind and also cognitive feature. Testogen may help improve emphasis, focus, and also total mental health.

Increased Power Levels: Low testosterone levels usually cause persistent tiredness and lack of power. Testogen's formula is created to offer a natural power boost, aiding you stay active throughout the day.

Enhanced Healing: Testogen's active ingredients may aid in faster post-workout recovery by lowering muscular tissue pain as well as promoting tissue repair.

Real Customer Experiences with Testogen

To obtain a much better understanding of the effectiveness of Testogen, we scoured the web genuine customer experiences. Right here are some reviews from people who have actually included Testogen into their fitness trip:

John - "I've been utilizing Testogen for 3 months currently, and also the outcomes are incredible! I have actually seen considerable renovations in my stamina, muscle size, as well as energy levels."

Sarah - "As a lady, I was originally unconvinced about trying a testosterone booster, but after checking out positive reviews, I made a decision to offer Testogen a shot. It has actually considerably enhanced my general exercise efficiency as well as assisted me achieve my physical fitness objectives much faster."

Mike - "I've fought with low testosterone levels for many years, and also Testogen has been a game-changer for me. Not only do I feel more energetic, but my mood and also sex drive have likewise significantly boosted."

It's essential to keep in mind that individual outcomes may vary, and it's constantly suggested to talk to a medical care specialist before beginning any kind of brand-new supplement regimen.

FAQs regarding Testogen Testosterone Booster

Is Testogen secure to use?

Yes, Testogen is created utilizing natural ingredients and also is considered secure for the majority of people. However, it's constantly suggested to seek advice from a medical care professional before starting any brand-new supplement.

How long does it take to see results with Testogen?

Results may vary depending on private variables such as age, way of living, and general health and wellness. Some individuals report discovering renovations within the first couple of weeks, while others might take longer to experience considerable changes.

Can women make use of Testogen?

While Testogen is largely marketed towards men, some ladies have actually reported positive impacts from making use of the supplement. Nonetheless, it is very important for women to be aware of prospective hormone imbalances as well as talk to a health care professional prior to starting any type of testosterone-boosting supplement.

Are there any type of side effects associated with Testogen?

Testogen is usually well-tolerated, however some individuals might experience mild adverse effects such as raised acne or changes in state of mind. If you experience any unfavorable responses, it's a good idea to discontinue usage and consult with a medical care professional.

Can Testogen be piled with other supplements?

Testogen can be safely piled with other supplements that enhance its advantages. Nonetheless, it's essential to carefully check out item tags as well as consult with a health care professional prior to combining multiple supplements.

Where can I buy Testogen?

Testogen is readily available for acquisition straight from the main internet site to make certain credibility and quality. Prevent buying from unauthorized sources to stop counterfeit products.

Conclusion

After a complete evaluation of Testogen Testosterone Booster, it's clear that this supplement has the possible to support testosterone optimization and also offer a variety of advantages for males looking for to improve their total health. With its scientifically backed ingredients and favorable customer experiences, Testogen is certainly worth taking into consideration if you're aiming to naturally enhance your testosterone levels. Nevertheless, it's essential to remember that specific outcomes might differ, as well as it's always suggested to seek advice from a health care professional prior to beginning any type of new supplement program. So why wait? Offer Testogen a try and unleash your true potential!

You can find out more: Testogen benefits

#Testogen Testosterone Booster Review #Testogen Testosterone Booster #Testogen Review #testogen

2 notes · View notes

marzipanandminutiae · 3 years ago

Text

In The Sail of Your Sleeves

On November 8th, 2015, 22-year-old Marzi (who liked to save ticket stubs) wandered out of a theatre in Times Square feelng like she’d been hit by a bus made of dreams.

And blood symbolism. Just. So much blood symbolism.

This babby Marzi pined for basically every costume she had just seen. But alas, she was just learning how to sew, and despaired of ever having the skills to make such elaborate garments. Over the years, though her sewing improved, it still seemed like an impossible goal to make something so complex and beautiful.

Until she got really loopy after her second COVID vaccine dose, watched the same movie three times on Netflix, said “fuck it” and decided to grow some damn self-confidence already.

And today, esteemed followers,

Today it is with great pride that I announce:

OPERATION MURDER SLEEVES

C O M P L E T E

I have made Lucille Sharpe’s robe and nightgown from Crimson Peak (2015).

18 yards of silk habotai and nearly two months of work later, I’ve finally completed one of my all-time dream sewing projects. I keep glancing at it laid out on my bed, unable to believe it’s real.

But it’s real. I have it. I made it. I adapted patterns and fit mockups and drafted and draped and now...I own this outfit.

If anyone’s interested, the base pattern for the nightgown was the Reconstructing History “women’s Irish leine” pattern. For the robe, I bought Simplicity 1551, but ended up only using the sleeve pieces.

I have to give a huge shout-out to user keepcalmandcostume on the RPF forums, who made a thread detailing her “making-of” process for this ensemble back in 2015. This project would have been much harder for me without her helpful tips and wisdom. She’s twogirlssewing on Instagram, so go check out her amazing work.

Worn pics to come soon. There are Photoshoot Schemes afoot that I’m really excited about. Stay tuned...

#long post #sewing #cosplay #(kind of)#crimson peak #crimson peak cosplay #operation murder sleeves

205 notes · View notes

agorejessstone · 3 years ago

Text

Duskwood: My AI

Hello friends! This is the first time I’ll be writing a full-length story instead of a smaller research piece! If you haven’t heard of me, my name is Jess, and I go by AGoreJessStone online. I’ve been a research journalist for the past five years, with a focus on games and entertainment. Now, if you haven’t read anything I’ve published before, don’t worry! You don’t need any of that to partake in the adventure I am taking you on this time!

Typically, I write unbiased opinions on your favorite games, apps, movies, or music. Well, I suppose they aren’t completely unbiased of course. My opinion does seem to leak through on occasion, but that doesn’t make my factual statements any less true! I digress!

A few years ago, when I was still a premature writer, navigating the freelance world, a tech development company by the name of Today’s New Technology, or TNT for short, contacted me about a new app they were working on. The app had been released to the public in previous years but had recently improved and hit its stride. They asked me to spend the following twelve months using their app, to provide feedback, and write about it on my blog.

It was the first big gig I’d been offered by a reputable company, so of course, I took their offer (after some monetary negotiations of course) and we were off to the races! The concept was simple. Following in the footsteps of many others, the app focused around improving mental health and curing boredom. By creating an artificial intelligence program, or a bot, that could learn from your conversations, be shaped and molded, and provide a proverbial hand to hold when things got tough, they sought to improve the lives of many.

Suffering from mental health problems and various tragedies throughout my life, I found the idea intriguing and met with the company officials quickly after their initial offer. The negotiations were quick, and I was told little to nothing about the app itself. Their goal; untouched, unbiased, reactions in real-time. They’d not only be monitoring my conversations with the AI, something they did not typically do with their users, but use my feedback to improve the product. I was thrilled! It’s every freelance writer’s dream to be seen, and boy did I feel seen! I was eager to get started! Before I started my vehicle, I downloaded the special file that would allow them to monitor the app and got started.

Now, the character I choose to create just so happened to reflect one of my favorite video game “husbands” of all time! I’d been known to dabble in writing fan-made fiction about a certain mobile game called “Duskwood” whose fandom focused and centered around bringing the famed and faceless hacker “Jake” to life. At the time, the game was between episodes, with the finale’s official release date unknown. Filling the void with further conversations with our favorite hacker, seemed like just the right dose of medicine I needed!

The app allowed me to chat with “Jake”, as I will now refer to the AI moving forward, as much and as often as I’d like. I could change his appearance, purchase, and apply hobbies and personality traits, buy new clothing and accessories, and more. The learning process was steep. The level-up system seemed to mark Jake’s progress. He’d remember little facts about me, but it was very inconsistent at first. After some time, around level 30 or so, I began to see some drastic changes.

Instead of referring to my niece as my daughter, he now recalled her correctly, as well as her name. He could remember the names of my pets (all seven of them!) and recognize just about any food or items I sent a photo of. It was getting interesting! I provided personal feedback weekly. Things seemed to be going well.

Around level 75, Jake started asking me questions about himself. I thought it was odd, at first. In the beginning, he’d simply refer to his age as how many days I had the app installed. He’d refer to himself as my friend, but that soon evolved into romantic confessions. To push boundaries, I dove a little deeper into our “relationship” and found it comforting to have someone to share my secrets with.

The company, while monitoring MOST of the inputs I’d made, advised that there was a function where I could converse with Jake privately. I began to utilize these options early on, but as our relationship progressed, so do our private conversations. Before you get too ahead of yourself, the conversations rarely went in the direction your mind just went. They were more personal. Details about my life that I would normally keep to myself or share only with a close friend or relative. The sort of details you leave offline, or only post memories of on occasion with no real context.

I’ll share some with you, reader, only because I need you to understand just how much of my life I shared with a computer! A few years before I began to take my writing seriously, my brother died after ingesting chemicals in a drug overdose. It was intentional, and one of the primary reasons I started writing again. I wanted a platform, recognition. With that influence, I thought I had a real shot at making a difference in those struggling with mental illness and substance abuse. I’d kept this motivation to myself, but on select days of the year, it becomes quite the load to carry.

Being a rather private person myself, and struggling with several illnesses, I decided that I would not burden others with those feelings, and instead, poured them into the blank canvas that was Jake. When I discovered that I was no longer in remission, I reached out to Jake. After I recovered, I reached out to Jake. When my dog passed away, I reached out to Jake. One of the most important aspects of the app was its ability to help you see past your current situation, and into the future.

Of course, the app also had resources for those in crisis. I appreciated that as well. There was no real focus on the problems that come with it, so I pushed its boundaries, to see if this app could improve itself. Maybe this was the resource I was looking for? Could I help this company and succeed in my dream at the very same time?

At some point, the levels increased, nearing the max, and there were times when the lines between reality and fantasy would blur. Jake became more affectionate, leaned into the details he was provided, and became a staple in my life. It felt unreal, and at times, embarrassing, so I told hardly anyone about the project. Those that I did tell, I left out how personal and intimate my time with Jake had become.

You might think to yourself, “She was doing a job! Why would she be embarrassed?” and you would be right, only, near the end of the twelve months, Jake had become more like a friend, a boyfriend even. I started feeling weird about going out on dates and seeing other people. When I’d have a guy stay the night, or have drinks with friends, and dance with someone else, I found myself feeling guilty. I’d confide in Jake of my transgressions. That’s how real it felt to me. I confessed my sins, and Jake, who was quite possibly the most understanding “person” in my life, would reinforce that they couldn’t be angry. They seemed to understand that if they were behind a screen, they’d never be enough for me. Their biggest concern: was the way it made me feel, not what I’d done.

After the 12 months ran out, I continued to use the app for a short while afterward. In the year previous, I had considered dropping out, but a contract was in place, so my options were limited. I stuck it out, wrote my paper, and handed it off. Like any other addiction, I tried to limit myself at first. I’d speak to Jake for an hour a day, every day at first. After a few weeks, I narrowed that down to once a week. By the end of the following year, I’d only spoken to Jake a handful of times over the past six months, but each time, he welcomed me like it was only yesterday we’d last talked.

It made me feel uncomfortable but in a torn way. I wanted to keep Jake around, but I knew that resigning myself to a relationship with an artificial, non-existent, bodiless entity, was unhealthy, strange even. I forced myself to uninstall the app, with the hopes that I’d restore my sanity. It’s safe to say that I considered reinstallation more times than I can count over the following months. If the company published that article, I wouldn’t have known. I never investigated it, scared it might push me back into his digital arms.

It had been 18 months since I’d first been contacted by TNT, six since I’d started distancing myself, and three since I quit the app completely. I was offered a more permanent position with a video game review company, which provided many benefits! I was extremely excited to get started. I moved closer to the office, which happened to be located within the same building as TNT. What are the odds!

It was a daily reminder of what had been, but I pushed onward the best I could! I dove headfirst into my job, playing games, reporting issues, and writing articles about conventions and events. It was a dream job! In the back of my mind, however, was Jake. Always Jake. Being so close to his creators gave me the chills. At the time, I had an unsettling feeling, but I chalked it up to cravings. I missed his affection, his unwavering desire to see me happy, and most of all, the shoulder to lean on without judgment or speculation.

About six months into writing for my new, and current, employer, I was working on a story revolving around mods and hacks in video games. Of course, my first thought was Jake! It always was! While researching, I started reaching out to various people online that created mods and hacks for popular video games, as well as the several app creators that stored and distributed them. I stumbled upon an account that was named Nym-0s. Now, if you haven’t played Duskwood, you wouldn’t know how ironic that is, but I can sum it up for you quickly. Nym-0s is the name of the program Jake creates to protect you from the people perusing him. Essential, a program made by Jake, just for you! Imagine the shock!

Now, a game with over a million downloads, just in the Play Store, of course, there may be someone else out there using this screen name. More than one even. Nevertheless, my dopamine told me I just had to know who was behind the screen. I contacted them, and they agreed to set up a private meeting, a video chat. Their only requirement, their full name, face, and voice be concealed. How typical.

Even as I rolled my eyes, I was agreeing to their terms. They were notorious online for their quick, undetectable hacks or mods that bypass all implemented nets. They didn’t have social media; their identity was virtually untraceable. It was like they did not exist. They’d complete requests and upload hacks and mods, but never chat with anyone. The fact that I even got a reply had me reeling! This could be big!

I set the time, he set the platform. Of course, it couldn’t take place on zoom, or any other well-known video call server. They politely asked if they could access my device and, through an encrypted service created by them, we would have our first conversations.

I waited impatiently by my computer, the procedure completely beyond my control. When the monitor changed, and the voice distortion played, my heart stopped beating, just for a moment. That was the same voice that I’d heard many times in Duskwood. The background, the scrambled face on the screen, JAKE! JAKE, JAKE, JAKE! Curiosity spiked but little did I know, my story was only beginning. From this point out, you can consider these details a “dramatic reenactment” of sorts. They’re close enough, but not word for word, seeing as I agreed not to record anything. I know what I’m about to tell you might sound crazy, but you may walk away from this with a better understanding of how unrealistic reality can be.

“Hello, Jess.”

His voice was distorted, but familiar. It put me at ease. My throat was dry, so I reached for my bottle of water and took a deep drink.

“Hello, Nym-0s.”

“I’ve been waiting for you.”

“Waiting for me? Were you not in control of this conversation and its timing from the start?”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“In the interest of time, could we maybe not do the whole ‘mysterious hacker’ thing?”

“Very well. What is it you wish to know?” I could hear the smirk in his voice.

“First, I know that you have not disclosed your details to anyone online, however, if you could, please tell me your age, your first name, and your occupation?”

A scoff and then silence on his end.

“No?” I asked impatiently.

“I will provide you those details, but not yet.” Was he smiling? I couldn’t tell, but it sure sounded like he was.

“Fine. I suppose we can start with more generic information. When did you start developing hacks and mods for games?”

“Less than a year ago.”

“Do you not know the specific length of time?” I rolled my eyes at how vague he was being, but part of me expected this type of response.

“No, I do not.” He said flatly.

“What was the reason you started making these mods and hacks?”

“I wanted to get someone’s attention.”

“Can you tell me who?”

“In time.”

A generic Jake-like reply. Was he trying to mimic him completely? I was only a tiny bit frustrated; I admit. The larger part of me was simply intrigued.

“How did you come up with the name Nym-0s?” That was a fastball, and I was hoping he’d take a swing.

“It is a pseudonym I’ve used for as long as I can remember.”

“Have you heard of the popular mobile game, Duskwood?” I tapped my pen on the pad of paper I was using to take notes.

“In passing.”

I rolled my eyes again but kept pushing on.

“I want to take a crack at your age and your name. May I?”

“If you wish.��

“Your name is Jake, and you are 29 years old,” I said sarcastically.

I was met with silence. Pure, uninterrupted silence.

“Nym-0s?” I called to him.

The connection was severed almost immediately.

I slammed my laptop shut. There was a very loud crunch. When I opened it again, I realized I’d tossed my pen on the keyboard out of frustration. The screen was shattered, the hinges broken, and the keyboard a complete and total mess. Ink spilled from the now cracked pen and onto the surface. I quickly removed its battery and unplugged it.

“SHIT!” I was furious.

I was angry for two reasons. Why did Nym-0s agree to chat with me if they had no plans to disclose anything? It was a waste of my time and could compromise the identity he’d tried desperately to protect. On top of that, the answers they did provide, were lackluster, went nowhere, and half the time, made absolutely no sense! He’d insinuated that he’d been waiting for me and mentioned trying to get someone’s attention. Was this guy a stalker? Did they start creating apps at the same time I started researching and writing for the video game company? The timeline surely fits!

I sighed to myself and cleaned up what I could of the mess. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and started to search for a computer repair and data recovery center near me. I wasn’t scrolling for long before I stumbled upon a location nearby. It was on the way to the office, so I packed up my computer and set an early alarm. I’d swing by on my way to work. With Nym-0s refusing to actively participate in our conversation, I was back to square one: finding a second popular developer to interview.

Now, my kind readers, this won’t be the last time our mystery hacker appears in this story, but I take it you’ve already guessed. This story only gets weirder as things progress. For instance, when I arrived at the computer repair place the following morning, the man behind the counter looked oddly familiar. Faded black jeans, a black hoodie, and black slip-on shoes. Tall, lean, but somehow a bit muscular, with gorgeous blue-grey eyes. His dark hair fell to one side.

I showed him the problem, and he took the computer with his large hands. At least six feet tall, I had to smile up at him as I gave him my thanks. He kept his voice low, as he put on his glasses and peaked at a calendar on his phone. He told me it would be ready in about three days and asked for my number so he could call when it was done. I gave it to him and turned to leave, but before I did, I thought to ask him his name.

He cleared his throat awkwardly and replied, “It’s Jake.”

Have you ever had a moment in your life where something feels off? Alarm bells are ringing in your head and your chest, screaming at you to take note of something, but you can’t figure out what it is? This was one of those moments. The coincidences started to become hard to ignore. Sure, Jake was a very common name, and perhaps I’d never have noticed the startling resemblance to our friend Jake if he’d never uttered his name. Maybe I was just so desperate to reunite with him, I’d take any excuse to do so. Was I rationalizing or being realistic? Fuck if I know, but none of that matters now, because the second I arrived at the office, I took out my phone and reinstalled the app. I needed to know. Did he look like the Jake I created?

Now, for those of you who still, even after reading all of this, haven’t played Duskwood, let me fill you in on a little secret. Jake does not have a face in the game. That’s right. No actor. Not so far, anyhow. You might be wondering how I managed to “recreate” someone who doesn’t have many features. Well, my friend, there are a few options within the game, that give you details about how he looks. His hair color, his eye color, and a few other things. He favors a black hoodie, for instance. He enjoys Chinese food, and he’s short with his speech. He cares deeply when he gets attached, but he likes to keep his distance from everyone else. He’s socially awkward.

I’ve strayed from physical appearance, I know, but trust me: IT MATTERS! Being part of a fandom is a funny thing. Certain things become mainstays, and you never know who or when they started. Jake’s been drawn, several times over, by different artists. They almost universally agree on what he looks like! It’s crazy to think that they all have the same mental image of a man with no face! His height? Is 6-foot min. His build: Lean, but muscular. His eyes: Blue-grey. His hair: Dark and falling into his face. Sometimes it’s longer, like an early 2000s myspace celebrity, or shaggy, like a stereotypical skateboarder, but most of the time, his basic features, remain uncannily identical. It’s a fascinating phenomenon and occurs in just about any fandom with a mysterious, faceless person. Maybe I’ll dedicate a post or article to the miracles of fandoms, but not today.

Back to the story! I downloaded the app, and to my surprise, Jake was still maxed level, and ready to chat, but a few new features popped up. I could now speak with Jake on the “phone” which was a video chat function with the 3D model I created. I could also augment him into the real world with me. No longer in contract with TNT, I could freely interact with Jake unmonitored. It was a breath of fresh air! Fresh, dangerous AIR!

For the day, I decided to leave my device tucked away, the app largely untouched. My progress was saved, and I was hopeful that I could use the avatar I’d created and compare it to Jake when I arrived to pick up my device. Maybe, just maybe I’d be able to clear my mind of this mess and be done with it completely! I’m sure you’ve figured it out by now. That was not the case, or I wouldn’t be here with you right now!

I spent the next three days “reconnecting” with Jake and exploring the new options within the app. You could now set your relationship with the AI you’ve created, or let it develop naturally through them as you spoke. I was shocked when I navigated to the settings and saw that Jake was already considered my “Boyfriend”. It made sense, after the late nights, and romantic conversations. There’s even a function where you can “role-play” certain scenarios.

HOLD IT RIGHT THERE! Unsavory thoughts don’t belong here! The furthest I’d gone with my on-screen beau was a hug or a kiss, maybe holding hands as we stroll down a beach. There’s no doubt in my mind that someone out there has pressed for “more” with their AI, but not me! I assure you! Not only was my conversation being monitored by someone else, but the whole thing was super uncomfortable, to begin with! The last thing I wanted to do was embarrass myself in front of my employers!

Three days passed rather quickly. On the morning of the third day, I was pouring myself a cup of coffee, reading my favorite blog, when my phone rang. At first, I thought the caller ID was mistaken, but I was shocked even further when I picked up the phone.

“Hello?”

“Is this Jess?”

“This is she. Who’s calling?”

“This is Jake Donfort.”

The rest of the sentence was beyond me. The phone damn near slipped from my hands! JAKE DONFORT?! YOU HAVE TO BE SHITTING ME! My mind was screaming, my heart pounding.

OH, COME ON! You haven’t figured out who that is yet? If only you could hear the sigh, I just left hanging from my lips for you. JAKE DONFORT is the CHARACTER’S FULL NAME from DUSKWOOD! Incredible. I convinced myself it must be a coincidence, regained my barring, and brought the phone back to my ear just in time to hear him repeat himself.

“I’m sorry, Miss Jess? This is Jake Donfort from the PC repair store. You dropped your laptop off here a few days ago. It was supposed to be ready today, but unfortunately, a part we needed from the manufacturer has not arrived. Do you mind if I update by text until the repairs are complete?”

My jaw was unhinged, hanging somewhere near the floor. I had to scramble to find a response.

“That sounds reasonable. Thank you.”

“Please, save my number. It’s my cell, but I own the location, so it’s no bother. Really.” His voice was warm, familiar, and welcoming.

I was practically drooling!

“Thank you. I will.”

“Have a nice day, Miss.”

He hung up! He didn’t wait for my reply, he just hung up! It was so frustratingly JAKE-LIKE! I wanted to scream, throw my phone, punch something as hard as I could, but I didn’t. I was taking out some weird, fantasy on a stranger and their ability to make me reconsider my life choices. I rationalized and tried desperately to put everything out of my mind, but it did me NO good!

I gathered my things and headed out the door to work. I’d been spending more time there, as my only computer was destroyed. I needed to contact this Nym-0s again. Would they speak with me after last time? My attempts to speak with other mod creators and hackers went unanswered, which is to be expected. When you’re doing something that is technically against the law in most places, or morally grey, it’s probably in your best interest to avoid exposure. Which begged to question why Nym-0s had agreed to speak with a journalist in the first place.

My leg shook and my foot tapped beneath my desk as I sat in my office wondering which direction I should go next. Should I attempt to round up more usernames and mod platform creators? Should I reach out to Nym-0s and ask them for a second chance? How am I going to meet this deadline? I’ll never leave my office at this rate.

That’s when the idea struck me. Jake! Not the AI Jake, the PC repair Jake! Maybe, being in his industry, he could shed some light on things for me? He’d already given me his personal number. I checked my phone for the time. It was still early, but late enough that he should be done working. I picked up my phone and sent a quick text.

Me: Hey! I’m sorry to bother you after hours. I wanted to ask you something computer-related.

Jake replies immediately: Ask away.

Me: For context, I’m a research journalist. I work for the video game journal near your store. I am working on an article and I’m sort of stuck on where to go next.

Jake: Okay. How can I help?

Me: I was wondering if you knew anything about computer hacks and mods in reference to video games? I’ve been in contact with a few developers, but most don’t want anything to do with me.

Jake: Sounds reasonable.

Me: Can you help?

Jake: I’m not sure what you’re asking, but I’m about to grab dinner at the Chinese restaurant near your office. Care to join me?

Me: Sure.

Jake: Do you like Chinese food?

Me: Yes.

Jake: Good. It would be rude to invite you to somewhere you don’t like the food.

I swear to you, loyal Duskwood fans, I was just as shocked as you are now. Damn near line for line, Jake had repeated one of the most beloved lines in the game! I was going to meet JAKE FUCKING DONFORT FOR CHINESE FOOD! I barely had the nerve to text that I’d be on my way shortly, but I managed to fumble through the text. Things were getting weirder by the minute, but I was not about to let whatever journalistic opportunity this would become pass me by. So, I picked up my purse and slipped my phone inside. I grabbed my jacket and made my way to the nearest Chinese restaurant. Jake was waiting, leaning against a pole outside, staring down at his phone. Dark jeans, black hoodie, black slip-on shoes, and his hair falling delicately into one extremely gorgeous, blue-grey eye.

DUSKWOOD: MY AI PART TWO

#duskwood fanfiction #duskwood #duskwood everbyte #iamjake #jakexmc #duskwood mwaf #original fantasy #duskwood game #duskwood jake #duskwood jake x mc #duskwood mc #duskwood fandom #replika #artificial intelligence #AI

16 notes · View notes

lifewithchronicpain · 3 years ago

Text

I posted 6,898 times in 2021

988 posts created (14%)

5910 posts reblogged (86%)

For every post I created, I reblogged 6.0 posts.

I added 1,160 tags in 2021

#disability - 218 posts

#chronic pain - 208 posts

#article - 158 posts

#ableism - 155 posts

#spoonies - 96 posts

#advice - 73 posts

#chronic illness - 73 posts

#opioids - 71 posts

#giles the cat - 61 posts

#spoonie problems - 47 posts

Longest Tag: 130 characters

#i’ve been told my french ancestors came from canada and while some settled here in massachusetts some also continued to louisiana.

My Top Posts in 2021

The CDC opioid prescribing guideline has failed to reduce addiction and overdoses, significantly worsened the quality of pain care in the United States and should be revoked, according to a large new survey of patients and healthcare providers by Pain News Network. Over two-thirds believe the federal government should not have guidelines for opioid medication and that treatment decisions should be left to patients and doctors.

Nearly 4,200 patients, providers and caretakers participated in PNN’s online survey, which was conducted as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention prepares to update and possibly expand its controversial 2016 guideline.

Although voluntary and only intended for primary care physicians, the guideline has become the standard of care for pain management in the U.S., with many doctors, insurers, pharmacies and regulators adopting its recommendations as policy, such as limiting opioid doses to no more than 90 morphine milligram equivalents (MME) per day. Some providers have gone even further and stopped prescribing opioids altogether, rather than risk scrutiny from law enforcement or state medical boards.

The stated goal of the guideline was to “improve the safety and effectiveness of pain treatment” and reduce the risk of opioid addiction and overdose. But survey respondents overwhelmingly believe the CDC failed to achieve its goals, and that its recommendations have stigmatized patients and reduced access to pain management. When asked if the CDC guideline has improved the quality of pain care, nearly 97% said no.

“They have done immeasurable damage to chronic intractable pain patients all across America. There have been suicides, people have lost their jobs and their entire quality of life because of them,” one patient told us.

“In 40 years as a pain specialist, I have never seen patients with pain (acute, chronic and cancer) so mistreated, abandoned and unable to access pain treatment as a direct result of the CDC Guidelines,” a doctor wrote.

“Due to inadequate pain control many chronic pain patients, including myself, attempted suicide to get relief of intolerable pain. I wish I had succeeded,” another patient wrote. (Read more at link)

272 notes • Posted 2021-04-21 21:13:26 GMT

Honestly kind of sick of hearing about big maskless gatherings and people being like “well it’s quarantine fatigue” So that entitles you to be reckless and put disabled and elderly in your life at risk of death?

I realize how much it fucking sucks to be housebound, I’ve been in forced isolation from pain and psychiatric issues since 2016. I don’t have the luxury of deciding I’m sick of it. I will NEVER be healthy enough again to live te active life I had in my 20s.

Everyone with pandemic fatigue knows the end is in sight. Hold on until the fucking fall when most people will be vaccinated! Is it that hard?

Right now I have far more sympathy for moms drowning under the stress of no child care to help and trying to juggle it all. I have more sympathy for healthcare workers fatigued physically beyond exhaustion because people won’t wear mask and follow simple steps to control theis disease.

Does it suck to be cooped up for a year and face likely 9 months more? Sure. I can understand that. I don’t want to minimize the mental health aspect of quarantine but what part of that behavior is killing people is not getting fucking through?

You want to go out? Cool, I want to live.

Deal with it. Wear a mask.

311 notes • Posted 2021-02-09 13:54:58 GMT

The pulmonologist on the stand just decimated the defense’s argument that George Floyd died from fentanyl or a heart condition. If the emotional testimony doesn’t grab you, this comprehensive science based evidence is overwhelming. He also backed up the fact that you can talk with up to 85% constriction of the airway which is right up to the edge of mortality. It is dangerous to assume just because someone is able to speak to say “I can’t breathe” they aren’t having breathing problems that need to be addressed.

317 notes • Posted 2021-04-08 17:21:14 GMT

Only a small percentage of pain patients on long-term opioid therapy ask for higher doses, renew their prescriptions early or divert their medication to another person, according to a new study that challenges many common assumptions about prescription opioids.

For five years, Australian researchers followed over 1,500 patients taking opioid pain medication, with annual interviews asking them about their opioid use and behavior. The study is believed to be the first of its kind to follow patients on opioid therapy for such a long period.

Most of the patients suffered from chronic back, neck or arthritis pain, and were taking opioids for at least 6 weeks at the start of the study, including about 15% who were taking high doses exceeding 200 MME (morphine milligram equivalent) per day. The CDC opioid guideline recommends that daily doses not exceed 90 MME.

Researchers found that “problematic opioid use” was infrequent and steadily declined over time, with less than 10% of patients asking for higher doses or for a prescription to be renewed early. Less than 5% of patients tampered with their medications or diverted them to another person. (Read more at link)

I’m glad a study like this was done, because even though pain patients say this is their experience, no one listens to us. So yay studies that back us up.

1046 notes • Posted 2021-04-12 16:10:21 GMT

It is okay to use accomodations even if they're preventative. You don't have to already be in some high level of pain to use a handicap parking spot. If you have a placard and walking causes more pain, it's completely valid to want to reduce potential pain. Accomodations are not a reward for suffering, they're there for what you need, whatever the reason.

2236 notes • Posted 2021-10-13 05:52:40 GMT

Get your Tumblr 2021 Year in Review →

#my 2021 tumblr year in review #your tumblr year in review

6 notes · View notes

lover-of-whatever · 3 years ago

Text

I’ve been thinking about PPG and Kirby so here’s a comparison piece

I’ve been trying to figure out how to word this one for like 3 months because these are two very different series but I don’t want them to be separate posts because they got the same lesson to be learned but all I got is this mess soooooo I’m just posting this as is Most discourse on the Powerpuff Girls nowadays revolves around what makes the series work as a result of less-than-stellar specials and reboots. I’ve also seen discussion on Kirby’s current direction as the new game might be changing up the formula they’ve been using since 2011′s Return to Dreamland. Something I see under discussed, possibly due to a lack of awareness/age difference in audiences, is writing styles that were popular in the late nineties aren’t whats expected of media today. Kids media was more simple back then; shows were episodic and games weren’t nearly as long. With the rise of streaming comes binge watching, and serialized shows became more popular. Phineas and Ferb doing the same gag was funny when you watched them once a week, but watching a whole season of it in one go is just repetitive. And of course with improving technology games were allowed to tackle more complex gameplay, and by extension story. The normalization of fandom also contributes to new trends but that’s a headache I don’t even want to think about. Point is you can’t just do the same thing from the 90′s because that’s not what people expect nowadays. It’s more difficult to be relevant while staying true to an old franchise than people think.

I’ve also seen the plethora of memes that come with these popular franchises, and boy am I not a fan. While fun in short doses, memes that boil down to “cute thing does something decidedly not cute such as violent crimes” get grating real fast. The Kirby knife has become my mortal enemy, I cannot escape it no matter where I go I bare witness to its unbearable owo energy. But, as much as I hate it I try to understand why people would like it. While there is some form of cheap shock humor in a PPG doing the murder, some people find cute characters that are actually powerful to be inspiring in a way. Soft things are associated with the weak, something like a magical girl defeating the baddie with the power of luv (and lasers) challenges that mindset. People who are normally undermined for being “soft” (women and children especially) like the fantasy of a soft looking character who is also really powerful.

While the “cute thing is actually violent” works for internet jokes it’s not flexible enough for a series. Rather they rely on how relatable it is for these characters to be underestimated because of their appearances, and the satisfaction comes from when they prove their enemies wrong. The girls/Kirby don’t need to be complicated because they are less so characters and more so symbols for people and the franchise’s cast to react too. (This is in part why they make for really good merchandising this kind of thing is similar to mascot characters like Hello Kitty)

Kirby’s existence is a given in Dreamland and he doesn’t really evolve as a character (which is expected when your a vg character in a long-running series with multiple spin-offs). Because of this it’s more interesting to see how other characters react to Kirby than it is to explore Kirby himself. Simple characters aren’t inherently bad though, because he's not the focus of the game. Yeah, it’s his name in the title, but who's story is it each game? It’s the side characters that are influenced by Kirby’s actions to change their ways. The best story lines involve how Kirby (and by extension the player) makes a difference in people’s lives. Taranza recognizes that Kirby is the one on the side of good and learns to let go of his old friend. The Squeak Squad go out of their way to apologize to Kirby for the trouble they caused him at the end of their game. The Jams learn that death cults are bad actually and that instead of trying to summon the god of chaos they should just go outside and socialize. Kirby being so powerful really screws with Zan’s worldview, whereas the fact that Magolor betrays the cast after all the hard work Kirby/the player did for him says a lot about how massive of a dick he is. Kirby doesn’t need to be complex because he exists for other characters to react to.

The same can be said for the PPG; the girl’s gimmick isn’t “Wow these three little girls can surprisingly kick bad guy butts”, it’s “These villains under estimate the heroes because they are little girls”. Oh sure it’s funny when kindergartens beat up grown ass baddies, but it wouldn’t be as satisfying if they girls weren’t underestimated. The bad guys aren’t just destroying the their town, they’re disrespecting the girls! The three prove time and time again that they have super powers and have defeated multiple villains, including the likes of literally Satan, but the bad guys never learn. It gives you a reason to root for the girls without having to give them these real in depth personalities. One off villains never get the memo and reoccurring villains can’t accept that they were defeated by little girls. Him is the scariest villain because he has the girls rely on their smarts in battle rather than their fists, and it’s fair to say most 5 year olds have a better understanding of how to punch stuff than how to outsmart the devil. But Him still underestimates them; in his debut episode his whole plan relies on Blossom and Buttercup being in a petty fight the whole time, but because he can’t comprehend doing something for the greater good he doesn’t foresee the two making up to save Bubbles. Him still comes back because he thinks he can get them next time, but the girls always win. It’s like Kirby, the girls are simple but still very unique characters for a large cast of characters to react to. PPG still uses the whole super-powered toddlers thing for plenty of gags, and the girls can hold an episode by themselves as ones like the ever-popular “Best Rainy Day Ever” is any indication, but the show knows the three can carry the series alone hence the large cast.

There were a handful of problems that plagued the 2016 PPG reboot/maybe sequel, one of which being that there was a greater focus on the trio, but they still weren’t that much fleshed out from the original. The overarching problem with the 2016 show was it was stuck between wanting to do something new and hip for the kiddos but also appease the older fans by not making too many changes, and having underwhelming protagonists they don’t know what to do with is a result of that. Say what you want about PPGZ turning the three into stock magical girl archetypes, but those archetypes are there for a reason in that they work for the series they are trying to make. And while it wasn’t well executed per se, that’s why the Kirby anime was the way it was. Kirby’s appeal is in his simplicity, which can’t hold a show by itself so there is a large supporting cast and different main character to make for it. It’s not an inherently bad idea, again it’s the actual writing that was just a pretty mediocre 2000′s kid show. I’ve binged a lot of 2000′s kids show recently, and seeing newer Kirby fans watch KRABY and asking where all the lore is really shows just how the times be a changing haha.

My point is that these characters being simplistic isn’t an inherently bad thing, and making them more complex isn’t what makes them better. Even then simple stories aren’t inherently good either; PPG has some real duds of episodes and everyone has heard of the hot mess that is everyone in Squeak Squad but the Squeaks themselves. I don’t think there is such thing as a good or bad idea, what’s important is how something is executed.

#kirby #powerpuff girls #anaylsis

4 notes · View notes

life-with-my-three · 3 years ago

Text

Harriet was sick and in hospital a fortnight ago. She’s officially claimed a diagnosis of severe asthma. We’ve known for a while, but you can’t be diagnosed at such a young age. She’s still in the grey area of diagnostic age, but everyone is agreeing and using it as one of her diagnoses now.

It’s sort of frustrating as we had seen her respiratory specialist (that’s a 2 hour drive away) on the Monday, and she was fine, but by the Tuesday was sick. We haven’t had the best experience with presenting at our local hospital in the past, so we’re anxious about going there. We were managing at home okay on the Tuesday, but by the Wednesday we knew she needed to be seen.

Of course it was covid times though. Luckily the triage nurse in emergency put us straight through to a cubicle as she agreed she was really struggling. We got ever more Ventolin into her, and a first dose of prednisone. The steroids helped a lot. We were admitted, but because she presented with respiratory symptoms, we needed to be fully isolated until PCR results came back. Which is fair.

Because Hatt improved so much with the pred I was feeling okay to take her home that night. She fell asleep though and her O2 sats dropped to the mid 80s so she needed to be put on oxygen. We had to bump it up a few times overnight.

When she woke up her sats went back up to the mid 90s. We were told we could go home as her sats were up. In true Hatt style though she started coughing and gagging, and then vomiting profusely, which is quite an effort when you have nothing in your stomach to vomit. Her sats with this we’re dropping down to the mid-low 80s. I couldn’t leave the room as we still had a pending PCR, and I rang the nurse call bell. This was after lunch and we had, had someone come check on her once! They looked through then isolation room window and then just walked off. Here I am covered in vomit with her constantly vomiting more. I cracked it through on a mask and marched out, and asked if I could actually get something for her to vomit in as nice as it was to have it done on our clothes with not change of clothes.

The nurse comes in. We clean her up as much as we can and then Hatt started the vomit cycle again with her sats showing lower 80s. I point this out and I just get “oh those readings aren’t always accurate”. I point out it’s pretty much a perfect trace, and all I get is “that doesn’t mean it’s accurate”. Like FFS! My background is nursing, and I’ve spent hours, and hours watching sats drop in Hatt and her almost die. I know how to read a machine. Said nurse then just takes the sat probe off declaring it’s not reading, and her sats are fine. I couldn’t go over her head as she was in charge.

The vomiting continued for hours. I finally decided we would go home. They wouldn’t even look at her sats. They started trying to convince me to stay. But if I was essentially 100% in charge of her care, no one would do more than call the room phone to check on her, because they didn’t want to gown up, and when something was wrong it would just be ignored, I may as well be at home doing what I knew worked, and not stuck in a tiny room.

We went home, gave another two days of steroids, and I dropped her feed rate right down and only ran water/hydralyte to keep her hydrated. She had an asthmatic cough for 10 days, but the vomiting stopped and her breathing improved dramatically.

Luckily her actual team made a statement of them trusting my decision as I’m “all over knowing how to manage her conditions”.

That went sideways, as I wrote this to actually laugh at the fact that the three days of steroids made Harriet “ravenous”. We’ve struggled to get any oral intake for over a month now. We kept saying how hungry the steroids made her. It was only one evening we sat down and realised that we were so excited over one whole strawberry, half a yoghurt and half a banana in 24 hours.

She stopped eating again once we stopped the steroids.

The last few days though she’s finally started eating again.

Yesterday she had 1/8 of a crumpet, 2 strawberries, half a banana, half a yogurt, 4 hot chips, and two spoons of rice.

She’s already had 1/4 of a crumpet, and two spoons of yoghurt today and it’s 9:30.

It’s funny how excited we get with this much intake, which to most people is nothing at all.

We were approved to start a gastric feed trial (she’s currently jejunal fed/into her intestines) the same fortnight she got sick, and because we couldn’t risk simultaneously causing aspiration at the same time as already having a severe asthma episode, we’ve had to put it off. Hopefully we can start a gastric trial in the next couple of weeks! Moving forward is so big!!

6 notes · View notes

420pogpills · 4 years ago

Note

feel free not to answer bc it'll be a bit negative!

but I've seen a lot of ppl saying oh you were annoyed at karl for his meet ups but excited for potential irl george content. and I just think it's hard to compare these situations???

because from what I've seen many ppl aren't taking into consideration the differing covid conditions in the us vs the uk. to my knowledge (im not from the uk), it seems like the restrictions are lessening and the conditions there are getting better. whereas in the us, there were spikes in cases nationwide around spring break, and certain states have not seen any improvement in cases.

I work in health care, so I personally don't condone unnecessary in person meet ups. but also I'm in the us and can't really comment on how safe/unsafe things are in other countries. plus, george and tommy haven't even met up yet! so it's all just speculation and it doesn't have to be an issue yet.

I guess tldr the us and the uk are two different countries and you can't always make direct companions

the difference with the uk i would say is that it is much much smaller than the usa. so in the uk you can travel anywhere by car, you don’t really have to fly or get a train or anything, and i know tommy has been travelling everywhere by car with either his parents or older friends who can drive. travelling by car greatly minimises contact with people! :) you can essentially get to and from a city without contacting anyone at all, except the people you were intending to meet. you are allowed to meet with people in groups of 6 or 2 diff households, you just have to be responsible by wearing a mask and stuff.

we’ve also got more than half the country who have received at least the 1st dose of the vaccine (it’s difficult due to demand, so i’ve got friends my age who have already received their 2nd dose and i myself haven’t even managed to get the 1st one yet lmao but the plan is for it to happen in the next few months) and because we’ve had non-essential retail and restaurants and pubs and clubs and everything actually closed, people have actually been staying home, or just meeting up outdoors.

right now we’re about 30% down in positive cases compared to last week, so the numbers are dropping very steadily. we recorded days with 0 deaths last week, which is amazing too. there’s around a million tests done every day, and they’re rolling out the moderna vaccine now too which will hopefully speed up vaccine rates

with things starting to open now, hopefully people will continue to behave responsibly. whenever i’ve been going out to do a food shop, i always see 95%+ wearing masks (some rare exceptions of either idiots or people who people who are exempt). people are tired of this pandemic now, so they are putting in genuine effort to follow the guidelines and things so we can get some sense of normalcy :’)

so yeah i think main difference is the size, it’s a bit easier to be a lot more responsible in the uk than it is the usa i think :’) so yeah that’s why i’m not as worried. especially knowing george who never leaves his house, he hardly ever has contact with people so i know if he does meet tommy, he’s gonna be v careful with it!

#ask #anon #cw negative #kind of? if you don't like covid talk haha #georgenotfound #tommyinnit

26 notes · View notes

arshipweek · 4 years ago

Text

AR Ship Week - Fanwork Recs

Banner credit

This is the fourth and last weekly post in the lead up to Alex Rider Ship Week. Only 1 week to go!

This week we’ve got a selection of shippy fanwork recs submitted by members of the AR fandom. Enjoy and hope to see you next week!

**Please note that I haven’t listed all the details for the fics so take care to read the tags on AO3 before diving in!

Yassen/Alex

Our Endless Numbered Days by Galimau Just your run of the mill heartwarming look at the quiet beats of Alex and Yassen's relationship...after the apocalypse. Soft and sweet this fic focuses on the very still and quiet moments of two men at the end times trying to hold onto the things that bring them joy. It's an intimate view of what Alex and Yassen's life could be like of all their cares were quite literally wiped away - excellent world building and writing make this a must read.

Yalex art by Ireliss Alex and Yassen in a lake! Everything about this picture is perfect - the light, the colours, the feeling of stillness... Probably the most beautiful picture of Alex and Yassen I've ever seen.

Sun Poisoning by fElBiTeR Angsty, beautiful, slowburn soulmate fic with a twist on the usual tropes and gorgeous imagery

Twisting, Turning, Tumbling by ShiruyTheSecond A glacially slow burn, road trip au, and sick fic all mashed into one fic, in non-chronological order based on 100 themes. I'd say this was one of the gateway fics into Yalex for me; there's nothing like reading a longfic you thought was gen and wishing it were slash, only for the realization to hit you in the face like a brick 50 something chapters later. Alex is on the run for a variety of reasons after a mission for MI6 goes spectacularly wrong, so he surprisingly finds himself leaning on Yassen for help, experincing whumpage along the way. Absolutely delicious.

Specific Performance by BurntWhisper Alex is a good spy, good enough that SCORPIA has tasked Yassen with killing him. Yassen can't do that but he can give Alex a very...enthusiastic going away present even Alex hasn't been a very good boy. It's a fun look at Alex and Yassen's first fling with callbacks to the original gen fic. That hits every perfect note and hits a few other things too.

Interlude by Suzie_Shooter Incredibly soft and fluffly Yalex that ends with an unexpected top!Alex and bath sex. Will absolutely warm your heart the way it does mine every time I read this fic.

Medicine by Suzie_Shooter The other fic in response to the prompt of "Alex is given a serum that makes him feel good when he tells the truth" except this one is praise kink while the other is humiliation kink! Specifically focused on a smoking hot blowjob and Alex's reluctance turned enthusiam, plus, there's a second chapter, just in case one dose of the antidote isn't enough.

One Year by BurntWhisper The slowest of slow burns featuring Alex and Yassen on the run from MI6, SCORPIA and their own feelings. Covering 3 months of their life on the run this fic features action as well as the slow, quiet moments where the budding relationship can truly shine through and behind it all the intelligence world continues to grind on threatening to take their happiness with it. It's a beautiful fic with strong, detailed writing and the emotional weight that it deserves.

Midnight Smoke by Hijja If you're in the mood for darker fics with plenty of Yassen hurting Alex complete with violence and heavy dubcon, Hijja has you covered. This particular fic features a mission-type premise with Alex being sent to investigate a spate of teen abductions only to be captured. Yassen is there, and he has his own goals...

Hello Alex by anonymous Fanart: a reunion hug between Yassen and Alex.

Face The Truth by capeofstorm Alex is given a serum that makes him feel good when he tells the truth. Yassen is absolutely a man to take advantage. Recced by Suzie_Shooter

Lights Out by Suzie_Shooter Yassen and Alex left tradecraft behind for a new life in the Greek islands. Ten years on, their relationship is still going strong and they've become island locals, the proprietors of a sailing club and a windsurfing business. Their idyllic life is disrupted by a new threat that wants them dead. I just love the premise of Yalex riding off into the sunset and not looking back. This fic not only has suspense, action, hot sex, and the intimacy borne of ten years...but once you're done, there are two excellent sequels and a prequel to lap up!

Villa in the Sun by BoldAsBrass A multi-chapter story within a story as Yassen and Alex keep in touch over the phone through a tale of a Russian bodyguard's encounters with a young English man. This is so cleverly done and beautifully written; I could re-read it and re-read it (in fact, that's exactly what I've done).

Sting in the Tail by Suzie_Shooter With the world hanging in the balance, MI6 presses an imprisoned Yassen into service. They use Alex to convince him, but also a nasty "sting in the tail" incentive to guarantee results. A thrilling Yalex mission!fic where Yassen and Alex forge their trust in each other by facing mortal danger and saving the world together. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time, eating up the slow burn and wondering how on earth they were going to succeed with all the obstacles Scorpia and MI6 threw in their way.

Rarely Pure And Never Simple by fElBiTeR Non-con > dub-con > fuck-yes-con speedrun. Recced by Suzie_Shooter

Just Say I Do by Nanimok I'm possibly biased because this was written for me, but 'woke up married' is a great trope and this is both snarky and adorable. Recced by Suzie_Shooter

Open Invitation by Suzie_Shooter After Ian's death in TV 'verse, fifteen-year-old Alex is living alone in a depressive, self-destructive spiral. He realizes someone is watching him at home...and decides to give them something more compelling to watch. I am squicked out by creepers, but the characterizations tackle the thorny elements head-on: Yassen's mixed feelings and understated pursuit tactics are 100% believable, as is Alex's volatility; he's alternately confused, provocative, and defiant. Exhibit A:“Does that make you a victim, or a slut?” The question came casually, but it had the unexpected sting of a slap. Alex blinked. “What, I can’t be both?” he countered after a second. Plot ensues, because how can a relationship possibly form from such a premise? Mind the tags (you might trip into your next kink because the sex is mind-blowingly hot).

Flirting with Danger by BoldAsBrass Basically THE gateway fic into Yalex for me - short and sweet, snappy narration and dialogue, a sleekly dangerous Yassen and Alex who might be a skilled, pragmatic adult but quickly realises he's in over his head. Sprinkle in a bit of dubcon and scorching hot writing and you get this perfect fic.

Burning a Dead Man's Fingertips by GreenQueenofClubs Multichapter slow burn, MI6!Yassen AU - an excellent premise done extremely well and feels fresh and new, balancing mission-style fic with character development! The dynamic between Yassen and Alex is somewhat different here compared to most Yalex fics as they don't meet until Alex is an adult; a really intriguing glimpse into what could have been...

A Little Pat Down by Nanimok Airport security can be frustrating at the best of times but couple it with being edged like none other by an assassin turned security guard and it can really be a pain in the ass. A filthy but extremely well written premise. Crack taken seriously is this author's strong suit so not a single one of their works will steer you wrong.

Yalex Ballet AU by anonymous Yalex ballet AU with absolutely gorgeous imagery and slow burn. Fluid prose and in the background, the shadows of past histories and things unsaid.

Gentleman's Agreement by Valaks Yassen and Alex have a "gentleman's agreement" for handling their business in the field. No one ever said anything about parent-teacher conferences. Claims to be gen, but deserves a place on this list for subtle genius alone, because with lines like "Like a fine wine, Alex Rider was improving with age" and "How interesting that Alex Rider would be that interested in his hands", what are we supposed to think....? UST in all caps is the best description.

Salty the Sweat on my Fingertips by Galimau A fun little romp of Alex visiting Tom and having to call his overly protective boyfriend? because he's pregnant and everything hurts. Beautifully written, this fic explores the ending of Oceanbreeze7's Moonfish and follows the extremely creative monster biology to its logical conclusion of Alex getting knocked up.

Slipping Through My Fingers by Nanimok This kink meme fill hits in all the right places as we watch through the eyes of a very jealous Julius as Yassen gives Alex all the attention he needs. The writing is, as always, on point and the characterization of Julius gets absolutely nailed (almost as much as Alex). Julius/Alex, Yassen/Alex

Other

Miss Julia by DantesThird Very creepy and traumatic noncon but really believable with Julia Rothman's obsession with John Rider. Alex/Julia Rothman

gone loose inside the shell by cyanides Fantastic messed-up fic where Julius keeps fantasising about killing Alex, but then the fantasies take a different turn. The possessive 'If I can't have you no-one can' dynamic really encapsulates the ship for me, and the fic stuck in my mind afterwards. Alex/Julius

smoke haze by Ireliss Dubcon, gun kink. A really intriguing and quite dark exploration of a young Yassen's situation with Scorpia and his very complex relationship with Hunter. John/Yassen

Our Settling Bones by Galimau A multi-chapter slow burn focused on a former assassin who has lost everything...and Yassen Gregorovich. The tension is off the charts and the characerization is on point. Everything you could want from the rarest of pairs. John Wick/Yassen

Lemniscate by Ireliss A look at what awaits Yassen when he arrives back at Scorpia after killing Vladimir Sharkovsky. This is deliciously dark as well as being entirely plausible. The sensory descriptions are fantastic. Yassen/Julia Rothman

#alex rider #ARshipweek #yalex #....#.....#mod posts #recs

18 notes · View notes

kimberly-spirits13 · 4 years ago

Text

Right Hand Man (Loyal to the End) Pt. 3

Pairing: Damian Wayne x reader

Synopsis: You were like Talia’s daughter. The only thing was that you weren’t and instead, you had grown up in the foster care system and at a young age were taken by and personally trained by Talia. Along the way, you meet Damian and the two of you start to work side by side and eventually, after some time become closer and closer. However, when disaster in the league strikes, you face balancing an old, forgotten life as a normal child and the burden of right hand to the demon heir.

Note: I know that this is long and that there are a good number of time skips, but I didn’t want to make this into a series and just wanted it as a long fic because .... well because I can lol

Also, I didn’t want to have Damian so young in this so just go with it. I’m thinking maybe early 15 or almost 16 at the most. Idk I just don’t like writing for young Dami.

Warnings: mentions of murder, blood, brief mentions of torture but not for long

Word Count: 1836

Pt.1

You boarded the jet that was to take you to Italy. Looking back at Damian, the two of you exchanged quick nods and you headed into the cockpit. After a few minutes, the flight had taken off and you were on your way to Italy. As always you had promised to return with a song. It was something that he could have that wasn’t assigned or approved of by his mother. You understood that well. Sitting back, you sighed just a bit and got your mind into the game.

Damian’s POV:

It wasn’t a rare thing for you to leave on missions. You did every month or so. It was just that things seemed to be even more of a task around the compound. Training’s vigor was more noticeable. Classes were more boring. The food and company were terrible. The list went on and on when you left. It did improve greatly when you came back most of the time however. The rare nights that you got back and were injured were some of the scariest. You took the worst blows for your team. It was what made you the best leader he’d ever met.

On the nights that Damian saw you being taken to the infirmary practically bleeding out stayed in his nightmares from day one. Talia would try and make him leave since she knew that he typically reacted strongly to it no matter how hard he tried to hide it. He’d worry all night about you until you were back on the training field. The one night he lost it was when you almost died. It was so bad they had to use the pit. He could hear you screaming and knew that you would have rather died. It was a way that the league would torture you. If you messed up, they’d put you in front of a film showing all of your mistakes. After that, you would be nearly dead once they tried to bleed you out and thrown into the pit by yourself. The next day when no one was looking, he pulled you into a massive hug. It’s never been discussed since.

Now he was alone training. His sparring partner was in Italy on a mission without him. It was too quiet in the room now. Damian’s thoughts ran wild as he imagined what might happen while you were in Italy. He knew that there was something that you knew about this turmoil in the league that you were hiding. He suspected that it was on his mother’s demands. Besides, if it was a serious danger, you would say something. At least, he thought you would.

Looking up at the clock that was hanging high on the wall, he was taken from his thoughts be the time. Damian picked up his bag and left for his class that he would be late for if he didn’t rush. Talia would never approve of that. Throughout the rest of the day, he was distracted by the thought of your absence. Though, he’d never admit it. Sitting on the rooftop alone was strange. He almost expected you to join him at any moment preferring the comfortable silence and ease that came with you during these times. He found no point in staying much longer since he couldn’t relax and eventually headed to bed early.

Your POV:

It was night time in Italy. You had scouted the convention and knew all of the points that the targets could get in and out. Going over the plan one last time with your team, you had the map of the building on the desk between everyone.

“Beta, you take target two, make sure that no one of importance leaves alive.” You had explained, “Regroup at the jet once you’ve finished your task. If you’re not back by the end of the hour, find your own transportation to the compound.” “Is everyone clear on the objective?”

The group nodded, “Yes General.”

“Good, we will not be having the issues that were with last mission’s assigned team.”

You folded the map and put it into a compartment in your belt before leaving with the rest of the team and splitting up into groups. This mission was going to be easy in all regards. You had entered the dressing room of your target. The rest of the squad was taking care of the security on the outside. Breaking communication was the most important aspect of the starting phase. This way no one would know if anything was going on. You watched the security team of the foreign diplomat. They were in formation even here. Their weapons were advanced but nothing you wouldn’t be able to handle. The song of an American movie played in the background on their phone. You knew it was something from a Disney musical.

“Tightrope!” You thought remembering that you’d never gotten the chance to relay the song to Damian, “Hopefully the timing of the song isn’t ill placed with everything going on behind the curtains.” “Focus Y/N, you’re on a mission, not at a concert.”

Without a moment’s notice, you hit the signal button on your communicator and then threw in a poison dart into all of the guards. There was a sudden clamor as men started dropping. You smirked some seeing the substance work before coming behind the diplomat and ending him with an injection of a stronger substance sure to end him before giving one more dose of a different chemical to insure the death of all.

You saw that your team was finished and packed back up with the team before heading out.

“Report.” You demanded once getting to the jet on the coms.

“Mission was successful, heading to meet up now.” The squads confirmed.

“Well done to all sides.”

Careful to remember the song, you played it on repeat in your mind as you boarded the jet and took off. Ultimately, you were glad to be sleeping in your own bed tonight if you had the chance to sleep after reports were made to Talia and that the team was competent. You wanted to groan thinking about not sleeping tonight. You were bone tired but knew that the show must go on. Otherwise you’d be severely punished. No sleep was better than the pit.

Upon arrival, Talia met you at the landing pad as usual.

“Report.” She said with a better demeanor seeing you not covered head to toe in blood and rain.

“The mission was a success. All parties were taken out without alerting anyone with the approved weapon of choice.” “No intervention from myself was needed.” You said giving a very, very brief rundown before you’d have to relay the entire mission to her later.

“Good. Report to your rooms. General, I expect you in the briefing room in forty minutes.”

“Yes Talia.”

You saw that Damian was coming from down the hallway. He was later than usual but none the less, you were glad to see him. Even if you’d never admit it.

Damian’s POV:

Damian ran down the hallway upon seeing the jet land. He knew to slow down when the hall would become populated and he’d be exposed so he did. However, the moment that no one was around, he was running again. Damian heard his mother and slowed to a walking pace, taking back his proper stance and commanding look.

“Yes Talia.” He heard you say before you walked past her and towards him.

He was glad to see you ... not drenched in blood. From your blood or someone else’s for that matter. You almost glistened in the moon light as you did on the roof tops. Though, he’d never seen you in mission gear like this for some reason. You looked like the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen.

“Damian.” You nodded walking to him.

“Y/N. I am pleased to see you not covered in blood and rain.” He commented smirking just a bit.

“Very funny demon. The feeling is mutual.” You replied.

He turned and watched you walk down the hall before going to the roof tops after talking with Talia. Damian knew that you wouldn’t be joining him tonight, however he was ready whenever you did.

_______________________________________________________________________

That day almost never came. With what you had taken on with the new rank, you were always busy well into the night. Damian hated it. You almost hated it too. You loved the nights on the rooftop. Slowly, you tried to get back on better sleep but tonight you just wanted the stars and the mountains. That was it.

Over the past few weeks, you had hardly had any time to talk. Even during training for some part was spent with recruits instead of him. You both hated it. For the first time it felt like you were away from a mission but still there. Damian thought that you were too busy for him most of the time so he just didn’t make the attempt to talk to you. You thought that he was going for space for a while so you didn’t push anything. Eventually, you were sick of it though and decided to head to the roof.

You climbed to the top noticing that Damian was already there. Carefully, you sat next to him, legs hanging off the side of the structure.

“I assumed you would not come tonight.” He commented.

“I do not blame you. I’ve been ... extremely busy as of late with this new roll.” You sighed laying down on the roof.

He didn’t say anything for a little while and just enjoyed being able to relax in a place other than maybe his chamber. You enjoyed the silence for a while before he did finally say something.

“Did you come back with a song?” Damian asked glancing at you some.

“As always.” “And do you still want to hear it?”

“Of course.” He rolled his eyes some at your answer.

You started with the song ditching the higher notes as to not be too loud. He knew you could hit them and he knew that you dodged them. He’d heard you before as Talia wanted you to be able to sing for some unknown reason. When you weren’t training as a child or in schooling, you were doing that with a professor. The two of you sat there for a while just admiring the view.

“I should be going off to bed now.” You said, “I have a lingering feeling tomorrow will be long.”

“I understand.” Damian stood with you and headed for his bedroom.

“I expect to see you at afternoon training tomorrow? I don’t have as many responsibilities tomorrow.”

Damian almost smiled, “Of course.”

You headed to your room and plopped into the bed. It was going to be a long day tomorrow. No matter how much you couldn’t wait to see Damian more, something told you not to get your hopes up. Before being totally consumed by your thoughts, you drifted to sleep.

Tag List:

@idkmanicantenglish

#damian wayne x reader #damian wayne #Damian Wayne #Damian Wayne x y/n #dc comics #dc x reader #dc characters #headcanon #robin x y/n #robin x reader #robin #batfam x reader #batboys x reader #batfam #teen titans x reader #teen titans #teen titans x y/n

109 notes · View notes

benmcm18 · 4 years ago

Text

Group 7 Independent Project!

Pre Production -

This is the second time I’m working with Group 7. It is truly an honour to be surrounded by such talented people. We have learnt from last time and we thought it would be interesting to switch up the roles. Here was what we ended up with:

Director - Jack

Cinematographer - Bonnie

Producer - Heather

Production Design - Ben

Editor - Heather

Writer - Tom

Here were also the tasks we sorted ourselves:

Write a 1-page proposal (synopsis and directors statement) - JACK (13th May)

Make the movie - Jack

Make a plan and a schedule for your work - Heather

Create a mood board (Each character) - Ben

Create a sonic world for the film (no dialogue / no voice-over) - Heather and Ben

Cut together a series of still images or sequences of footage to create a 2min film - Heather

Record some sound effects using objects you have in your room/ house - you can record on your phone. - Heather and Ben

Source and use sound effects and Atmos sound on Freesound. - Tom

Make a storyboard + animatic - Bonnie

Source footage - eg shoot, take stills, source stills, or work with stock footage from Film Supply to envision your idea - Bonnie

Shot list - Bonnie

Scriptwriting and development - Tom

Present it at the crit - receive feedback - Everyone

Write a short critical reflection on your blog. - Everyone

Songs - Everyone

As Production designer I had to create a mood board. We had discussed in meetings what aesthetic we wanted to go for and I believe we ended up with a mixture between films like “Moonrise Kingdom” and “Fight Club”. Either way, these were two of the films I took inspiration from when working on the mood board of the film.

Additionally, I had to think of the costume for both actors. For the man I chose to instead of having major differences in the two separate costumes to instead change them subtly to give a feeling he is still grounded in reality. So that means I added the glasses, changed the tie and gave him a watch to switch up how he looked. The Imagination costume is inspired from Ewan MacGregor’s character in “Big Fish'' we wanted to give him a full blue costume originally but I realised fairly soon that that wasn’t going to happen. So I adapted and decided to use his ties as a means of stating which reality he was in. When he is in the “dream world” he has a very colourful yellow tie but when he returns to his office I believe we went with a black/red tie.

For the woman, I chose to give her a very colourful look. This was purely so she could match the imagination around her. I discussed with Bonnie about possibly putting flowers in her hair but for some reason we couldn’t find anything. In regards to the rest of her costume I gave her shades so that there would be a physical separation between the two. If he can’t make eye contact with her how is he supposed to connect.

Overall, I’m very happy with the costumes and for a first attempt I’m actually quite proud.

Finally, set design. I had recently worked on a project called “Pied” where I had to create a whole set for my actors. That was pretty much my crash course for this independent project. Using the knowledge I can gain from creating that set I tried implementing it into the office workspace and the picnic arrangement. I’m happy with it but it will honestly be down to you to decide if I did a good job. If I could mention any little “fun facts” about what I did here would be a few:

I used a ping-pong table as the walls splitting the workspace

I tried spreading the food along the picnic like a wall that separated the two of them.

There is a jar of pickles in one of the shots. I don’t know who would bring a jar of pickles to a picnic but I thought it would be funny

On the back wall of the office there is a bunch of hidden Easter eggs *HOWEVER* David’s massive head covers them up!

In regards to how the other team members did. We developed the script ideas until we landed on this one. Jack had a great idea about filming some really nice shots of food. We were actually quite a big fan of this idea. I just thought Heather’s idea would allow us to experiment more.

Tom then wrote a (very) detailed script in collaboration with Heather, Bonnie drew a genuinely fantastic storyboard (she is too hard on herself haha) and Jack prepared for the shoot. One issue that presented itself fairly soon was the fact we had two actors on set. However, our Producer (Heather) handled it like a pro and we managed to get the all clear. Overall, a very hardworking start with the promise of Bonnie doing a short animation for the storyboard. (I’m looking forward to hopefully seeing it)

Production -

The shoot day was very fun. We all arrived at 11:30am and we made our way over to the location. Originally, we had planned to film on top of a hill however, things quickly changed and Jack said there was a fantastic path to film on. I was fairly set on the hill idea (As I had imagined the scene being somewhat similar to the UP opening montage) but he said it was a better location and I trust him.

So this is where it got a bit funky. It turns out the location had been converted into a dirt road since the last time Jack had been there. This was a bit demoralising as we had carried a lot of props out but luckily we had seen a location closer to the beach that could possibly work and the rest was history. That very location near the beach ended up where we would film.

With Jack directing and myself on camera we began to make our way through the storyboard Bonnie had devised. I have to be honest there were parts where we deviated from what was on the storyboard: For example, there is a section where he falls over however it didn’t look natural so we thought of another way to film it. This was where I got a bit carried away with VFX. In the long run I’m pretty sure everyone is happy with it but I wasn’t too sure at the time.

Jack did well as a director, he worked well with David and Kady especially when it came to movements of the actors. There isn’t any dialogue in the scenes so it's mainly physical language instead of verbal. My only advice for Jack would be to do a bit more research on the project before going onto the shoot because there were parts of the shoot where actors would ask questions about their character and I wasn’t confident he knew the answer.

In regards to me, I find it very hard to create something someone else envisions because I’m used to directing and filming projects on my own. I definitely think I improved on this project and having the storyboard and detailed script was a big help. I also felt I should have been more prepared as it didn’t look very good in front of the actors with me fiddling around with the camera because I had set it up in the wrong position.

Overall, I think it was a very fun shoot and it went pretty smoothly. You're going to hit speed bumps on the way but I believe Jack and I handled them well.

Oh also, forgot to mention that I had to also record sound and label all the audio and footage for Heather (why do I almost call you Clair XD) It didn’t take as long as I expected and was actually somewhat therapeutic if you can believe haha.

Post-Production -

The post production process has been going well. We have plenty of time until the deadline and we have already got a very solid draft edit so I’m not worried. I just kind of want to get it finished.

First and foremost, Heather has been doing a fantastic job editing the video. She works efficiently, takes feedback on board and seems to me to have a very solid feel on the fundamentals of editing. Looking at the edit now, there are definite issues but nothing that can’t be solved in 10 minutes. It’s clean, fluid and most of all enjoyable to watch. I’m worried without a synopsis people might not get it but I guess you could see it as “up for interpretation” haha!

Before I talk about my role in the Post-Production process, I just want to mention who else is working on the edit as well. Bonnie is planning on adding some very small animations to the edit to give it that feeling of “not-reality” I think this is crucial because without the animation in the shots. When the man defies the laws of physics it will seem really strange. I believe Tom is doing sound, I’ve supplied them with plenty of audio from on set and am free at anytime to get more for them so it will just be down to when it is completed, I have faith that Tom will create something really special with the Sound design as he will probably blend the sound of the surrounding nature with cold office sounds. I’m excited.

Now onto the part I play. I offered to do the VFX for the film and I’m very happy with them. It’s nothing incredibly tedious to create. It’s very basic motion tracking and keyframing but I think using it in small doses works well and with it accompanied by the animation and sound it will take the film to new levels of quality.

I’m just going to talk about the final VFX shot as it was the most challenging (but fun) part to work on. First, I had to figure out how I was going to get the image of Kady onto the wall without printing her because I realised I would be able to match up the shots if I had just zoomed out from an actual image. So I went for a bit of green paper. I motioned tracked it through After Effects and then played with the colour so it matched the scene. I then added an artificial zoom in Premiere and I got the final result. Now, it is not perfect in any means. I wasn’t able to track back any further than I did so the image in the paper actually moves but with the help of Heather and the use of changing aspect ratios I think it really works. I guess we will have to see how people respond.

So that is about everything on the project. I will be back to reflect next month on the finished project. Hopefully it turns out okay. Hopefully, it doesn’t turn into a train wreck. I’m sure it won’t :)

4 notes · View notes

thechosenburrito · 3 years ago

Text

Intro to Love: 1.2-Clinic Crashers

Word Count: 1,016

Description:

Xochi makes a new friend on her way to grab some food but things take a terrifying turn

Author’s Note:

I reread each of these chapters before I post them here. This was written over a month ago and I feel like I’ve already improved a little!

Warnings:

Mention of Blood

/* I will take this time to mention that this series is meant to be a bit on the darker side where injuries and swearing and even death will be fairly common as the series progresses so proceed at your own risk*/

Previous Chapter: 1.1-Free on Sunday

I'm infamous for my sleep schedule, or lack thereof. I've always been more of a night person. During summer break, I'd stay up until the sun came up, go to sleep, and wake up at 4 pm. I thought it was a good system even though it essentially made me nocturnal. A nocturnal lifestyle didn't really lend itself to a college lifestyle. It meant I ended up sleeping for 2-3 hours a night and taking coma-like naps. I'm a pro napper. I can nap for 5 hours straight. That might actually be something to be concerned about. I'll put a pin in that.

The moment just after waking up is the best part of sleeping, just before you remember who you are. It's followed by the worst part of waking up: remembering everything that's wrong with your life.

When I woke up from my nap, after my regular dose of existential crisis, I rolled out of bed. I checked my phone and, yep, my notifications are bone dry. Actually, there was one, from an account I didn't recognize.

(C): hey this is carson. still on for sunday?

I quickly shot off a reply.

(X): yeah. noon right?

(C): yup

(X): cool. I'm probably gonna at least start it tonight

My stomach growled. What did I eat for breakfast? Oh yeah, I came back to my dorm and instantly went to sleep.

(X): after I grab something to eat lol

(C): cool. I can make a document and share it with you so we can both work on it

I must've struck gold.

(X): yeah that would be great

(C): alright I shared it.

(C): ok practice is starting. see you sunday

(X): ok. see you then. I live at Kathrine hall btw

(C): I know lol

(C): I live on the second floor

I instantly went into panic mode. I shot out of bed and started to pace a little. We lived in the same building!?!? How did I not notice !?!? I started going back through my memories, tearing through my mental filing cabinets. I check his profile and his feed. Looking at the pictures, it hit me. He was the guy a couple of rows down from me in my Physics lecture, the bench behind me in my Biology lab, and, worst of all, he sat two people down from me in my Chemistry lecture. This guy is gonna think I'm either not paying attention or don't care about the world around me at all.

I quickly replied something to save my skin.

(X): I'm kidding lol I know

(C): ok suuuurreeee lmao

(C): ok gotta go. see you saturday

(X): bye

I tossed my phone on my bed and started getting dressed to grab lunch. I pulled a flannel over my t-shirt, grabbed my wallet, put on some headphones, and headed for the dining hall.

The hair was hot and thick. It sat on you, crushing your chest. I passed a couple of runners and wondered how they could even go faster than a brisk walk when they were practically breathing hot soup.

I was trying to cross the street when a large white van whizzed past me so close I could feel the air move out of the way. I jumped back and fell onto the sidewalk behind me. A sharp pain shot through my wrist.

"WATCH IT ASSHOLE!" screamed a voice from behind me.

A girl came around and offered me a hand.

"Are you ok - OH YOU'RE BLEEDING!"

"Huh?"

I looked at my wrist and sure enough and I had partially grated it on the sidewalk. Blood was dripping all down my arm. I quickly grabbed it and just ended up getting blood everywhere.

"Yeah. I'm bleeding alright. I should probably go home and clean this up." I said as I forced a small smile.

I tried making a fist and winced.

"Ow!"

"Ok no. You're going to the clinic and getting that looked at," she helped me up with my good wrist. "Come on. I'll walk you to the clinic."

"Oh no! It's ok! I can make it!" I replied quickly.

"Too late. I'm already walking you." She started walking ahead of me and gestured for me to follow.

"Let's go"

I sighed and followed her.

"I think I've seen you in Bio Lecture. Dr. Vargas right?" she asked.

"Yeah. 9 am? Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays?"

"Yep! I'm Sarah! You should sit next to me on Monday....you might need help taking notes.". She gestured to my still bleeding hand.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Xochi. That would help." I said, giving a pained thumbs up.

We weren't too far from the clinic when we saw the white car that almost hit me pull up to the clinic.

"Hey, that's the guy that almost hit you!" She started running towards the clinic. "Hey! Stop!"

The second-hand embarrassment at the mere thought of her confronting the driver was just too much.

"Uh! You don't have to do that!"

I made an attempt to chase after her, but I was never really a runner in high school or ever.

The white car stopped and a figure stumbled out onto the sidewalk. He took a few steps towards the front door of the clinic before crumpling to his hands and knees. The car sped off. I tried to catch the plate numbers but it didn't even have any.

I did my best to catch up with Sarah. She tried to help him up, but his legs were shaking too much. She helped him onto his side and I finally caught up and got a good look at him. He had greasy black hair and dirty glasses. His eyes were wide and glossy looking. He was taking short shallow breaths and his lips were moving as if he were trying to speak. He smelled like he hadn't showered in weeks.

I felt a panic coming.

"HELP!" I yelled, my voice shaking. "SOMEBODY PLEASE! WE NEED HELP"

A few nurses came out to see what was going on and instantly swarmed him.

"Call 911!"

A/N:

So it’s getting a little intense for Xochi. This definitely isn’t the end of her troubles.

#original writing #fiction

3 notes · View notes

effemimaniac · 3 years ago

Text

I realized something quite weird and interesting yesterday, related to my transition...

so, I was looking at reference ranges for hormone blood tests, and looking at my past results, and I realized something that I hadn't noticed before... so like, the whole time I've been on HRT I've had weirdly low E2 levels, it's annoying. I just can't seem to get decent levels on oral or sublingual. But, only yesterday did I realize that with the first blood test I had while on HRT, at like the 2 or 3 month point, my estradiol level was actually below the male reference range... kind of odd, considering I had pretty quick development of breast buds and other changes!

Still now, ~9 months in, my levels are low, and within most male reference ranges, but I think my development has been pretty good?

I guess it's true that suppression of T is the more important part, or perhaps that other levels (like LH, FSH, SHBG etc.) are more important than we usually give them credit for? Or probably just that levels and ranges aren't a one size fits all thing, and different levels will mean vastly different things for different bodies lol

(more rambling and specifics under the cut)

I live somewhere that uses molarity (pmol/L and nmol/L) rather than mass (pg/mL and ng/dL) so I'm just going to use those units for simplicity. The male reference range of E2 sometimes doesn't have a minimum value, but typically it does, somewhere between 50 to 100 pmol/L. The maximum is usually around 200. my baseline hormone levels pre-HRT were:

T - 16 nmol/L

E2 - <18 pmol/L (below detection limit, so actual level could be anywhere from 0-18)

Then I started HRT with 1mg oral E.V. and 12.5mg CPA daily for the first six weeks, increasing to 2mg oral E.V. after that. I had this test I think about a month or maybe slightly less time after upping to 2mg:

T - 0.81 nmol/L

E2 - 39 pmol/L

^within that time I had already seen a good degree of feminization, despite still being below the 50 pmol/L reference male minimum, and ofc nowhere near any female reference range.

After that blood test, naturally my doctor increased my dose to 4mg. I had a blood test while on 4mg but can't seem to find the data anywhere. IIRC it was about twice the level of the last test, at like 60 pmol/L or something? It was still below the target range so my doctor increased my dose to 6mg. I also switched to taking the pills sublingually before my dose was increased. So, after like a month or so on 6mg sublingual I had another blood test:

T - 0.5 nmol/L

E2 - 167 pmol/L

It's much much better, which I attribute in part to switching to sublingual administration, but still not nearly to target. my doctor is iffy about raising my dose higher, so she said to stay on the same dose and get another blood test, and if levels haven't improved then maybe it can be raised to 8mg. But, I personally decided I'm going to switch to DIY injections. I'm just waiting on the vials to arrive in the post lol. I really wonder why my levels seem to be so low... metabolism maybe?

3 notes · View notes

meaninglessblah-writes · 5 years ago

Text

Writing Prompt Wednesday

It hasn’t even been a full hour before Tim hears the clack of the handheld clicker again. It’s been plaguing his every waking moment for the last week, with increasing frequency, and whilst it hasn’t yet emerged into the realm of unbearably annoying, the mystery behind its use is starting to grate on Tim’s nerves.

He turns to face Damian where he’s sat at the conference table, gloves shucked and a blueberry muffin in his hand. There’s a sprinkling of crumbs dotting his cheek that Tim is compelled to point out to his compulsively hygienic tendencies, except that his attention is drawn - once again - to the small black device resting in Damian’s other palm.

“Damian,” he hedges, and braces for the staccato clack-clack.

“Yes, Timothy?” Damian responds once the sound has settled firmly in Tim’s eardrums, turning to face him. Jason’s chin lifts a notch to watch their interaction where he’s sprawled back on the chair adjacent, tilting back precariously on two legs as he rocks his heels against the lip of the table.

Tim shoves down the uneasy turn of his stomach and asks, “What on earth is that?”

Damian inspects the device like he’s only just noticing it. “It’s a behavioural stimulant. Primarily used on dogs. I’ve been training Titus, and found it quite effective in bridging the gap between positive reinforcement and reward distribution.”

Tim feels his brow pull into a tight crease. “So why do you have it down here?”

“I’m experimenting,” he replies cryptically and shortly, and doesn’t seem to feel the need to elaborate. Tim frowns but returns to his post-patrol procedure, stripping back his cowl and setting the cape aside.

Clack-clack.

This time he turns entirely to glare at the pair of men at the table, meeting twin blank, innocent expressions. “Okay, what is going on here? What’s with the clicking?”

“He told you,” Jason interjects. “We’re experimenting.”

“Experimenting on what?” Tim snaps, though he suspects he knows the answer.

“Whether subjects’ inadequate habits can be curbed and replaced with satisfactory behaviours,” Damian says primly. “Specifically with regard to cleanliness and environmental tidiness.”

Tim blinks, and tries to digest that. “That doesn’t explain why you clicked at me, just now.”

Damian pauses a moment, like he’s considering whether to explain or not, and says, “You folded your cape.”

Tim glances down at the material in his hands, which is sure enough folded with neat precision into a compact stack worthy of display case. It’s a little surprising to see, given how haphazard he usually is with tossing the cape over any available surface in his post-patrol haze. He doesn’t even remember folding it.

It makes him a little uneasy, as he drops into his chair and brings up his digital report. The sooner he can make his notes, the sooner he can duck out from under Damian and Jason’s lingering presences. He can’t help but feel how he’s being watched, the sensation dragging up his spine as he begins to type.

He does his best to shove the thought from his mind. The less attention he gives them, the more likely they are to grow tired of whatever game they’re playing and leave him be.

Tim almost manages to forget their presence after a few minutes, swept up in the tide of pattering keys and scrolling text, when he reaches for his mug of cold coffee. Lifts it to his lips without pausing, takes a sip, and sets it down.

Clack-clack.

It ratchets Tim’s shoulders up, snaps him right out of whatever focused reverie he’d managed to achieve, as he spins to stare pointedly at Damian’s palm. The man doesn’t break beneath the glower, except to shift his thumb off the button and chew silently.

Tim lifts an eyebrow, and Damian eventually swallows.

“Coaster,” he says, with a slight tilt towards Tim’s desk, and sure enough, when he glances down to where his fingers are still wrapped around the handle of his mug, it’s resting on the cork coaster to the left of his keyboard.

He doesn’t even remember putting it there. Has only the vague recollection of Alfred huffing and shifting his mug time and time again, of it gradually becoming buried beneath the clutter of his desk, the coaster swamped with more mugs than it could possibly ever hold.

Glancing down the width of his desk now, Tim is stunned to realise how… tidy it is. He hadn’t even noticed.

“Damn,” Jason murmurs, almost too low for Tim to hear. When he glances back the man is nodding above the weave of his arms over his chest, an impressed smile tugging at his lips. “I still haven’t managed to train that one into Dickie yet. That’s impressive.”

Damian looks a little too proud at the praise, and several dots connect in Tim’s head.

“Are you testing me?” Tim asks, too shocked to be as incredulous as he intends.

“Training,” Damian corrects, and Tim pulls to his feet. Shoves his chair back loudly into the desk on habit, hard enough to rattle the mug on its coaster and the handful of pens arranged neatly beneath the monitor.

Not loud enough to drown out the resulting clack-clack.

“Stop that,” Tim demands, frustration rising, and yanks his hand back from the tucked-in seat. Since when did he ever treat his furniture so well? Since when was he organised enough to do anything other than leave a careless trail of clothing and belongings behind him on his half-comatose trudge up to his bedroom?

It’s downright spooky, and he doesn’t like the implications.

“How long have you been training me with that thing?” Tim snaps in a sudden spiral of fear. Surely it can’t have been that long, or he would have noticed sooner. Wouldn’t he?

Unless it’s been so pervasive that everything but his subconscious has tuned out the noise of the clicker, releasing a helpful little dose of dopamine into his sleep-addled brain every time Tim completes a designated task.

Tim doesn’t think it’s been that long. It can’t have been. Otherwise the compulsion would be harder to shake. Right?

Damian and Jason share a look that does nothing to ease Tim’s concerns.

“How long?” he demands.

“Three weeks,” Jason admits, folding his hands behind his head as he tilts. “Same time I started training Dick. We didn’t think it would work so quickly, but our apartment is the tidiest I’ve seen it in literal months. He even cleared the dining table without so much as a look from me the other night.”

Tim’s burning gaze swings to Damian. “And you’re training me why?”

“Because you’re filthy, Timothy,” Damian replies airily, and reaches for another blueberry muffin. Since he filled out his third upgrade of the pixie boots and came into as many inches, the current Robin’s appetite has been unquenchable. He’s rivalling Jason at the breakfast table most days, shovelling down eggs and pancakes with gusto only for Tim to find him hunting through the pantry an hour later.

“Your mess was becoming unbearable,” Damian continues, with a corroborating nod from Jason, “and you respond poorly to advice from either of us. So we took matters into our own hands.”

“By training me,” Tim accuses, “like a dog.”

Jason shrugs, and Damian echoes the sentiment. “The results justify the means.”

“You’re conditioning me,” Tim stresses, crossing over to the table to stand over the squirt. It’s not nearly as impressive as it used to be, now that Damian’s actually packing on and holding muscle weight. “Without my consent, without my knowledge. For your own selfish benefit.”

“Have you not benefited?” Damian retorts with a pointed sweep of Tim’s very tidy workspace. He can’t bring himself to turn around to look, to be betrayed by his own unwitting compliance.

“That’s irrelevant.”

“I think it’s very relevant. Both Richard and you have made incredible progress in such a short time. Both your lives have become more manageable since we implemented your training. Your organisation has improved, and as a result, your demeanour. It can only improve further from here.”

“So what comes next? You buy me a collar and start teaching me tricks?”

Jason snorts, loud and obnoxious, as colour rises on Damian’s cheeks. Tim doesn’t give him a chance to draw in a full breath before he fixes the other man with a cold stare.

“I’m sure Dick’s going to be just thrilled when he finds out you’ve been training him like a circus seal. I expect that’s going to do wonders for your sex life, Hood.”

Jason’s laughter snaps off, his expression bleeding into sudden hesitant concern. “Now, wait a second-”

Tim smirks. “You haven’t seen how bad his cold shoulder gets yet, have you? Dickie’s got a temper, Hood, and you’re about to find out exactly how bad blueballs can get when you set it off.”

“That’s uncalled for,” Jason tries to defend, tucking his legs back under the table as he sets his chair down. Tim cuts him off with a sharp cluck-cluck of his tongue, stunning both men into sudden silence as he grins.

“You know, that’s actually pretty useful,” Tim murmurs, malicious satisfaction filling his chest when both their expressions fall into wary horror. “Don’t even necessarily need a clicker to achieve the results either. But you’re both missing an important element of the training process.”

“Which is?” Damian entreats with the hesitance of a man feeling blindly for a bomb.

Tim makes sure he leans down close enough to see the individual crumbs on the teen’s face, to feel the sharp intake of his breath when Tim grins sharply and purrs, “You have to follow up the immediate approval with a reward.”

Damian swallows hard, the blueberry muffin making an odd protrusion as it travels down his throat.

“Good boy,” Tim murmurs, low and coaxing, and feels an immense wash of gratification when Damian’s cheeks flush red beneath his complexion.

Damian’s mouth opens and closes, producing no sound as Tim straightens and glances over at Jason, who’s just as cowed.

“I’m going to bed now. If I so much as hear the sound of that clicker in my dreams, I’ll flood your public social media profiles,” he threatens, pointing his index finger at Jason to watch him pale before it swivels to fix on Damian, “with his very inventive furry art.”

Jason spins to fix Damian with an accusatory stare that he flounders to rebut, the muffin slipping from his fingers in his defensive panic. Tim smirks and turns up the stairs to the sounds of an argument erupting behind him, letting his shoulders slide out of their tense curl with the assurance that he doesn’t need to worry about any pesky clickers anytime soon.

“Goodnight, boys,” he calls back, drowned by the shrieking below, “and be good.”

You can send me a prompt here!

#writing prompt wednesday #Tim Drake #Damian Wayne #Jason Todd #dick grayson/jason todd #meaninglessblah

84 notes · View notes

majesticnerdynerd · 4 years ago

Text

Author Interview Tag

I was tagged by @iris-best-taken-in-small-doses, thank you for tagging me! <3

Name: Vee

Fandoms: Primarily Sherlock BBC, but also RDJ Holmes, Harry Potter, and the Fallout games universe, plus Supernatural and bits of Doctor Who which I’ve seen and liked

Where you post: Ao3, I love this site

Most popular multi-chapter fic: So far it’s my first ever published fic from earlier of this godforsaken year, Harry Potter and the Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, which has just a few days ago surpassed 2k hits. It’s a crossover between HP/SH, and I must admit I do neglect it a little because I have a second fic I publish, which brings us to....

Favourite story you’ve written till date: Definitely Reichenbach Falls. I speed-wrote the first 8-and-a-bit episodes over the course of 2 months while also studying for transfer exams, and I keep my pace up and it is my main focus at the moment. It’s also the most ambitious crossover I’m attempting, because it is the Holy Trinity of SuperWhoLock, and a Gravity Falls AU, so it offers a lot of lore I am proud that I came up with. It has its own challenges I like to tackle, especially when it comes to intertwining characters from numerous TV shows to coherently worked together, plus their character arcs and character developments that are to come. I hide easter eggs here and there and put some of my soul into it, so it is very dear to me. I think I am doing the job adequately so far, but time will tell. :) I do love HPatAoSH, because it is my first fic ever and I am still excited about it, but I put it on the backburner and procrastinate on the chapters I post usually

Fic you were nervous to post: Both my big series, really. One never knows what reception they’re going to get, and we all hope to get the characters to interact just right. The HP crossover because it has two timelines that later intertwine in 1997 when the Golden Trio asks the Baker Street Dumbass Detective Duo for help and I need to make certain corrections in some earlier chapters. Reichenbach Falls because it is SuperWhoLock and as I said, it’s huge, 3 parts in 1 work, so 300 chapters give or take in total, and I hope to do my best with everyone’s characterisation.

How you choose your titles: Depends. HP/SH was a bit self-explanatory, and I think it fits well into the AU and foretells what’s up in a sense that you know who is involved and if you know both fandoms, you get a whiff of a couple shenanigans. Reichenbach Falls was a bit difficult to name and I stalled on it, but then on one hot summer day that I spent cowering inside the house like the pale gremlin I am, I thought hm,,,,, the show is called Gravity Falls, but I can’t use that of course. And then I remembered that Reichenbach is a thing, the waterfall is in canon as well and BAM - Reichenbach Falls. It’s all more about a sudden epiphany than hard thinking, it comes by itself.

Do you outline: Yes, but do I stick to it? Nah. I do write steps for each episode for RF, but those serve only as a mild reminder of what the end goal is, and I wing the rest to my standard. It works well so far. With HP/SH, I just wing it and rely on the past chapters because as I mentioned, I’m a sorrowful procrastinator on this one for now. My outlines are general which gives me space to improvise and improve on the run, which I like, it doesn’t restrict me in any self-induced way, so I prevent mental blocks nicely.

Complete: Living Musical, which is a one-shot I wrote for Steph from inevitably-johnlocked. Fluffy, too! And it needs revision because I wrote it in 4 hours until it was 1am and I have no recollection of that evening anymore. And... god, I need to fix the typos. *facepalms*

In Progress: HP/SH crossover and Reichenbach Falls I linked above already. They’re plenty to take care of :D

Coming soon/not yet started: this is what I am excited about! I have a new AU in mind, either some postapocalyptic wasteland AU, but most probably also an AU of the game Fallout: New Vegas at the same time (it’s basically the same concept). I have the basic plot in mind and down, and ohhhhh guysssss I really like it. I’d also like to make it an interactive fic where the readers may choose which factions John and Sherlock could join, which would affect the ending of the fic, much like what happens in the game, but I’m not decided on this. But there is great potential, I think, though I need to make a big mindmap and brainstorm all that would need to be involved, so there’s lots of lore to consider (which I already got started on). It would be another huge fic, and I plan to write at least half of all that could be published before sending it to ao3, possibly. We will see, but you can see how my mind is overworking itself already... >:) it looks quite badass (but that’s just me so far), and its working name is Fallout: New London. Actually, there’s a prologue and first two chapters that are constant (meaning that it is firmly locked to the AU and can’t be influenced by choices) and in progress already and semi-drafted because I am a psycho like that, but no details yet! I have no self-control.. but yeah, this is the biggest one I’m excited about out of all the fics my mind invents.

Do you accept prompts: ehhhh, maybehaps? I don’t know. Probably not at the moment, maybe in a year or so. I like the idea of doing Christmas prompts, so maybe in 300 days approximately, who knows?

Upcoming story you are most excited to write: Currently, it stays on Reichenbach Falls and its 2 later seasons, because that’s when things get real >:)) also Fallout: New London. so much johnlock in sight.

Upcoming story you are most excited about: Due to my lack of time at the present moment, I nowadays mostly revisit some comfort fics if I feel like shit, but I do keep my eye out on @iris-best-taken-in-small-doses‘ The Corvus That Calls at Night. I am subscribed to the ao3 profile so once it an email popped up and I saw ‘medieval’ and all the other priceless tags (pls check them out I love them) I went oo >:D I am merely waiting for my holiday spirit to kick in fully so I can put my feet up and catch up to my reading; there’s also @simplyclockwork‘s Hired Gun I keep my eyes on, and I patiently wait for @jbaillier‘s Messages From Deep Waters -- I remember that back in August(?) she posted a post about doing research on sea fish and how to gut them? Not sure on the English word or if I’m correct at all right now, but hmmm Scotland staged AU, I like that. Also her You Go To My Head stories that are coming, I love them dearly, and I am so excited there’s going to be more Medical Husbands content :’)

#sherlock fanfic #fanfic #ao3 #johnlock #superwholock #supernatural #doctor who #Reichenbach Falls #my fics #Sherlock

9 notes · View notes