#pyxis machines

[medical-shipment-llc]

Selecting & Adjusting Patients on the Pyxis MedStation ES

Here we review how students can receive the assignments in a customized view to manage their simulated medication activities for patients they are assigned during clinical rotations. This is one of the most important competencies that we develop as nurses is how to successfully manage the patients that we are assigned. As clinical instructors, we oftentimes assign students patients that they will care for the next day during the course of their clinical rotation.

[5-7-9]

Okay so- Fairytail actually showed a few other designs of celestial spirits when they partied at the celestial spirit world. UNOFFICIALLY NAMED BUT SOME OTHER SPIRITS ARE SHOWN TO EXIST AND ACKNOWLEDGED BY CANON!!! Seeing as the Celestial Spirit King states 88 constellations, I’ll try only basing the amount to basically 88 spirits since it’s canonized. Although i think unofficial constellations would also still exist, I’m not 100% certain. (Also, I’m not sure whether or not to count the Celestial Spirit King as a constellation since idk what he’s based after, what the heck is he supposed to be??? He doesn’t count unless i know his constellation. CEPHUS IS THAT YOU?!!? But then if so he’s missing the queen Cassiopeia and princess Andromeda. So i guess not?)

Counting down all 12 zodiacs! Plus Ophiuchus! 🔑 That makes 75 down to go already!

Crux, Horologium, Lyra, Plue aka Nikora aka Canis Minor, Caelum, Pyxis, Polaris aka Ursa Minor, and Deneb aka Cygnus makes for 8 silver key🗝️ spirits! 67 left! Or more like 21 spirits shown!

I should note that the website I’m using apparently states there’s 42 animals, 14 humans, 2 chimeras (cross/mix between multiple creatures), 28 objects, and 2 nature. Now, Fairytail took the liberties of mixing up the forms and they can technically all shapeshift, which explains why Aquarius is a mermaid (half human half fish), why Aries and Leo and Cancer Scorpio and Deneb are all anthropomorphic human-like with animal features, while Capricorn and Taurus are leaning towards their animal counterpart with human-ish-ness, Pisces have both animal and human-like forms, Gemini are… something, Ophiuchus is actually supposed to be a dude holding a snake(?), and Pyxis is part compass and part penguin (i actually like that one because the north pole). Therefore! These creatures can be anything!!!!! Edit: my website is inaccurate because a SEA GOAT IS A GOAT AND A FISH COMBINED and for some reason isn’t counted as a chimera 🤦🏻 close enough

I’m also assuming there’s multiple types of silver key spirits because they’re 1: not rare because what makes the golden keys so different is that there are only 1 of each, thereby implying there’s multiple silver keys of each. 2: There’s multiple Canis Minor dogs.

Okay back to this. Starting from right to left: (not including Lyra because i already counted her before).

The crown is either the Southern Crown or the Northern Crown👑. I think it’s the North because of its shape, aka Corona Borealis. 22☑️

That blue-ish creature without ears- I’m pretty sure it’s supposed to have ears 👂🏻 but the word covered it up and so the animators didn’t translate that onto animation either. But there isn’t any animal constellations besides bear🐻 that could look like that creature… but if Ursa Minor aka Polaris is that giant pink robotic mecha machine… then how would this be Ursa Major which is the only other bear constellation? My only guess is that there’s multiple Ursa Minors, and this is one of the forms it can take. Because Ursa Major should be bigger than Ursa Minor, right?

That white bird with human head hair… it looks more like a swan 🦢 but that’s technically taken up by Deneb (who I’d add has black feathers). I assume this is another one of those silver key quirks where there are technically more than one, so this counts as another Deneb but with regular white feathers and more animalistic features. Or it’s the Crane, which sorta looks similar but it’s beak isn’t dark… hm…

The purple dolphin! 🐬 yes! Now that is new! Delphinus the star is a Porpoise which is a species related to dolphins i think!!! 23☑️

That wolf!!! Is a wolf!!!! 🐺 LUPUS!!!!! 😭 24☑️

The triangle🔼📐 is obviously Triangulum. But there’s another Triangle called Triangulum Australe. Idk which is which but they both sound the same to me 🤷🏻 (idk astrology). 25☑️

The chameleon🦎 is realllllll 🥲 Chamaeleon is barely a difference in the name 😂 but yay!!! He would be really cool as a secret spy operative that turns invisible! 26☑️

THAT CREATURE AT THE END LOOKS LIKE A KANGAROO🦘 BUT THERE IS NO KANGAROO. Might be the 🦊fox? But the lower mouth isn’t white… then again the colour is the animator’s job. 27☑️

I’m not really paying attention to the 88 constellations that aren’t animals so idk if there’s a turtle🐢 related non animal stars but Keya has a turtle star (although there’s 2 in panel). This might count regarding in the 88 or kinda counts as an outlier! 28✔️

Those two large fishes don’t look like Pisces?

But don’t worry! There’s 5 more fish🐟🐠🐡 stars apparently! 😅 the Volcans the Flying Fish, Piscis Austrinis the Southern Fish, Hydrus the Water Snake, Hydra the Sea Serpent, Dorado the Swordfish. Definitely not Hydra or Hydrus or Dorado. The Volcans is just one fish, but going along again with the multiple silver keys theory, then I think it’s the Volcans. 29☑️

Bottom left there’s another bear, but also a Giraffe🦒 blowing a star⭐️ shaped humoungus horn🎺. Camelopardalis 30☑️ there’s 2 people playing the piano but idk who/what that could be, probably 2 Lyras since they’re musically inclined. I’ll have to check back with the human stars later.

Edit because I just noticed it (the anime makes clearer): THAT’S DEFFO ONE OF THE WATER SNAKES HYDRUS ISN’T IT?!!??!!!?!! 🐍 31☑️

Plus there’s a circle face standing guy. Could be Reticulum the telescope net (google says it looks circular). Or the microscope or telescope! Idk. I won’t count it, too far fetched.

There were two food courts so this is the right table. On the left side of this food table: Another goose looking creature. There’s a humanoid with cat/dog/pointy looking ears on their head but idk what that could be. On the right side: two identical humanoids. A… banana with arms and feet??? 🍌 I HAVE NO CLUE 💀 maybe the air pump but that would be a terrible design 😭

This is the food table on the right. From the left side of this table to the right: animal (fox?), humanoid with horns, humanoid in a bikini, idk a pig???, a square🔲⏹️ face, animal (fox but shorter ears?), animal (lizard?), humanoid with antennas and wings, humanoid(?), a black cat(??), another goose/swan, a wolf/fox.

Square face could be Norma the Carpenter’s square. Or the way it’s standing could be the stand thingy that holds up paintings- Pictor the Easel 32☑️

Idk about the humanoid ones so I’m skipping them 😀 random NPC unnamed stars

Another wolf/dog🦮🐕‍🦺 (the jaw is shorter) which is probably Canis Major 33☑️ but LOOK!!! The BIRD!!! It could be Columba the Dove or Aquila the Eagle. Neither one has a tuff of hair but i assume it’s like that goose/swan with human head hair 😀 an aesthetic choice… but the beak!!! It’s curved like an Eagle🦅 34☑️

These ones are a doozy but I think I got it. From right to left: Another fish🐟 but it walks! flying and pisces the two are taken so this must be Piscis Austrinis the Southern Fish! 35☑️. If you look carefully, the text is covering up another dog. Since there is another dog constellation that doesn’t need to be big, I’ll claim this one as Canes Venatici the hunting dogs (although there should be 2 I’m claiming it anyways!!!). 36☑️.

These next two are the tricky ones because they’re objects but idk which ones. I know there’s a part of a ship stars which sound confusing enough, so I think these could be it. Actually nevermind, it kinda looks like a boring but weird looking cup🏆 Crater(?), or that vessel since that’s also a large cup Ara the Alter? It does look like a cup because to top part is rounded? Edit: it has a handle!

The left one could be the boat’s hilt🚢 or Stern of Argonauts’ ship aka Puppis. I’m more confidant on this one. That little guy really looks like the edge of a ship. Idk why it looks like it’s hiding inside that thingy tho it’s cute. 37☑️

Guy all the way to the left is some sort of goose chicken but humanoid like Sagittarius with a human face but fake animal head 😃 OH HECK NAWWEW NOOOOO NOT THE MAJESTIC BIRD NOOOOOOO 😭 The head has these tuffs that could only leave… Pavo the Peacock/Peafowl 🦚 HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO THE MOST COOLEST BIRDS EVER 😖 I REFUSE THIS CANON DESIGN EVEN IF IT CANONIZED ANOTHER CELESTIAL SPIRIT 😠 38☑️

The thingy on the top is why I choose the North crown from before. Because this crown is smaller, just like the Southern Crown👑 Corona Australis.

…WAIT IT HAS A HANDLE LIKE A CUP ☕️ 🤦🏻 THAT’s THE CUP ISN’T IT 😱 Crater the Cup. 39☑️

The anime didn’t exactly translate it properly, in fact it seemed to combine 3 panels into one. The panels of the Nikora with Happy and Carla alongside the celestial spirits we’ve never seen before. It leaves out the hiding ship edge looking thingy and fish (probably because a fish next to Happy doesn’t bode well 😅) and changed the colour of the Peacock to pink for some reason. This scene was moves very annoyingly in a way that I’d have to take multiple pictures to get all the details of just one each spirit 😠 grrrrrr

So yeah that’s the dog again but it looks even smaller in the anime than it did in the manga. But that thingy that I said before looked like a cup? It actually looks more clearly like Forax the Furnace! There a random skinnier top part like a chimney and the bottom part is bigger where you cook! I think. Now that I’m looking back at the manga, there’s clearly meant to be a handle on the bottom part of the left side. So this is most certainly Forax! The anime makes him look too fleshy than mechanical tho… 40☑️ and his telescope🔭 doesn’t look alive but Telescopium is a constellation too 👀 (I won’t count it for now…)

Another bird!!! This white one is probably the actual Columba the Dove🕊️ this time. 41☑️

The grey one… I assumed it was another dolphin or seal🦭, but it could be a bird too? I really wanted to show that thingy’s hat tho. Look! It has hearts 💕 and a tiny crown👑 on it! 🥹 very cute! But it’s hands don’t have wings like the bird next to it, so I think it is another dolphin Porpoise Delphinus. Last picture to analyze.

Idk why the (it’s obviously a bunny) rabbit🐇🐰 is in a bunny costume, but yay!!! Bunny in a bunny costume!! How counter productive. Lepus the Hare. 42☑️

See! You see both dogs in seperate panels! So, technically, i win with the hunting dogs 😌😏 hehe… Another goose/swan but this one’s cuter because it has a little crown and no weird human head hair or human face alongside fake(?) animal head!!! Actually 🧐 the under wings🪽are shaded/black like a *gasp*😱 A CRANE!!!! The beak still isn’t correct BUT STILL. THIS IS MY MOMENT!!! Grus the Crane!!! 43☑️

😃 WHAT IS THAT RECTANGLE RULER📏 WITH ARMS??!!!!!?? Aw mannnnnn idk guys 😭 this one might be Norma the Carpenter’s square although it’s a rectangle. Only because it’s a ruler tool looking thingy :( idk…

There was also when Scorpio cheated on Aquarius with a bunch of humanoid spirits, but I checked and it was from a filler that also got alluded to during an extended version of Lucy and Yukino’s battle under the Grad Magic Games. Not canon! 👏👏👏 Plus google says Scorpios are mainly loyal and passionate. Scorpio’s porbably the least likely to cheat. Also i guess the humanoid spirit girls could be unnamed stars too, or whatever, but still, it’s filler!

So discounting the canon known keys, there’s about 22 unnamed possible keys >:)

[pis3update]

MORE TOWNIES: Lucky Palms by strexstrexstrex

"I'm not dead! Still making sims and i WILL finish this series, but school and health issues have been dragging me down the last few months. Nevertheless, at long last, enjoy some fresh faces for Lucky Palms! Hopefully some of them are smart enough not to lose it all at the slot machine, but don't count on it.   What you get: Each zipped folder contains 8 sims. In total, there are 32 sims available for download: 8 adult males, 8 young adult males, 8 adult females, and 8 young adult females. The sims are all saved wearing Pyxis's Huckleberry Pie default skin, which will be replaced with the default skin in your game (cc or EA). All sims' facial features are individually tweaked by me, never presets.

...continued on MTS"

More Info + Download @MTS.

[pyxisfelixhaven]

ffxivwrite2023 #4 ;; o f f t h e h o o k

Four figures sat around a small, green clothed table. Despite the energy around them full of laughter and joy, the atmosphere looming from the group created a space of quiet contemplation. Four pairs of eyes darting between hand movements, watching as each made their own decisions based on information laid out for all to see. Whereas Pyxis’ features would otherwise contort and betray their inner machinations during meetings of such calibre, in this case they were still; lavender eyes flickered as each new piece was revealed, and only glinted at the most opportune of moments - and now was one of them.

“Ron,” they declared, head nodding at the newly laid tile that had been pushed into the centre of the mahjong table as they tilted over the hidden pieces of  the winning hand for all to see. Calculating the scores, it easily toppled twelve-thousand points - mangan. The stillness broke out into sighs of relief from two of the other players, and a gruff chuckle from the other who had just played the piece.

“I must say, I was not expecting that,” Raubahn sighed, revealing his own nearly completed hand in response; in richii with a higher scoring hand that would have easily cleaned out the rest of Pyxis’ points had the roles been reversed. “What with one East tile already having been discarded, I assumed it was safe to drop.”

“Not when it’s my East,” Pyxis chuckled as they helped to shuffle the tiles back into the centre, a seemingly unstoppable grin brightening her previously blank state. “But it seems that you’re still hanging in there for now… It looks like I’ll have to do something about it,” she continued, eyes narrowing behind glasses that shimmered under the Golden Saucer’s flashing lights. The grin was now more of a smirk, causing Raubhan to laugh a little louder.

“Do not think I will forget that remark when I win this next hand.” The Hyur smirked back, picking up a fresh set of tiles from the automatically built wall that rose from the table and chuckling under his breath as he noted an - in hindsight - obvious tell once Pyxis’ expression returned to neutral.

Despite the hours the Au Ra had sunk into mahjong, and how well they thought they had mastered the art of a ‘game face’, the jagged tip of her tail could never quite remain completely still. Especially when the pair got competitive.

[shuckleberrysims]

Meanwhile in yet another legacy...

Hello! Welcome to another Legacy challenge that I started while being away (I know I keep starting them, but I have a good feeling about this one!)... Let me introduce you to our alien founder, Metis Eclipse! They go by they/them pronouns and their traits are: Athletic, Bot Fan, Excitable, Loser and Natural Chef! Their wish in life is More than a Machine! Hopefully their time on Earth is a good one! And let me introduce you to Pyxis, Metis' little kitten! I forget her traits off the top of my head but she was created by the lovely @catlover800! A big special thank you to them! :D

[purity-the-one]

*Purity says a brief good night to the rest of the following as they finish their humanities class for the night, quietly thanking Carina for being patient with them*

*they had to hand it to the little runt, Pyxis. Being human was rough. Being genuine with their emotions was even more rough*

*but, like Carina and the others said, progress wasn't always linear, and it would take a while before anything noticeable would be seen in terms of changes*

*they shook their head as they entered their room again, sitting back down on their barren bed in their plain and basic room. They still felt the sting in their fists from having lost their temper earlier in the day and punching though a printing machine before immediately repairing it with magic*

*they covered themselves with their blanket and lied back flat on their back before falling asleep with their arms crossed over their chest*

[leedsomics]

A scalable approach to absolute quantitation in metabolomics

Mass spectrometry-based metabolomics allows for the quantitation of metabolite levels in diverse biological samples. The traditional method of converting peak areas to absolute concentrations involves the use of matched heavy isotopologues. However, this approach is laborious and limited to a small number of metabolites. We addressed these limitations by developing PyxisTM, a machine learning-based technology which converts raw mass spectrometry data to absolute concentration measurements without the need for per-analyte standards. Here, we demonstrate Pyxis performance by quantifying metabolome concentration dynamics in murine blood plasma. Pyxis performed equivalently to traditional quantitation workflows used by research institutions, with a fraction of the time needed for analysis. We show that absolute quantitation by Pyxis can be expanded to include concentrations for additional metabolites, without the need to acquire new data. Furthermore, Pyxis allows for absolute quantitation as part of an untargeted metabolomics workflow. By removing the bottleneck of per-analyte standards, Pyxis allows for absolute quantitation in metabolomics that is scalable to large numbers of metabolites. The ability of Pyxis to make concentration-based measurements across the metabolome has the potential to deepen our understanding of diverse metabolic perturbations. http://dlvr.it/TDD5pg

[oipolinternacional]

Palomar Hospital Pays $250,000 for Diverting Fentanyl

The government investigated Palomar Health and concluded that vials of fentanyl were diverted from Pyxis machines OIPOL & OIJUST Operating in USA / Communication by the Drug Enforcement Administration (#DEA). June 03, 2024 | Cooperation and edition Oipol & Oijust, June 05, 2024.- SAN DIEGO – Palomar Health, a California public health care district located in San Diego County, has paid $250,000…

[wjbs-aus]

I can't sleep so here's a summary of the weapons I got on my various Nightmare Reaper runs as I tried to get through Murky Docks Part 2 on NG+.

Note: the different levels are Common (no additional stats), Uncommon (1 additional stat), Rare (2 additional stats) and Legendary (3 additonal stats); stats are mostly good, but can be bad (bad stats are in italics). Additionally, since I'm on New Game+, most weapons, regardless of level, deal several times their standard damage, formatted as "[number]x Damage". I'll explain each weapon's default mechanics as they appear, as well as the mechanics of any Random Projectiles. Ice freezes things, Lightning prevents enemies from attacking or moving, and Fire damages enemies and breakables over time.

My current "main" weapons (that is to say, the ones that I've kept from earlier runs) are:

Legendary Breach Launcher (rapid-fire rocket launcher that shoots a lot of tiny rockets; secondary-fire charges, then releases a massive burst); +37% Leech Chance, +10% Critical Chance, +42% Pierce Chance, 4x damage

Rare Machine Gun (powerful rapid-fire; secondary fire zooms and crouches, slowing the player down but making them more accurate); Explosive Ammo 2, Random Projectile (tennis balls (weak, bouncing projectiles)), 3x damage.

First run:

Uncommon Necromantic Skull (not-Gaster Blaster that fires a beam that summons a skeleton ally; primary fire summons melee skeletons and secondary fire summons ranged skeletons); +191% Pull, 4x damage.

Uncommon Sawed Off (standard sawed-off shotgun; primary fire is one barrel, secondary is two); +70% Knockback, 4x damage.

Uncommon Machine Gun; Random Projectile (tennis balls), 4x damage.

Uncommon Chained Saw (Doom-style chainsaw with a grappling-hook secondary-fire); +5 Ice Effect, 4x damage.

I then proceeded to die in a room with the red spawn-crystal event, which is I think set to happen on every attempt.

I died really early on my second run, so I didn't have a chance to properly check or test the weapons I got; the only one I actually used aside from my default ones was a Legendary Breach Launcher with the Random Projectile (acid-balls (projectiles that explode, releasing a pool of acid that damages nearby enemies)) and Projectile Size stats.

Third run (note: I forgot to check the damage multipliers):

Common Frost Book (primary fire is a semi-automatic icicle shot, secondary is a chargeable energy-ball that slowly travels through the air, rapidly firing icicles in a radius).

Legendary Bazooka (basic rocket-launcher; secondary fire is a melee attack for some reason); -52% Charge time, -23% Area Size, -48% Recoil, 24% Free Shots.

Common Tempest Book (primary fire is a railgun-like lightning attack, secondary is a chargeable energy-ball that slowly travels through the air, arcing lightning off nearby enemies and breakables).

I died to some enemies on a boat.

Fourth run:

Common Ice Bolt Book (automatic mini-icicle shooter; secondary fires a shotgun-like blast of mini-icicles); 4x damage.

Common Spark Book (primary fire is a weaker version of the Tempest Book; secondary fires several erratically-moving electrical projectiles); 4x damage.

Common Pyxis of Souls (primary fire rapid-fires homing skulls; secondary summons a larger skull that acts like a mobile turret, but shrinks whenever it attacks until it eventually despawns).

Uncommon Bazooka; +57% Missile Size, 3x damage.

Uncommon Ice Bolt Book; -10% Recoil, 3x damage.

I then died in another fucking spawn-crystal room.

Fifth run:

Uncommon Tri Grenade Launcher (shoots grenades, which do different things based on the firemode, which can be switched using alt-fire; there's impact (explodes when it hits something), bounce (bounces off stuff and explodes after a few seconds) and sticky (attaches a stickybomb that detonates after a few seconds)); 187% Pull, 4x damage.

Common Sword and Shield (primary fire is sword, secondary fire is shield); 4x damage.

Common Fireball Book (primary fire is a chargeable fireball that explodes on hit, while secondary is a chargeable cluster fireball that explodes into smaller fireballs, which themselves explode into even smaller fireballs, which then explode); 4x damage.

Uncommon Six Shooter (literally just a standard videogame revolver with a high firerate; secondary-fire zooms); +6 Ice Effect, 4x damage.

Common Thorn Parasite (projectile that follows the camera and does constant damage to any enemy or breakable it touches; alt-fire causes it to explode); 3x damage.

Rare Flamethrower (it's a flamethrower; alt-fire toggles between a wide and narrow flame-blast); -23% Recoil, -23% Reload Time.

Common Pyxis of Souls.

Common Sawed Off; 3x damage.

Common Chained Saw; 3x damage.

Legendary Fire Bolt Book; Random Projectile (energy orb (bouncing projectiles that burst after a few seconds), -38% Recoil, +337% Pull.

Common Mega Chainsaw (a goddamn chainsword that can be used horizontally as a regular Doom-style chainsaw or held vertically as essentially a vehicle, pulling the player around and dealing damage to any enemies in the way).

Common Superposition Rifle (I have no clue how this one works, but it has, like, 5 different firemodes that appear to be either random or based on the pattern that the player hits the primary and secondary fire keys); 4x damage.

Common Semi Auto Shotgun (self-explanatory; secondary fire is ironsights); 4x damage.

Common Pump Action Shotgun (again, self-explanatory; secondary fire is also ironsights); 4x damage.

Common Plasma Rifle (you know Doom's plasma rifle? It's kinda like that, but purple instead of blue and with a chargeable alt-fire that shoots a large projectile which bursts into smaller projectiles).

Common Shuriken (obvious; secondary-fire throws a single giant shuriken that constantly spins and damages enemies which walk into it); 4x damage.

Common Katana (primary is a regular melee attack, secondary is a charged projectile attack); 3x damage.

Rare Knife (primary is also a regular melee attack, while the secondary throws a knife); +83% Leech Chance, -28% Attack Rate, 4x damage.

Common Bazooka; 3x damage.

I actually managed to finish this one; I decided to keep the Breach Launcher I had at the start, and the Fireball Book I found on the fifth run (since, while it's Common, I can potentially get it upgraded by a "make Rare+ version" doctor in a future level).

[chrancecriber]

Radio SunLounge Romania (April 13, 2023)

23:56 Linkin Park Feat. Kelli Ali - My December 23:51 Gary B - Love Rain Down 23:44 Project Blue Sun - Show Me What You Know 23:38 Green Lemon - Voz Interior (Meditation Mix) (Feat. Magica Fe) 23:33 Triangle Sun - Beautiful 23:28 Paul Hardcastle Feat. Maxine Hardcastle - Soft Rain 23:24 Blank & Jones - Sun Starts Smiling (Eclectic Mix) 23:18 Sambox - Locean Cafe 23:14 Phontaine - Million Dollar Baby 23:09 From P60 - You Take Me 23:04 Emotional - I Found It Again (Tom's V-mix) 22:58 Man In A Room - The Confidential 22:52 Premasara Council - Sensual Ecstasy (Original Mix) 22:47 Mathieu & Florzinho - All Forever One (Feat. Barbara Rebecca Boahene) 22:44 Late Night Alumni - Virtue 22:39 Creamy Chill - Tonight (Bar Lounge Mix) 22:34 Living Room - World Traveller 22:30 Clelia Felix - Hold On To My Love 22:26 Coffee Machine & Eriq Johnson - I've Got You 22:21 Truby Trio Feat. Marcus Begg - Universal Love (Arme Rootdown Round Midnite Mix) 22:16 Trinah - Let's Stay Together 22:11 The Maxwell Implosion - Tic Tac 22:05 Cane Garden Quartet - Into The Green 22:01 Sugar, Eva Kade, Evil T - All Around (Marsbeing Remix) 21:57 Future Loop Foundation - I Love Her More In Summertime 21:54 Kiwi Twist - Jazz Lady 21:50 Debris Of Theia - Cycle Of Life 21:45 Krystian Shek, Surya - Habitat 21:41 Martina Topley-bird - I Still Feel 21:37 Kasseo Ft. Cordelia O'driscoll - In Your Eyes 21:34 Brook Sapphire - How I Will Feel 21:29 Hacienda - Late Lounge Lover 21:29 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 21:22 Miguel Migs - The Night (Rk's Vocal Mix) 21:17 Dj Rico Bonetti - Chill Solution 21:13 Tabitha Jones - Wine Bar 21:07 Gushi & Raffunk - Sound Of You (Beat Ambasada Remix) 21:02 Science For Girls With Renee Cologne - Violets 20:58 Atb - Break My Heart 20:54 The Urban City Myth Club - I Feel It 20:50 Christos Stylianou - Kill Me Now 20:49 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 20:46 Mani Beats - N&n 20:42 Velvet Lounge Project - Contigo (Dj Sleeptalker Remix) 20:37 Twentyeight - In My Arms 20:34 D. Batistatos, Evita Saloustrou - After Dark (On The Road Again) 20:25 Djibooti - Shadows And Voices (Tom Tom Mix) 20:23 Van - Minha A Noite 20:09 Shamika Cox - Te Quiero 20:04 Mandalay - It-'s Enough Now 19:59 Sarah Mclachlan - Dirty Little Secret (Thievery Corporation Mix) 19:55 Mirage Of Deep - More Than I Can Bear 19:50 Cities Of Foam - Without You 19:45 Bobby Escobar - Playa (White Sand Mix) 19:40 Deeper Sublime, Krapan - Je T'aime (Original Mix) 19:35 Mandalay - It's Enough Now 19:31 Krystian Shek, Nashi Young Cho - Sweetwater (Vocal Mix) 19:25 Razoof Feat. Lady Alma - Jah Is Watching You 19:21 Cafe Del Chillia - Silencio 19:16 Sky Sergeant - Music Connection (Dolphins Mix) 19:11 Koolsax - Beyond The Sunset 19:06 Mark Watson - Wave Farewell 19:02 James Bright - Low 18:56 Openzone Bar - Night On Park Rouge 18:51 Cities Of Foam - Safe Inside 18:47 Blank & Jones W. Jason Caesar - Pura Vida 18:42 Jazz L'amour - Summer Dreams (See The Light Mix) 18:37 Naoki Kenji - Let It Flow 18:33 Lyves - Darkest Hour 18:29 Capa - Just A Shadow 18:25 Pat Appleton - Ageless 18:21 Waldeck - No One Here... 18:18 The Fairchild - One Day 18:12 Shakes Seven - What A Mess 18:08 Peter Pearson - This Way To A Dream 18:02 Leonardo Bertolotto - Doctor House (Original Mix) 18:02 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 17:57 Climatic - L'horizzonte 17:51 Max Melvin - Endless 17:45 Sunyata Project - Sudden Moments (Extended Mix) 17:39 351 Lake Shore Drive - Yellowcake (Feat. Blueberry & Picidu) 17:36 Bondax - All I Want (Pyxis Remix) 17:31 Atb - Some Things Just Are The Way They Are 17:26 Dj Alex Air - Flipside 17:22 Colibri - Plage D'amour 17:18 Dario J - The Lounge Again 17:15 London Grammar - Metal & Dust 17:11 Luke - Heaven's On Fire 17:05 Brook Sapphire - Welcome The Sun (Remastered) 17:00 Ayla - Open Your Mind 16:54 Lo64n5 - Retrogram 16:51 Lenny Mac Dowell - Ain't No Sunshine (Original Mix) 16:45 Cafe Americaine - Infrajam (Loungebar Mix) 16:44 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 16:39 Jazzy James Jr. - Twilight Trumpet (Open Doors Mix) 16:32 Pacator - Tears (Marcielo Ambient Mix) 16:30 Keanurhodes - Good Morning 16:27 Brazil Affairs - Dont Let Go (Original Mix) 16:22 Marie Therese - Drive Your Way (Original Mix) 16:17 Evan Neagle - East Side 16:11 Amanaska - Tide (Electro Remix) 16:07 Andrea Cardillo - A Night In Goa (Original Mix) 16:06 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 16:02 Jens Buchert - Moonlight (Feat. Barbara Zanetti) 15:58 Moonnight - I Need A New Love (Feat. Neptune) 15:52 Conjure One - Endless Rain (Terry Lys Light Remix) 15:47 Olive - Smile 15:42 Conjure One - Sleep 15:39 Gary B - All I Long For (Original Mix) 15:34 Yan C - A Night In Paradise 15:30 Pianochocolate - Morning Coffee 15:25 Korsakow & Noel - Sweet Poison Of Your Love 15:21 Newton - New Beautiful Life 15:15 Mystic Diversions - Wave A Little Light (Feat. Wendy Lewis) 15:11 Yonderboi - Riders On The Storm (Pink Solidism) 15:07 Charly Mclion Feat. Julita Elmas & Susannah Mavis - Open Sky 15:03 Product 01 - Heart Ov Glass 14:59 Ganga - The Wind (Feat. Helle Chirholm) 14:54 Lemongrass - Life 14:50 Lemongrass - Riddle (Feat. Jane Maximova) 14:45 Ganga - Cold Wind Blowing 14:40 Chris Le Blanc - Si Vous Voulez (Original Mix) 14:35 Triangle Sun - Secret Desire 14:31 Puch - Still 14:26 Michael E - Love Bomb 14:21 Esonic - Mellow Swing 14:16 Lazy Hammock - Love And Energy (Prophet Version) 14:15 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 14:11 Weathertunes - Jade Flowers 14:07 Waldeck - Addicted 14:02 Living Room - Underwater Love (Original Mix) 13:56 Neve - Supernatural (Ambient Mix) 13:52 Soma Sonic - Lovestory 13:47 Jerome Noak Feat. Al Miller - You Got Me - Thomas Lemmer Chillout Remix 13:42 Roberto Sol - Remember That Day (Original Mix) 13:36 Blank & Jones - El Bajo 13:32 Urban Phunk Society - Into The Blue 13:28 Florzinho - A La Luna 13:22 Kaxamalka - You Take My Breath Away 13:17 Dj Riquo - Dancing At Sunrise 13:13 Everything But The Girl - The Heart Remains A Child 13:09 Easy Listening - Coffee Time 13:04 Moca - Kleine Traumerei 12:58 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 12:53 Airstream - Chillin' Guitar (Trippin' Mix) 12:46 Dos Buratinos - Control U Inbox (Take Control Remix) 12:41 Chris Le Blanc, Pat Lawson - Beyond The Sunsets (Ibiza Late Night Mix) 12:37 Five Seasons - It's All Good, Man 12:33 Weathertunes - Feel You (Original Mix) 12:28 Velvet Dreamer - Footprints In The Sand 12:24 Matisse & Jury Jet - Early Sunrise (Feat. S Khovansky) 12:18 Fresh Moods - Cocomilk 12:14 Marga Sol - Beautiful Morning (Deep Mix) 12:08 Lover Unconvered - Truby Trio 12:03 Adani & Wolf - The Moment (Original Mix) 11:57 Deeper Sublime - Radio Chill 11:56 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 11:53 Beanfield - Chosen 11:49 Two Heroes - Dream Of Something Sweet (Chillin Guitar Mix) 11:44 Lemongrass - Harmony 11:41 D-chill Feat. Katy Blue - Paradise 11:37 Yantra Mantra - Pink City (Ayurveda Mix) 11:34 Sphere - Dreamer 11:30 Afterlife - Dub In Ya Mind (Insatiable Mix) 11:26 Steven Dual - Flying (Balearic Guitar Mix) 11:23 Tycho - For How Long (Feat. Saint Sinner) 11:16 Don Gorda Project - Symbolic Interaction 11:11 Bessie Boni - Mystic Revelation (Feat. Gianna Partner) 11:05 Christa Vi - Small Way Through (Cosmonaut Grechko Version) 11:00 Lemongrass - Flowers For You 10:56 Architect - Closer 10:50 Boot Cut Rockers Feat. Mica Wanner - Sunflowers 10:45 Pier-o - Red Sunset (Feat. Mia Lemar) 10:41 Stepo Del Sol - Heaven On Earth 10:35 Frontera - A Baia 10:31 Sofa Groovers - Ti Amo (Sunlight Showers Mix) 10:25 Kraak & Smaak Feat. Parcels - Stumble (Blue Motel Remix) 10:19 Max Melvin - Seasons 10:13 Mariella Narvaez - All Night 10:09 Liam Van Dyke - Cafe Del Mar (First Class Lounge Cut) 10:06 Robert Manos - With No End 10:02 Velvet Lounge Project - You Are My Life 09:52 Faro - Subtle Land 09:48 Bay Area - White Canaria (Laid Back Session) 09:43 Newton - French Kisses 09:41 Castlebed - Piano Interlude 09:38 C Cil - Calm & Quiet 09:33 Ferreck Dawn, Robosonic & Nikki Ambers - In My Arms (Afterlife Mix) 09:30 Castlebed - Put Me Out 09:25 Blue Wave Ft. Sarah Chris - Heaven 09:21 Florzinho - Vem Conmigo Feat. Saname (Mathieu & Florzinho Remix) 09:16 Lemongrass - Gecko Island 09:10 D. Batistatos - Empty Glass 09:04 Lemongrass - Blue Moon 09:00 Eskadet - Paradise Reconquered 08:54 Demetrio Da Soto, Leon El Ray - Keep The Sound (Instrumental Remix By Michael E Frith) 08:49 Airily - Harmonize (Original Mix) 08:43 Esonic - Hazy Moods 08:37 Blue Lagoona - Suddenly (Portisdead Lounge Mix) 08:32 Dolphin Boy - Shake It Loose 08:32 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 08:27 Jazzamor - Lullaby (Original Mix) 08:22 Chillbirds - Breaking Out (Beach Mix) 08:12 Lounge Armada - Seaside 08:12 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 08:08 Lemongrass - To The Sky (Lemongrass Free Bird Remix) 08:03 Blue Pilots Project - Vivere 07:59 Amber Mark - Conexao 07:56 Eriq Johnson - Stay (Feat. Ann B) 07:55 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 07:49 Van - Evening Bus (Original Mix) 07:45 Mahoroba - City Chord (5th Avenue Mix) 07:42 Jentarix Feat. M.k.touch - Reincarnation (Original Mix) 07:39 Consoul Trainin & Pink Noisy - Litanie Des Saints 07:38 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 07:35 Cafe Americaine - Maritime (Caribic Flow Mix) 07:30 Loungeotic - Speechless (Groovy Jazzy Vocal Mix) 07:22 Nor Elle - Desert Storm 07:17 Don Gorda & Solanos - Festa Do Sol (Funk Edit) 07:12 Eduard Arroya - They Say 07:08 Hotel Riviera - Another Change Of Love 07:02 Le Voyage - African Daydreamer (Ethno Mix) 06:58 Dharma - Probedas 06:58 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 06:53 Cafe Americaine - Marina Beach (Guitar Flow Mix) 06:49 Marga Sol - Breath 06:45 Pluto Project - Erophone 06:40 Merge Of Equals - You Can Make Me Smile 06:40 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 06:36 Blank & Jones - Flaming June 06:32 Lemongrass - Femme Fatale (Original Mix) 06:29 Pyramid - In The Valley 06:24 Artenovum & Frank Doberitz - Colours Of My Mind (Deep East Cut) 06:24 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 06:20 Gabin Feat. Peggy Lee - Fever (Gabin Remix) 06:17 Living Room - It-'s A Turning Around 06:14 Cheprox - Take My Bary (Original Mix) 06:10 Comfort - In Travel 06:07 Marcel - Love & Lite (Feat. Katie Gray) 06:04 Blank & Jones - Coastline 06:00 Kim & Buran - Into The Night 05:56 Mathieu & Florzinho - Deixe O Sol Entrar 05:51 Ielo - Ameya 05:44 Solanos - Sambado 05:39 Afterlife - Celluloid 05:35 Michael E - Love Bomb 05:30 Jens Buchert - Novalis 05:26 Conjure One - Only Sky (Lounge Edit) 05:21 Mazelo Nostra - Dreams From Venedig 05:18 Kirsty Hawkshaw Mts. Tenisia - Reason To Forgive 05:16 Moreza - Rahu (Original Mix) 05:12 Cafe Americaine - Beachcruiser (Del Mar Mix) 05:08 Chris Leblanc - Ahora 05:02 Jens Buchert - Reflections 04:57 Soundset City - City Echoes (Kaffeehaus Lounge Mix) 04:53 Arnold T - Not An Addict 04:48 Vargo - Dear Friends (Prelude) 04:43 Naoki Kenji - Modern Unreal (With Pat Appleton) 04:38 Thievery Corporation - Lebanese Blonde 04:32 Tetris - Mystery 04:26 Schwarz & Funk - Paresse 04:21 Sag Feat Tomomi Ukumori - Shakespearean Love 04:15 Marga Sol - Poison & Passion (Pier-O Passionata Remix) 04:08 Aaron The Baron Feat Markus Puhl - A Tu Lado 04:03 Michael E - It's Going To Be Alright 03:57 Saba Rock - What A Feeling 03:51 Andy Sol & Ecolyte - Ponse Passing (Original Mix) 03:46 Planet Lounge - Shiva Dance 03:41 Blank And Jones - Heart Of Wax (With Vanessa Daou) 03:37 Line - Stay Awhile (Original Mix) 03:32 Pnfa - Underground River (Original Mix) 03:28 Pascal Dubois - Smooth Calling (Slide Da Bass Mix) 03:25 Giants' Nest - Playa Del Colina 03:21 Etherwood - The Night 03:15 Mathieu - Maha - Amba 03:09 Jane Maximova - Only 03:04 Klangstein - Run 02:59 Electrix - Spicy Sand 02:58 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 02:55 Cafe-' Ibiza - Take It To (Original Mix) 02:51 Hysteria! - Winding Roads 02:46 Soul Avenue - Yearn To Love (Original Mix) 02:43 Janice - Sparkling Desire 02:42 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 02:39 Crystin - Songs That Only Angels Sing 02:33 Man In A Room - Night Mail (Feat. Civilian) 02:28 Dab - The Call 02:24 Alternative Jazz Lounge - All Around 02:20 Frost - Amygdala 02:17 Thunderball - On The Sly 02:13 Chase & Status - What Is Right (Feat. Nile Rodgers & Abigail Wyles) 02:07 Razoof - Inhale 02:03 Funkaholics - I Don't Wanna Give You Up (Chill Version) 01:59 Marc Hartman - Tears Run For Love 01:55 Golden Vessel - Never Know (Feat. Lastlings) 01:50 Horizon Line - Moonlight Journey (Original Mix) 01:44 Man In A Room - The Confidential 01:38 Cream Soda - Woman 01:33 Cantoma - Suomi 01:28 Jazzamor - Tonight 01:25 Sweet Ocean - Stray Whisper 01:17 Blue Lotus - Eshu Igelu 01:13 Messiah Project - She Walks In Beauty Like The Night 01:08 Schiller, Kim Sanders - Dancing With Loneliness 01:03 Johannes Huppertz - At Frederun 00:58 Merlion - What Can You Do (Bar Cafe Buddha Mix) 00:54 Thievery Corporation - Web Of Deception 00:50 Mr. Moods - A Certain Smile 00:50 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 00:45 Zelonka And Darrin C Huss - Destination Moon 00:39 Mo Horizon - Gonna Be 00:36 Bimbotronic - Wherever You Go 00:31 Philippe Legrand - Silverrain 00:28 Breakfast Trim - Dubai Sun 00:24 Castlebed - Cold Moves (Original Mix) 00:19 351 Lake Shore Drive - Ocean Blue 00:15 Jazzamor - Ain't No Sunshine 00:11 Moods - Comfortable (Feat. High Hoops) 00:07 Adelaine Simmons - The Groove (Original Mix) 00:02 Purple Avenue - American Boy

[hibiscus-ships]

1 through 5 for the gundam self insert :O

1. what are the basics of your self insert? name, date of birth, height, etc.?

Jenni's code name is Red Hibiscus, but her real name is Jenni Pyxis. She's 5'5" tall and is in her 20s. She plays a fairly integral role as an intelligence gatherer and saboteur for Celestial Being.

(While she is not a Gundam Meister, I am toying with the idea of giving her a support machine similar to the GN Arms and the GN Archer. Shhhhhh.)

2. when in canon does your self insert come in? do you have a scene in mind for your entrance?

Jenni's first appearance is in Episode 1, during Exia's bout with the Enact Gundam. It's very brief, but she is shown interfering certain pieces of equipment to make Setsuna's job easier.

3. how do the other characters generally feel about your self insert?

I've gone in depth about her relationships with the other Meisters but I can't find it rn ;-; To summarize, Jenni thinks that Setsuna is babey, she gets along well with Allelujah because they share some past experiences, and she's on good terms with both Neil and Lyle (though her relationship with Lyle got off to a bit of a rocky start.). I'll add that she and Sumeragi are bros and that she should be allowed to fistfight Michael Trinity specifically in a 7/11 parking lot.

4. would you be considered a main character, side character, villain, or something else?

Jenni isn't one of the MAIN main characters since she doesn't pilot a standard mech, but she's still fairly integral both to the story and to the team.

5. does your self insert have any special powers or abilities?

Yes! Jenni is a botched super soldier from one of the HRL's older research institutes. While her brain did reject the quantum brainwave implants and sustain some damage as a result, the nanomachines that were placed in her body still give her enhanced strength and agility.

[stegrossaurus]

May-Tov Corporation

May-Tov Corporation

by Violet

It doesn’t hurt too bad when I wake up. I tell myself that I must be getting better, but deep down, I don’t think that’s true. It took me hours to get to sleep last night. Hours of squirming around trying to get comfortable, waiting for my heart rate to go down, struggling to fill my lungs. I was hoping that Rita wouldn’t notice, but of course she did.

“Vi, have you thought about seeing the doctor yet?” she asks as I get breakfast ready. There’s already a stitch in my side, but Barbie and Jack will be up soon.

“I’m sure I’m fine, Rita,” I say. “The doctor will probably just tell me to cut our greasy foods.” I’ve actually already done that. The chest pain and breathing problems stopped for a while, then came back full force.

“Then why don’t we go and just get it confirmed?” she asks. My Rita’s too gentle to force anything, but I can tell how badly she wants me to go. “If it’s about money, we have plenty in our savings. And I can always ask my parents for more.”

I cringe a little at that. I don’t like the idea of asking for handouts, but sadly we might need it soon. Jack needs his asthma medicine, Barbie might need braces soon, Rita’s been between jobs for a while now, and the restaurant’s been decreasing my hours.

I wish I could say that the money was the only reason, but the truth is I’ve never liked going to the doctor. There’s just so much helplessness involved in going to the hospital. It’s embarrassing at my age and there’s only so many times I can say no to Rita, so I agree to let her schedule an appointment.

Barbie’s a little quiet on the ride to school. When she speaks up, it’s a little quietly and addressed more to Rita than to me.

“Hey, Moms? I got a list of things I’ll need for school next year. I’ll need a May-Tov calculator for Algebra. It’s a little over $1,000.”

Good thing Rita was driving, because I almost jumped out of my seat. That May-Tov crap is always so damn expensive. My co-worker got a May-Tov cellphone that cost $8,000. And Barbie’s moving to the sixth grade, not NASA. Why would she need a calculator so advanced?

“I know it’s dumb,” she says quickly trying to absolve herself despite not having done anything wrong. Somewhere along the way, she and Jack realized that we’re having financial problems. “I think a normal calculator will do just fine.”

“I agree but we both know how persnickety schools can be,” Rita says, falsely cheerful. “It’s okay, dear. We’ll get you that calculator.” 

$1,000 doesn’t seem like much, but we don’t know what’s wrong with me or how much it’ll cost. Plus, Jack’s starting sixth grade the year after Barbie, and who knows how much May-Tov crap we’ll need by then? All of this sends my heart into another surge as I try to hide my grimace.

Rita’s job hunting, so I have to brave the doctor’s office on my own. My heart flares up a few times while waiting and as petty as it sounds, the May-Tov Pyxis machine doesn’t help. It’s designed to look like an old-timey black and gray cash register attached to the wall, but I’ve seen a nurse pull medicine and equipment from one. My co-worker’s phone has a similar aesthetic, black and clunky with a rotary dial on the back and a detachable phone handle on the side. But he says the Wi-Fi signal, computer, and camera are all top-of-the-line. So weird design choice aside, it should be a good thing that the hospital uses May-Tov products. But my daughter’s future calculator/car payment may have soured me on them a bit.

When Dr. Mauz arrives, I tell him about my heart troubles. “It gets worse when I’m too active or stressed. But sometimes it starts going crazy when I’m just doing nothing or lying down.”

Dr. Mauz’s large, toothy grin wavers only slightly as he scratches his chin. “It sounds like it could be angina, but we’ll run some tests to be sure.” 

He pushes a few buttons on the Pyxis machine and asks it for a blood pressure pump, stethoscope, and syringe of dye, among a few other things. Then he cranks a handle and the drawer pops open with everything inside. He checks my blood pressure and breathing, asks me about my medical history and eating habits, and injects me with some white dye. Then he waves a May-Tov scanner (which looks like a ray gun from an ancient sci-fi) over me.

“This will scan the dye and give us a look at what’s going on in there,” Dr. Mauz says. I’m sure his ever-present smile is meant to be reassuring, but it’s very quickly becoming unsettling. “We should get the results back in a few days, and we’ll call you in then.”

At home, Rita’s not thrilled about the lack of news. “You’d think with all that sci-fi crap they have in the hospital, they could find a better answer than ‘I don’t know’.” I don’t think her job interview went well. When I ask her, she says, “May-Tov stuff is everywhere. So many machines and computers are automated now that they don’t need human workers.” 

She looks ready to cry, but we try not to do that with the kids in the house. I hug her, hoping she can’t feel my heart-beat. It’s not bad yet, but it’s getting there. She tries to smile and I smile back, but I don’t say anything. I honestly don’t know what’s going to happen.

“We’ll figure something out, Vi. I’m sure there are a few art jobs out there that computers haven’t taken yet. And once summer starts, you’ll have more hours at the restaurant. We’ll be fine.”

The next day at work, I see what Rita’s talking about. The stoves, ovens, grills, and walk-ins have all been replaced. All the new machines look black, gray and retro in a way that reminds me of my grandparents' kitchen. Sleek silver trim, lots of dials and levers, and a logo that looks like a black and gray blob with MAY-TOV written in wavy white letters in it. And as Rita said, they’re mostly automated. Just talk or type into the cash register-like machines attached to the walls and the appliances get to work.

“The freezer even hands thaws and cuts things and hands them to you,” Jody says, pointing to a chute in the wall that pops out a few pre-chopped carrots.

“Guess this is where the money for my hours went,” I grumble.

“All of our hours, Vi,” Jody agrees sadly. “Most we do now is take the food in and out of the machines. Pretty soon, they won’t need us for that, either. They’ve already laid off five more people.”

Jody’s right; there’s little to do but cut vegetables for the stove to boil, take pans in and out of the ovens, and clean the dishes until a May-Tov dishwasher arrives. You’d think that would lower the workload, but the ease of cooking means more orders, more cutting and carrying, and more cleaning. So these high-tech machines are actually making us work harder.

“I hate these things,” I mutter, taking a pan of lasagna from the oven’s robotic hands. “It’s not even all the way cooked.” 

Before I can send it out anyway, the hands jolt out, yank the pan back inside, and the oven turns itself back on. It adjusts its own dials and flares to life, humming in a way that reminds me of angry grumbling. A few minutes later, it shoves the further-cooked pan into my oven mitts with an angry-sounding beep.

A few of the other machines beep, too. I swear the blender’s top flattens a bit, like a furrowed brow. I continue the rest of my shift with my eye on the machines. None of them do anything like that again, but I still end the night uneasy.

The day my test results come in is already a bad one. Rita still had no luck, Barbie’s orthodontist gave us the estimate for her braces, and I’d barely gotten 5 hours of sleep that night. Then Dr, Mauz called and asked if I could come in to discuss my results. His giant grin is more subdued than I’d seen before, so I brace myself for bad news.

“Mrs. Hasagawa, I’m sorry to say that your heart condition is something severe. Not necessarily life-threatening, but I wish you’d come in earlier. It will require treatment ASAP.”

I try, and mostly fail, to steady my heart and rasp out, “What do I need? Medicine? Surgery?”

Dr. Mauz takes a breath. I don’t like how he’s hesitating. “The standard procedure is very expensive and your insurance may not cover it. But there is a chance. Have you heard of the MAy-Tov Corporation?”

I nod. I know I should be annoyed or disturbed that May-Tov has once again found a way into my life, but mostly I’m just hopeful. May-Tov machines are supposed to be the most advanced on the market. Those assholes can have my job as long as they save my life.

“Well, I’ve already called in a specialist willing to examine you,” Dr. Mauz says, his face-consuming grin returning. “Your scans tell them that you’d be perfect for a new procedure they're working on. The equipment they have is more advanced than the stuff they give us, so they might be able to provide an answer.”

“And it’s cheaper?” I venture, remembering that he mentioned price. My heart-rate’s not going down and it feels like I’m breathing through cement.

“It’s experimental,” he says cautiously. “They’re willing to do it for free, but there’s no guarantee that it will have any effect. So what do you say?”

I’m starting to sweat and my vision’s blurring a bit. I need help; any help. I push down my suspicion and say, “Yes. Can they do it right now?”

Dr. Mauz seems relieved as he leads me to the elevator. Getting up and moving helps to relieve some of the pressure, but I still feel dizzy. It usually only gets this bad when I’m working extra hard at the restaurant. The stress of my diagnosis must be…wait.

“Doctor, what exactly is wrong with me?” I ask between gasps.

“Your heart, Mrs. Hasagawa,” he says evasively.

“But what specifically is going on? You never actually said what disease I have. Is it angina, like you said the other day?”

Dr. Mauz’s eyebrows raise as he remembers. “Oh, right. Angina. Yes, it’s definitely angina.” He’s still smiling but he sounds…defeated. “The May-Tov man will explain it better.”

I’m not sure I like the sound of any of that. I look down at the elevator buttons and see that the one that’s lit up is the basement button. But it looks different than the others; it’s bigger with an ornate black border and an old-timey B on it. It doesn’t look like it belongs in a modern elevator and I don’t think I saw it on the ride up to Dr. Mauz’s office.

My heart surges painfully as the door slides open. If the button didn’t quite match the elevator, then this room certainly doesn’t match the building. The room is just a white square with black stains on the walls and floor and a few flickering lights.

“I’m sorry, Mrs Hasagawa,” Dr. Mauz says, shoving me out of the elevator. “The door will open again when he’s done.”

I futilely try to keep the door from closing. I slam the elevator call button, but it stays closed. Who is ‘he’? The room is empty. And what is ‘he’ supposed to do? I don’t want to find out. I keep pounding the button and trying to breathe until I hear a giggle behind me.

I turn and press myself to the door. I don’t see anyone else in the room and no other doors or hallways, either. Just me and the inky black stains. But the continued laughter and flickering lights bring out a new perception in my eyes. Suddenly, I can make out limbs, torsos, fingers, and so many different types of heads. Heads with snouts, pointed ears, long trunks, curved horns, antennae, goofy hats, even a halo. The stains start to look like blast shadows, but not for humans. The laughter’s coming from the far wall. I think it’s the short stain with the big white eyes winking at me.

With a sound like velcro, the stain rips itself off of the wall and wobbles forward as a flat, black blob of ooze. Then it pauses, puts its barely formed hand to its gelatinous head, and inhales. The blob inflates like a balloon, gaining a third dimension and more detail.

It’s a doctor, that’s my first thought as it takes its thumb away from its mouth when it’s done inflating. Its large cat-like head with its googly slit-pupiled eyes and sharp-toothed grin are almost secondary. Its white coat, stethoscope, little black bag with a white cross, and head-mounted light tell me all I need to know about it.

I try to clench my fists and get ready for a fight, but this is too much. My legs start to lose their feeling and my vision darkens. Before I can faint, the living cartoon is right in front of me in a flash. He puts his gloved hands on my shoulders, lifts me to the standing position, and cocks his head curiously.

With nothing to lose, I manage to ask, “Can you help me?”

His eyes and grin widen even further and he nods enthusiastically. I relax the tiniest bit as he puts his stethoscope to my chest. A doctor’s a doctor, I guess, and it’s not like I can leave. After a second, the cartoon doctor tuts and shakes his head. He retracts the stethoscope and pulls something out of his bag; something small and round with a short handle. For a second I’m afraid it’s a cartoon bomb, but there’s no fuse.

“What’s that?” I ask.

The doctor doesn’t answer, of course. Instead he winds up his arm and shoves the object handle-first into my side. The icy metal punches right through my skin and muscle, paralyzing me. I can’t even scream or faint. Then he twists it and I can feel a click. He pulls on the object, a doorknob I realize, and the front half of my entire torso opens.

I still can’t move as the doctor pulls my heart from my ribcage, but I can feel the wave of cold radiating from the void left behind. My red and pink heart looks so out of place, almost invasive, in his stark white gloved hand. 

The doctor giggles as he squeezes my heart like a toy. Then he pulls a little nightstand with a tub on it out of his bag and plops the removed muscle in it. He pulls out a large syringe of bubbling black ooze, leers at me gleefully, then frowns and throws the syringe away. Then he pulls out a meat tenderizer, a power-drill with a black cross on it, a large bandage, and a defibrillator. Each time, he considers the tool then throws it out of my range of vision. I’m not sure whether to be relieved or anxious. I just want this to end. The doctor’s getting annoyed. He taps his foot and scratches his chin for a moment before a lightbulb appears over his head. With a bright smile, he snaps his fingers and picks up the heart. 

Then, slowly and deliberately so that I can fully see and understand, he opens his massive jaws and drops my heart into his mouth. The chewing sound he makes isn’t from a cartoon; it’s from a nightmare. 

After a loud gulp, the doctor finishes my heart and fishes something else out of his bag. It’s another heart. A shiny black and gray cartoon heart. With no fanfare, he crams the heart into my ribcage, slams my torso shut, and removes the knob. 

The spell freezing my body wears off instantly and I’m left to gasp for breath and choke back sobs as I lean against the door. The doctor grabs my hand and presses a paper into it then presses the elevator button. Before I can even process what happened, the door slides open and I fall in. The monstrous doctor waves cheerily as the door slides shut again.

Dr. Mauz is still in the elevator. He tries to put his hand on my shoulder, but I swat him away. I pull myself up and get as much distance from Dr. Mauz as the space will allow.

“What the hell was that?” I shriek. “What did he do?”

Dr. Mauz shrugs helplessly. “That was the May-Tov Incorporated doctor. I don’t know what they are. Or what specifically they want. Money? Fun? it’s hard to guess. But at least he fixed your heart.”

“Fixed it? That thing ate it and replaced it with another one!” I shout. “Did I even have a heart condition? Or was that just a lie?” 

“They wouldn’t let me do any tests,” he says softly. “They just wanted to see if a heart transplant would make the process quicker.”

“Process?”

“It should all be on the paper.” Dr. Mauz presses the ground floor button. “I’m sure it won’t be too bad.” He pulls up his right sleeve so I can see his stark white, hairless, noodle-shaped arm. There’s a bandage in the elbow, where a shot usually goes. “It isn’t for me. Just a little pain every time it spreads.”

My heart-beat is slow and steady, but I still feel numb and light-headed. I look at the paper, but right now I can’t focus on anything except BILL written in large font at the top. “How can you do this to your patients?”

“It’s going to happen anyway,” he answers glumly as the door opens. “May-Tov has its hooks everywhere. I’m just trying to make it as painless as possible.” Then he goes off to talk with another patient. Another victim.

I want to follow him and sock him in the jaw, but there’s security everywhere. And what would it solve anyway? I numbly read the paper in the lobby. When I start crying, most of my tears are gray.

A few weeks later, when I’m all plugged in and ready to go, I tell myself that it’s not so bad. But deep down, I know that it’s not so good, either. It makes sense in a way. I work (well, worked) in a restaurant, so cooking is my skill set.

Rita didn’t believe the bill at first, of course. But when my skin began to blacken and harden, she took the kids to her sister’s for a week while I threw out most of our old appliances. I’m not sure if she believed it by then, but when they came back and she saw the new setup in the kitchen, I think it clicked for her. She told Jack and Barbie that I took a job in another city and the May-Tov stipends are my paychecks, but I can still talk to them through the register device and cook their meals remotely.

My new mechanical body includes a stove, oven, microwave, toaster, fridge, and freezer all connected to each other and to the cupboards and pantry. I can still cook for my wife and kids and see them every day. At night, I can reach out my flexible metal arms and pull the TV and remote into the kitchen. And obviously, my heart hasn’t bothered me since. I can even move a little and I’m sure May-Tov will upgrade us with some proper legs one day. All things considered, it’s not too bad. That’s what I tell myself when I miss holding my kids.

I have a lot of time to think. Dr. Mauz may have been scum but he also may have been right. May-Tov Incorporated is taking over quickly. They’ve bought out many competing tech companies. More and more people are disappearing. Some probably took an under-the-table medical procedure like I did, some may have been changed in a different way. But once May-Tov transplants and surgeries get approved, things will start rolling fast. 

I don’t know how long May-Tov braces and a May-Tov inhaler will take to change someone, but I think it’s better to do it now. If we wait until the kids have jobs or career plans, they might become appliances. If they change as kids, though, maybe they’ll be beings like Dr. Mauz. And an artist could be more fun as a character than an object, so maybe my Rita will keep her arms and legs, too.

I ask Rita to consider all of this and she promises to, reluctantly. I know she misses sleeping next to me and dancing with me and holding me and I miss all of that, too. But once they’re all transformed, we’ll have plenty of fun together. Once the world is transformed by the May-Tov corporation, we’ll all have wacky hijinks and adventures. Soon, we’ll all be May-Tov inc.

[healthcare-market]

Automated Dispensing Systems Market Research Report | Forecast Until 2026

Improving patient’s health and safety is always a primary objective in hospital and health care settings, and pharmacologists have been discovering a variety of policies and technologies to achieve this objective. Automated dispensing system, also termed as automated drug cabinet, is an electronic drug storage and dispensing device primarily used in health care settings. These systems provide easy to operate computer-controlled storage, dispensing, and tracking of medicine. These systems have been recommended as one of the potential instruments to improve efficiency and patient safety, and they are now widely used in many hospitals, for instance in clinics, nursing homes, are located at the point of care settings (POC), for example in an accident & emergency department (A&E), diagnostic labs, an intensive care unit (ICU), and critical care unit (CCU).

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Automated dispensing systems deliver a balance between security, user-friendliness, inventory management, and control of medications, which are all acknowledged as imperative features of a safe medication distribution system. These features drive the global automated dispensing systems market. Other drivers of the market include increasing demand for rapidly generated electronic reports to help categorize and prevent potential diversion from patient’s current health status. Automated dispensing systems save nursing time by reducing the need for manual end-of-shift counts in patient care division. Moreover, there is growing demand for automated systems such as barcodes and RFID cabinets, which help stock management and inventory management. These are the key factors expected to drive the market in the next few years. Moreover, increase in global geriatric population and prevalence of various chronic diseases, as well as high rates of hospitalization are some of the factors increasing the burden on hospital pharmacies and retail drug stores, consequently increasing demand for automated dispensing systems. Increase in the number of prescriptions and lack of skilled pharmacists are the other factors expected to boost automation in medication dispensing.

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The global automated dispensing systems market has been segmented based on product type, end-user, and region. In terms of product type, the market has been segmented into centralized automated dispensing systems and de-centralized automated dispensing systems. Centralized automated dispensing systems are sub-segmented into robotic automated systems and manually operated unit-dose system. Decentralized systems which provide computer controlled storage, tracking of medications, and dispensing have been recommended widely and are expected to hold large market share in the near future.

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Based on end-user, the global automated dispensing systems market has been segmented into pharmacy stores, hospitals, laboratories, and others. The hospitals segment is anticipated to account for major share of the automated dispensing systems market driven by rapidly increasing health care expenditure and rising patient admissions which increases burden on pharmacy departments. The hospitals segment has been sub-segmented into general ward and emergency ward. The pharmacy stores segment is expected to expand at a high CAGR during the forecast period. Increasing pressure on pharmacies due to rising drug prices and decline in reimbursements leads to inefficient inventory and supply chain management. However, human error can lead to medication dispensing errors. This in turn is expected to boost the growth of the pharmacy stores segment during the forecast period.

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North America accounted for major share of the global automated dispensing systems market. This is attributed to increased concerns toward patient’s health and safety. Europe was the next major market for automated dispensing systems. However, Asia Pacific is expected to witness significant growth during the forecast period. Key growth drivers of the automated dispensing systems market in the region include increasing geriatric population and rising health care expenditures.

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Major players operating in the automated dispensing systems market are Aesynt Incorporated, Becton, Dickinson and Company, Omnicell, Inc., Pearson Medical Technologies, RxMedic Systems, Inc., Avery Weigh-Tronix, ScriptPro LLC, Capsa Solutions, LLC, and Cerner Corporation, among others.

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[pyxisfelixhaven]

ffxivwrite2023 #29 ;; c o n t r a v e n t i o n

“Memo, we can’t do this,” Pyxis sighed, fingers underneath glasses rubbing into their eyes.

“Why not?” The Miqo’te didn’t look up from the scrolls on the floor in front of them, taking in all of the details as much as they could. “It’s not like it’s guaranteed that I’m going to know which pattern it is.”

“It’s still cheating,” they sighed again, arms folded and foot tapping impatiently as they kept watch. Not that they wanted to be involved in this scheme in the first place, but had been unceremoniously pulled into it. Memo had come up to them in a hurry with some ‘important documents’ in hand and needed someone to keep a look out for anyone trying to take them away.

What they hadn’t been told about was the contents of said documents. What Pyxis initially thought were just maps of the main stage at the Golden Saucer actually contained numerous patterns that Yojimbo was known to favour during the crowd favourite Slice is Right event. Some seemed more hastily drawn on than others, but for those who spent as much time 

“It’s public information.” Memo crouched over the maps underneath one of the large staircases in the Golden Saucer, their voices were drowned out by the sounds of the attraction music playing out of a few Cuff-a-Cur machines - currently not enticing any customers, thankfully. “People just haven’t ever written it down before.”

“It still feels wrong,” Pyxis murmured, shaking their head.

[cassandraclare]

The Whispering Room: James’ POV

Here it is finally — James’ POV of the Whispering Room scene from Chain of Gold. I wanted to wait until Chain of Iron was released to give more people a chance to read the book, and also because what we learn in COI does inform the scene. I hope you enjoy!

*art by Cassandra Jean

Cortana wove with her words, underlining each one with steel. She turned as her sword turned, and her body curved and moved like water or fire, like a river under an infinity of stars. It was beautiful—she was beautiful, but it was not a distant beauty. It was a beauty that lived and breathed and reached out with its hands to crush James’s chest and make him breathless. — Chain of Gold

James had felt a strange emotion when Daisy first took the stage at the Hell Ruelle. It was a mix of several feelings...

worry on her behalf, annoyance at Kellington, curiosity, and admiration for her bravery and poise. It was unfair of these Bohemians to force her to caper for them, and, he thought, a bit insulting to Shadowhunters in general. He supposed that Matthew had given them a rather unusual view of what the Nephilim were like in such circumstances.

And then she had begun to dance. And suddenly she was not Daisy, his old friend. She was Cordelia, whose name meant heart, whose every gesture was fire. Every earthly worry he’d had had been swept out of his mind. He was conscious only of Cordelia, whirling back and forth across the small stage. Cortana danced around her, shedding light like embers. The dull glow of the lamps illuminated her body, describing her every movement, her every curve as she danced. Her scarlet hair whipped around her in time to the music, and the golden light of the lamps in the Ruelle slipped across her skin, slow and hot, like beads of honey. The cadences of her voice, rising and falling, seemed to weave a cage of silken thread about her audience, and James was no exception.

Later, James would think it was odd that he had not compared her to Grace. Grace had never entered his mind at all. Cordelia danced, and by the end of her performance, James’s entire life had been disassembled and put back together in a new and different shape. He was conscious of Matthew, beside him, also staring as the crowd cheered, his sharp cheekbones flushed. He looked dazed; James couldn’t blame him.

Cordelia descended the stage and slipped through the crowd to come back to them, blushing at the looks and murmured comments she was drawing from the audience now. James could see the desire in the eyes that followed her. Everyone wanted her. He felt a dull fury. They had no right. They did not know Cordelia. She was more than just that dance.

When she reached them she let out a long breath of relief and smiled. She glowed with the exercise of dancing. Sweat beaded along her collarbones, shimmered between her breasts. Her eyes were bright as Cortana’s blade, strapped to her back.

“Bloody hell,” Matthew exclaimed.  “What was that?”

A look of uncertainty crossed Cordelia’s face. James said, “It was a fairy tale, Math,” and Matthew nodded. His dark green eyes searched Cordelia’s face, as if looking for the key to a locked room he had only just discovered.

Cordelia looked uncertain. James couldn’t bear that. She’d been magnificent; she should know it. But he couldn’t say that, of course. It would only make her self-conscious.

“Well done, Cordelia,” James said instead; when he unfolded his arms; his wrist hurt and he wondered if he’d been clenching his hands.

Cordelia. He hadn’t called her Daisy, and she looked a little surprised. It seemed inappropriate, somehow. Daisy was Lucie’s friend, the Merry Thieves’ compatriot; he found it a smaller name than she deserved. Cordelia, though—she had been a queen, hadn’t she? Queen Cordelia, daughter of Leir, ruler of Britain before the Romans had ever landed on those shores. Like Boadicea, a legendary warrior queen. A blazing white fire behind fathomless black eyes.

“Anna has disappeared with Hypatia,” James said, noting the empty settee, “so I would call your distraction a success.”

Cordelia’s lips twitched into a smile. “How long does a seduction usually last?”

“Depends if you do it properly,” Matthew said, with a wink. James felt it as a spark of relief, a bit of lightness amid the feeling that something heavy was sitting on his chest.

“Well, I hope for Hypatia’s sake Anna does it properly,” James said. He registered, with the reflexes of a parabatai, that Matthew had gone still next to him, and wondered what was wrong. “Yet for our sake, I hope she hurries it up.”

All hint of Matthew’s jocular tone from before was gone. “Both of you,” he said urgently. “Listen.”

Did he mean all the muttering about Shadowhunters? Was he only noticing it now? It had followed them since they came into the place. But when James followed Matthew’s gaze, he found Kellington staring with an expression of vexation, not at them but at the door. All questions were answered as through the door came Charles Fairchild, looking around him with a haughty expression. He looked like was about to raid the place; so much for whatever work Matthew and Anna had done for Downworlder-Shadowhunter relations here.

Matthew narrowed his eyes. “Charles,” he sighed. “By the Angel, what is he doing here?”

Charles was, James thought, probably looking for them. He was making his way through the crowd and gazing around him. Luckily for them, the crowd was not interested in letting him through, and he was moving very slowly.

“We should go,” James said. “But we can’t leave Anna.”

In one way, at least, Charles’s arrival was helpful; it threw a bucket of cold water on the roiling heat that had gripped James’s heart since Cordelia had begun her dance. Back to the matter at hand: a demon, a Pyxis, a plan.

“You two run and hide yourselves,” Matthew said, still keeping his eyes on his brother. “Charles will go off his head if he sees you here.”

“But what about you?” said Cordelia.

Matthew shrugged, but James could see the tension in his jaw and his shoulders. “He’s used to this kind of thing from me. I’ll deal with Charles.”

Not for the first time, James wished that his parabatai wasn’t in such a hurry to sacrifice his own reputation. He exchanged a long look with Matthew, but Matthew was sure, and determined, and his desire to rush into his own humiliation was an issue that would have to wait. Nodding, he turned and caught Cordelia’s hand with his own. “This way,” he said, and she nodded back in acknowledgement. As he pulled them into the crowd he heard Matthew’s voice calling, “Charles!” in a hearty tone of pleasant, if entirely false, welcome.

James didn’t know his way around the place, and the crowd made orientating himself even more difficult, but after some trial and error he and Cordelia managed to get behind Kellington and slip into a corridor leading away. This wasn’t safe in itself, since from the main chamber one would have a clear view down the entire corridor. In fact, they were temporarily more exposed than before, and James’s hope for the hallway to take a quick turn or to contain large statuary to hide behind was quickly dashed. He continued to hold onto Cordelia’s hand, not that he needed to; she seemed to know her way better than he did.

Partway down the corridor, James caught sight of an open door — its silver plaque labeling it the entrance to THE WHISPERING ROOM. Swiftly he drew Cordelia inside, out of sight. He slammed the door behind them, causing a loud noise, but he thought it couldn’t possibly be heard over the crowd in the main chamber. Only then did he release Cordelia’s hand and take stock of their surroundings.

The room was dimly lit, but not cold: a scented fire burned in the grate, filling the space with the smell of sandalwood and roses. It was a study, he guessed, based on the gigantic walnut desk against the wall and the bookshelves opposite, but it was too richly decorated to be solely a place for studious contemplation. Phoenix feathers and dragon scales danced across the gilded wallpaper; there were no windows, but the walls were hung with patterned tapestries, the floor covered with a rug so thick James felt his boots sink into it as he moved further into the room.

Cordelia had leaned her back against the wall next to the door. Her eyes were closed and she was taking deep, full breaths, calming herself down. Cortana gleamed gold over her shoulder; the firelight gleamed a deeper gold on her skin, which seemed to take and hold its warmth. James curled his fingers in against his palm.

He wanted to touch her. He half-turned away, pretending to study the books on the wall. Any other time, he would have been fascinated by the titles. Now they seemed distant, neither immediate nor imporant. He could have sworn he heard his own heart hammering. He said, “Where did you learn to dance like that?” surprising himself with the roughness of his own voice.

His gaze snapped back to Cordelia as she opened her eyes and gave a little shrug. There was something magical about the dress she wore: it followed the shape of her own body rather than the shape of corsetry or whalebone petticoats. It slid softly against her skin as she moved, just as her dark red hair tickled the bare skin of her throat, her shoulders. “I had a dance instructor in Paris. My mother believed that learning to dance aided in learning grace in battle.”

The word grace pierced James like an icicle. He could not quite picture Grace at the moment, it was true; could not quite envision her face. He had given Grace his heart — that was an immutable fact, something he knew as he knew that two plus two equaled four. But he had to admit that at the moment his heart did not feel given. It felt like a thrumming machine inside his chest, pumping blood and heat.

“That dance,” Cordelia added with a quirk of her soft mouth that struck James like a blow to the stomach, “was forbidden to be taught to unmarried ladies. But my dance instructor did not care.”

“Well,” James said, keeping his voice steady with practiced control, “thank the Angel you were there. Matthew and I could certainly not have pulled off that dance on our own.”

Cordelia turned away from him, the smile still on her face, as though she were keeping it secret from him. She trailed her hand along the top of Hypatia’s desk. At one end was a stack of papers held down by a large copper bowl of fruit, and she brought her hand up to trace its rim.

James may have been distracted beyond the capacity for distraction he’d known before, but he was still a Shadowhunter. “Be careful,” he said warningly. “I suspect that is faerie fruit. It has no effect on warlocks—no magical effect, at least. But on humans…”

Cordelia pulled her hand back as though stung. “Surely it does not harm you if you do not eat it.”

“Oh, it does not. But I have met those who have tasted it. The say the more you have of it, the more you want, and the more you ache when you can…have no more.”

Cordelia was looking at him now, and though it took a great summoning of courage, he returned her gaze. In her dark eyes the silver and blue flames of the fireplace danced. James could not catch his breath. He had never felt this before, this breathlessness. It was like pain, but with a sweet, sharp edge. Like licking honey from a knife. He said, in a low voice, “And yet. I have always thought…is not knowing what it tastes like just another form of torture? The torture of wondering?”

The door shook on his hinges suddenly, making a clatter that made both he and Cordelia jerk their heads around to look at it. The knob was starting to turn.

Cordelia paled. “We’re not meant to be in here —“

James’s world closed down to just this: Cordelia was here, she was with him, and she looked frightened. He would do anything to stop that look on her face. He caught her in his arms, and the relief was incredible — he had not realized how much he wanted to be touching her until he was. Until he was holding her, and her strength and warmth and softness were all pressed against him, and her face was so beautiful it hurt, and her lips were parted in surprise and without another thought he kissed them.

He could feel her sharp intake of breath with his hands, clasped together at her lower back. She gasped, but did not draw back, or away — he thought he would have died if she had — she leaned into him, her full lips opening under his. She was kissing him back. He tasted honey, smelled jasmine and smoke. His hand slid up her warm cheek and into the soft fall of her hair.

Time stopped.

Cordelia’s arms were around his neck. Her lush mouth opened a little against his, and the kiss deepened. He moved his hand to the back of her neck to bring her closer. Her teeth grazed his lower lip, and he couldn’t help it; he moaned, and felt her tremble against him.

Very far away, a voice chuckled and the door closed with a soft click. This whole thing had been intended as a ruse, he knew, for the benefit of whomever was trying to get into the Whispering Room. Probably some Ruelle attendees, Downworlders most likely, who had snuck off for a rendez-vous.

Ruse accomplished, then. With intense regret, James drew back from Cordelia. Her hand, warm and soft and wonderful, was against his neck; her fingers stroked his pale white scar. Her eyes were fixed at the level of his shoulder. He could hear himself say her name — Daisy, my Daisy — instead of responding, she whispered, “I think more people are coming.”

He knew it wasn’t true. He didn’t care. He knew what she was saying: that she was asking and giving permission at once. All James’ life, he had struggled for control: control over his sudden falls into shadow, control over the dark world he could see, that was invisible to everyone else. He had worked and fought and trained for control every day, and for the first time in as long as he could remember it deserted him.

The walls he had put up burned to the ground in an instant as he caught Cordelia to him. He groaned against her mouth, his hands slipping over the silk of her dress, the hot satin of her skin. He undid the strap that held Cortana, got rid of it somehow — carefully, he hoped — and let himself fall back into delirium.

He did not ask himself why he had never felt desire like this before. He could not. He was lost in the feel of her, the incline of her waist, the flare of her hips, the rise and fall of her chest as she gasped. They were kissing wildly, uncontrolled; they fetched up against the desk, Cordelia’s back to it.

Her body bent backward in an impossible arch, her hands going behind her to brace herself. Her eyes half-closed, her head fell back, revealing the bare column of her throat. He pressed his lips there, eliciting a gasp of surprised pleasure.

His hands trailed up the sleek material of her dress — he could feel the heat of her skin through it — from her waist to the neckline of her gown. His palms followed her curves until the tips of his fingers were pressing into the bare bronze skin just above the neckline of her dress. She was sleek and soft and hot all at the same time, like nothing else he’d ever touched. He heard her whimper; she was saying his name, and his heart beat in time with her words: James, James, Jamie please.

The please undid him; shrugging off his frock coat, he caught hold of her around the waist, lifting her until she was perched on the edge of the desk. The material of her dress bunched around her knees, her thighs, as she took hold of his shirt by the starched front and kissed him. His mouth drove against hers, hot and demanding, even as he clambered onto the desk after her. She reached up her arms for him and he sank down on top of her, bracing his weight with a hand above her head.

He paused, just for a moment, looking down at her. Her scarlet hair fanned out across the desk, her eyes glazed, her full lips red from kissing. He was cradled by her body, her legs on either side of his hips, her skirt rucked up nearly to her waist. She wrapped her long, bare legs around him and he shuddered. What was in him, what he wanted, was inchoate but insistant, a force he’d never known. A yearning like hot wires in his blood, the pain-pleasurable ache of unbearable wanting that drove him to kiss her again, kiss her harder. She tangled her hands in his hair, pulling at it as he kissed her breasts, flicking his tongue over the sensitive skin until she gave a low scream and clutched at him with desperate hands.

He sank down against her and kissed her, hot and deep and hard. She arched into the kiss, her breath coming in gasps. He felt her through the thinner material of his shirt: the heat of her, the swell of her breasts against his chest, her hands smoothing over his chest, his sides.

His hands aching to touch her in kind, to find out what she liked, what made her gasp, and do it again and again . . . Nothing had ever felt like this, nothing. He’d known desire before; so he remembered, so he had believed. It turned out he had stepped into a puddle and thought it was the sea. As Cordelia moved in his arms, as her lips, he realized there was a depth to desire he hadn’t even guessed at: that it was more than just desperation, but joy and need and wanting and being wanted back. It was a fever dream, his hands sliding up under the heavy satin of her skirts, the salt-sweet taste of her skin, the soft sounds of her pleasure as she urged him closer, urged him onward, the desk seeming to spin beneath them.

He heard, as if at a great distance, the sound of the door opening. He lifted his head, saw the slim fair-hared figure in the doorway. Ice washed through his veins. Cordelia stiffened, began to scramble to sit up. No, he thought, but he couldn’t stop her, couldn’t blame her. It — whatever it had been — was over.

He slid off the desk. Already the fever was vanishing, that feeling —the glorious freedom from the burden of his own will — receding. Grasping at his control, he drew it around himself,  reaching for his coat, turning to calmly meet the gaze of his parabatai.

“James?” Matthew said.

[dakatsaku]

Name: Lee Daehyun

Aspiration: K-Pop Star

Traits: Dance machine + Music Lover + Cheerful

CC Used:

Face Details:

- https://ddarkstonee.tumblr.com/post/656286991826255872/skin-n1921-swatches-teen-males-only-skin-n19?is_liked_post=1

- https://pyxiidis.tumblr.com/post/171902140901/about-face-skin-details-by-pyxis-a-set-of-subtle

- https://www.thesimsresource.com/downloads/details/category/sims4-makeup-female-skindetails/title/skin-details/id/1365360/

- https://obscurus-sims.tumblr.com/post/177529871423/skin-n4-overlay-4-swatches-all-ages-females-only

- http://kijiko-catfood.com/3d-lashes-uncurled-eyelashes-edition/

- https://glitchsyndrome.tumblr.com/post/181327085424

- https://goppolsme.tumblr.com/post/177092827348/gpme-face-contouring-10-swatches-download-hq

Eyes:

- https://goppolsme.tumblr.com/post/615467563893374976/gpme-gold-eyes-g19-download-at-goppolsme-patreon

- https://www.thesimsresource.com/downloads/details/category/sims4-eyecolors/title/siren-eyes/id/1453370/

Hair: 

- https://mooo-oood.tumblr.com/post/618962936067735552/hair-01-sage-cut-new-mesh-44-swatches-hq

- https://www.patreon.com/posts/hair-22-cotton-1-50893172

Eyebrows:

- https://goppolsme.tumblr.com/post/181076813187/gpme-gold-f-eyebrows-g9-download-at-goppolsme

Headwear:

- https://simfileshare.net/download/101530/

- https://love4sims4.tumblr.com/post/161857465423/beanie-01-by-younzoey-download

- https://sims4marigold.blogspot.com/2015/12/beretunisex.html

- https://casteru.tumblr.com/post/185472462832/beret-tou-download

Piercings:

- Try My Luck (R): https://www.patreon.com/posts/earring-ultimate-30671297

Necklace:

- https://s-sac.tumblr.com/post/189650103345/saclucidpiercings-saclucidnecklace-this-is

Top:

- https://www.patreon.com/posts/38992508?epik=dj0yJnU9Um5OR2NLQjNlX3huTUMzVnRiRVg1SXc3VjRSUDk4NzcmcD0wJm49THZyWUROdDZrbC1GSWR6TDgweHZOZyZ0PUFBQUFBR0ZKeWhF

- https://ooobsooo.tumblr.com/post/645776660604600320/kk-march-release-clothes-top-male-t-e-my-mesh

- https://ooobsooo.tumblr.com/post/621080469572845568/kk-zip-up-hoodie-01-m-clothes-top-male-t-e-my

- https://blog.naver.com/sickatheart/221300391303

- https://www.nitropanic.net/2019/05/tees-hoodie-for-sims-4.html

- https://gorillax3sims4.blogspot.com/2019/02/harness-shirt.html

Bottom:

- https://ykiki0105.tumblr.com/post/619911333183455232/noru-sweatshirt-top-new-mesh-25-swatches-hq#notes

- https://www.thesimsresource.com/downloads/details/category/sims4-clothing-male-teenadultelder-everyday/title/trillyke-lay-back-pants/id/1475494/

- https://rimings.tumblr.com/post/654700317183754240/rimings-lv-short-sleeved-basic-t-shirt-lv-belt

- https://lazyeyelids.tumblr.com/post/182044795286/previews-were-taken-with-hq-mod-dont-re-upload

- https://blog.naver.com/sickatheart/221300391303

- https://darte77.blogspot.com/2019/03/skinny-jeans.html

Shoe:

- https://darte77.blogspot.com/2019/09/high-top-boots-early-access.html

- https://www.simfileshare.net/download/1405142/

- https://mmsims.tumblr.com/post/173825591496/s4cc-mmsims-positive-sneakers-flowers

Eyeshadow:

- https://goppolsme.tumblr.com/post/636304784424665088/gpme-gold-makeup-set-cc31-download-at-goppolsme

Eyeliner:

- https://goppolsme.wixsite.com/goppolsme/single-post/2019/11/07/gpme-m-liner-cc4

Cheek:

- https://goppolsme.wixsite.com/goppolsme/single-post/2020/06/03/gpme-gold-blush-cc05

Lip:

- https://goppolsme.wixsite.com/goppolsme/single-post/2020/08/09/gpme-gold-natural-lips-cc11

Tattoo:

- https://plumbobsnfries.tumblr.com/post/127144635657/plumbobsnfries-chest-abs-mask-v2-hey-guys-here

- https://m.simsdom.com/downloads/276994/japanese-chest-and-back-tattoo-by-unidentifiedsims-sims4