#slow science

[amnhnyc]

With large round eyes and a fluffy coat of fur, you might describe slow lorises (genus Nycticebus) as adorable—but did you know these primates also have a venomous bite? They’re one of the only mammalian species on Earth to possess this rare trait. A gland under the loris’s arm produces a chemical that turns deadly when mixed with loris saliva. Those bitten have reported anaphylactic shock, extreme pain, and infection among other side effects.

Photo: dixonlau, CC BY-NC 4.0, iNaturalist

[wonderfulplusstrange]

Slow Death #2, Last Gasp 1972. Cover art by Jaxon and Dave Sheridan.

Greystoke Trading Company.

[authorbettyadams]

“Hidden Fires”

Science Fantasy Novel

85K Words

When his sister finds herself stranded in a hostile city, Drake McCarty must leave the retaliative safety of his wilderness home to rescue her. The mysterious alien Bard accompanies him as whispers of ancient enemies drift down from the stars. Drake can feel his bond with this ancient warrior growing every hour, but will it be strong enough to withstand the revelations that await them in the crowded city, or will it shatter under Drakes own weakness.

Indiegogo: https://igg.me/at/HiddenFiresBook/x/20737048

#FoundFamily #ScienceFiction #SciFi #Aliens #NationalParks #Novel

[beescake]

I don't know if I've sent before, but I love how you draw Sollux

thanks!! he's like a little rat friend to me

[aniasdailydiary]

Final exam 🧠🥼

[wangxianficrecs]

💙 The Shade of Old Trees by Kryal

💙 The Shade of Old Trees

by Kryal

T, 363k, Wangxian

Summary: “We rest in the shade of trees our ancestors planted.” They called the man in the ice Yiling Laozu, after a folk hero associated with the town in the foothills of the mountains where he was found. No one expected him to be alive! Kay's comments: I have never been less surprised to see that a story was written by a PhD student. The end notes at the end of each chapter are very extensive and just amazing. So much information, so much research, 363k of an incredible story that had me completely hooked. I read it in a week and could hardly focus on anything else, because that story was just so present in the back of my mind and I wanted to know what would happen next. Got introduced to the story by the stunning art by @toffee-arts. I loved the entire plotline of Wei Wuxian having to first learn modern Chinese in order to speak to the scientists (and mostly Lan Zhan) who decided to thaw his supossed corpse. I love how it all came together, how it all wrapped up neatly and the slow burn! The slow burn almost killed me! And how cultivation just awed everyone in modern day!! I just know this story is going to be a favourite I will re-read again and again and there are certainly a lot of details I must have missed during my obsessed binge. Excerpt: Everyone in the observation room tensed. This was, after all, the most delicate point. If it wasn’t going to be possible to remove the ice without beginning to thaw Yiling Laozu, they would have to move very quickly to preserve some of the data they wanted. The cellular damage caused by the freezing process meant that once the ice thawed, the damage would spread rapidly. Lan Wangji glanced at Wen Yuan. “Leave if you need to,” he told the boy quietly. Wen Yuan shook his head. “No, I want to stay…” Lan Wangji wasn’t certain what caught his attention – a flicker of movement from the corner of his eye, a hint of sound, a flash of intuition. He looked up to see Lan Xichen slam into the window. Drop out of sight, stunned by the impact. Beyond, shards of shattered ice fell from black robes scattered across the floor as Yiling Laozu’s body tumbled off the lab table— Twisted. Landed on his feet. Stood. Piercing silvery-grey eyes flickered across the room, wary and confused. Lan Wangji froze. Yiling Laozu was awake. …Yiling Laozu was alive.

pov alternating, modern setting, modern with magic, different first meeting, time travel, time travelling wei wuxian, time travel of sorts, canon divergence, slow burn, worldbuilding, getting together, developing relationship, academia, research, science, bamf wei wuxian, yiling laozu wei wuxian, grief/mourning

~*~

(Please REBLOG as a signal boost for this hard-working author if you like – or think others might like – this story.)

[mac33cheese]

"Tdlosk doesn't have any meaningfulness to it? It's all gags-" YOU MISSED IT!! YOU WERE SO CLOSE!! UR EYES WE'RE CLOSED DURING THE PLAY!! THE QUESTION WAS 2+2 AND YOU ANSWERED 5!! YOU HAD 3 SEASONS AND A REAWAKENED TO STUDY YET YOU STILL FAILED THE CLASS!! THE BED WAS MADE FOR YOU AND YOU STILL SLEPT ON THE FLOOR!! YOU DON'T EVEN NEED GLASSES YET YOU STILL CAN'T SEE THE MENU!!

[jaubaius]

''Drop of water dripping into water'' process. A forgotten beautiful process that cannot be seen with the naked eye.

Source

[eltonjohndenver]

lines that keeps me up at night

[someprettyname]

Okay but I am just starting to notice how fucking talented REO is and how no one talks about it?! That dude had probably been playing soccer for the shortest time there YET he was on the top tier team in the building. The team v REO could plan the games, and read the plays WAY better than team z isagi. And not only his soccer aptitude was high to begin with (i mean they way he won that match back in high school with those giants" team [yep, the one where he got spotted] was damn impressive to say the least) he also had enough skills to manipulate the team to become his....slaves. In a way.

Man.

Only if he didn't start out as "I need nagi to win the football cup" mentality he'd probably be called the prodigy. Which, i don't see why he doesn't deserve that tag. Being a jack of all trades is damn tough and he does a pretty good job at it. Those "fuck being jack of all trade, be master of one" preachers ARE AFRAID AF of him because he breaking through the "you can't be perfect at everything" stereotypes.

Why do y'all not talk more about how his copy technique is crazy?! 😭 He noticed aiku"s movements ONCE and copied it upto 99% accuracy. Like damn. His concept grasping skill is 📈

[aniasdailydiary]

October dump 🍂🎃🕯️

[biologist4ever]

[wonderfulplusstrange]

Slow Death #7, Last Gasp 1976. Cover art by Bill Stout.

Greystoke Trading Company.

[la-g0g0]

[Possibly our last and only chance to dance]

[soovermyself]

There it is 🫶🏼

[tafferling]

Book Release: Aphelion, The City of a Billion Stolen Souls

Aphelion is a love letter. In incomplete one at that, which is still being written as I make my way through the series. But as each of its seasons is finished, a book gets released! And here we are! My first official 'omg I published something' novel: Aphelion, The City of a Billion Stolen Souls

If you like science-fantasy with soul-harnessing magic and tech, a cyberpunk (or aetherpunk, those two are having fisticuffs) flair, and a slow burn simmering away in the middle of a (mysterious) zombie apocalypse, then Aphelion may just be right for your bookshelf. Literally, because you can buy all of book one's 531 pages in gorgeous print!

What's in it?

In a world where tech runs off the concept of one's soul and where dragons steady cosmic scales, heroes are shaped in the shadow of an ancient grudge. Horizon's Crown was an Earther triumph; a stage at the frontier of the settled systems, a city of hope and dreams and infinite potential. Now, under the watchful eye of its orbital island, it straddles the line between dead and dying; a city of nightmares and endless sorrow. Varrett Vild Vickers belongs into a pilot's chair. He's meant to dodge asteroids, to race dragons, not chase credits so he can pay rent while HC's major demographic clicks its teeth at him and tries to eat his face off. But it's fine. Really. He copes. Or that's what he tells himself, all the way until a woman falls from the sky and turns his already upside-down life very sharply sideways. Armed with nothing but her worst-kept secret and a ledger of lies, Sophya Soulwright tricks her way into Horizon's Crown, looking for not only her sister, but for redemption and a meaning to a life she’s never held dear.  What she finds instead is a city trying its hardest to live, and a man who courts death every step of the way. He's infuriating, tireless, and after a glitch binds their souls together, he is now stuck with her. 

Don't want this chunky darling on your shelf and prefer to read it digitally? Dontchu worry, Taff has you covered. I release Aphelion as a free-to-read web serial, both on Campfire (where you can tip me if you like to get world building extras) and Archive of Our Own. 'cause like I said; Aphelion is a love letter. I just want to write it and share it.

But that doesn't mean I don't want to hear from you if you choose to give it a chance.

Where to find Aphelion:

On Amazon (531 pages, paperback).

On Goodreads (oh gosh I have an author profile there now).

On Campfire Explore (where, if you choose to tip, you may feel the sudden sensation of an ethereal cat slinking around your ankles in appreciation).

And on Archive Of Our Own (where it all started).

BIG BIG BIG thanks to @hermit-writes for her amazing typesetting skills (and book photography) and of course @drawinglinestoconstellations for the cover and interior art.