#not t generally but. the fact of the current dose | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

many-shades-of-violence · 1 year

Text

cutting through

✢ pairing: Yoru x Reader

✢ word count: 4.000

✢ contents: Reader x Yoru, NSFW, Sub!Yoru, Gun Violence, Brat Taming, Sub-Dom Dynamics, Choking.

✢ a/n: This piece only exists because @anallemeinegringos gave me severe Yoru brainrot. :)

No experience in your life could have prepared you for the excruciating boredom of your current job as a substitute guard for Kingdom Cooperation. As an independent bounty hunter, your reputation and livelihood were sadly at stake with every job. And that included boring offers, like this one your broker informed you about just a few days ago. While the job paid well, you were disappointed to find out that it turned out to be simple guard duty. As an expert in tactical maneuvers and targeted eliminations, you were looking forward to a good dose of adrenaline, the crushing reality turned out to be much different until now.

You leaned against a metal entrance, from which you could overview the whole Facility of Icebox closely. Your dearest steel rifle was shouldered sleazily on your left side, your second-dearest pocketknife slumbering deeply in your pockets. The icy wind whistled brutally on the outside, cold wind seeping from time to time through bolted walls, sending chills through your body. Your job required you to guard the wing of excavation goods that connected to the entrance you were standing in right now, as most guards were currently attending an important parade in Kingdom’s center, Tokyo. The possibility for a burglary was generally pretty low due to the long distance to Kingdoms center, the upper-ranks were cautious nonetheless. Why, that was the case, you didn´t know, but in the end it wasn´t – or rather shouldn´t- be of any interest.

The only real change in your guarding job, was the hourly routine patrol you were ordered to, but the dreary facility and its landscape didn't offer much for the eye, only furthering your general boredom. In your agony you had almost wished for someone to be so stupid enough, to enter the facility, just to get a change of atmosphere, but that was highly unlikely. One for the fact that Celebrations were in the middle of partaking and second, because Icebox Facility was known for it´s usual high security, due to the valuable goods being stored here. You either had to be an idiot, or a highly skilled agent with good intel to find yourself today in Kingdoms excavation core. It was specifically the latter reason, you were hired as backup.

A beeping sound rose you from your train of thought. You sighed and looked briefly at the wristwatch adorning your right wrist.

Time for the hourly patrol.

You stretched your tired muscles, slowly, your left hand balancing your rifle on your shoulder. Determined to get yourself some more coffee from the nearby kitchen, on your way to the storage rooms, you left your post and walked slowly inside the facility. Routinely, you walked along the drab steel walls, following the dim lighting through the tunnel system. You could hear the roaring winds on the outside faintly while passing through, only being slightly overshadowed by your quiet footsteps and the over looming science of the whole facility.

Despite your obvious boredom, your professional senses were sharpened on all ends for the case that something did in fact happen. It was probably for this reason that you couldn't help but notice the soft, muffled sound of footsteps landing on solid ground. You tensed for a second, trying to hear more of them, but they had disappeared as quickly as they had appeared. Not giving up on your instinct, you stayed in place, closed your eyes, and listened attentively.

Nothing.

Then, a glass shattered. You flew your eyes open, moving with quiet steps to the direction, you thought the noise was coming from: Storage Room 1.

Readying your dearest riffle in front of your torso, slim fingers hooking around the metal trigger, as you slithered towards the corner of the entrance. You steadied your breath, only your heartbeat ringing quietly in your ears. You licked your lip in excitement - a habit of yours - the adrenaline pulsating through your body as you hear footsteps shuffling. Likewise, you swallowed, thinking of the best way to engage in battle, not knowing if your opponent was a melee or range fighter.

Only mere seconds later, you decided on a decoy, pulling out a small flash bang from one of your pockets and threw it with force against the closest wall you could see from your hiding place. The grenade flew a high arch, colliding with the wall and then bounced off into the middle of the room. You turned your face quickly away from the harsh light, that suddenly enlightened the room. Just moments after, you could hear the deep voice of a man, ushering something in Japanese.

“くぞ(Shit!)”

You use the wall behind you as leverage to sprint into the room, gun aimed high, to surprise your opponent, but are utterly shocked when you run into an empty lot. “What?!” you duck yourself quickly, eyes scanning your surrounding in hope that you didn´t miss him hiding in a corner. However, the only thing, besides yourself and the many storage boxes, seemed to be the few pieces of broken glass that probably had been shattered by the man just mere moments ago. Curiously, you kneel down, trying to make out where they stemmed from. You were quick to make out the source: A destroyed class casket, with an ancient samurai armor. Just as you wanted to get closer to the casket, a tearing noise roared up just behind you, an eerie blue light disappearing as quickly as it had appeared. You try to turn around, but freeze in place, when you hear the clicking of a gun, it´s cold barrel being pressed to the back of your head. A mocking voice, adorned with a thick Japanese accent, rises from behind it.

“Move and your dead, さご (minnow).”

A fucking rifter.

Angry at yourself for not thinking of the possibility that the intruder could be a rifter you bite your lip, drawing blood. You're so furious at your incompetence, that you don´t think twice before replying to your assaulter.

“And how about you watch your tone, cunt?”

Your eyes widen, but before you can apologize and plead for your life, the man ushers a low chuckle. “Don´t know if you´ve got guts or are just plain stupid, but I must say, I´m impressed.”

“Well, I could say the same for you. Though being a rifter explains how you got into the facility without me seeing you.” you retort, muscles tensing as you feel the head of the barrel being pressed closer to the skin. Not being able to see but only hear and feel your attacker, you could only guess by the way he aimed you up, that he had to be just a bit taller than you. You probably couldn´t overthrow him in a fight of strength, but with the right technique…

“And here I thought only brainless idiots serve this Kingdom shit” You train of thoughts was interrupted when the intruder spoke again. “I don´t serve” you growl. “I'm just here to finish this boring ass job my broker put me up to”. Finishing up your sentence, the grip on your handle tightened, hoping the guy behind you would understand your affiliation and not blast your brains out. Considering what he said up until now, he clearly had a distaste for the organization. Not that you couldn´t understand it. Kingdom was known for it´s shady businesses with radiate. To underline your statement, you threw your Vandal before your feet, the loud sound of the barrel hitting the steel ground underneath, making you cringe.

He seemed to be taken a back for a moment, clearly not having expected your easy surrender and the fact, that you´d be another foreigner to the Facility. Then, along with a loud sigh, the weight of his barrel pressed against your head disappeared. “So now they´re hiring freelancers? Kingdoms even more pathetic, than I thought.” Relived to have some distance from his deadly weapon, you move a few footsteps away, a relieved sigh escaping your lungs. As you turn around to access the situation better, you see your attacker for the first time.

The young man in front of you seems to be around the same age as you. His short, spiked hair in two shades of blue, one light in the middle part, his sides in a darker shade, go nicely with the sharp features of his jaw, the cut on his left eyebrow and his focused almond shaped eyes. Two black ear piercings adore his earlobes, rounding up his already punkesque appearance. A blue cropped jacket with orange embroidery adorns his torso, the rest of his body being covered by a thin black shirt and dark jeans. Truth be told, he was pretty easy on the eye, but what took your interest right now the most, was the blue demon mask residing in his left hand. With piqued interest, you point towards it. “What´s up with that?”

“Not your business and nothing to make a fuss about. I´m just taking this back to where it belongs. Now if you would be so kind to let me go, I got an appointment at three.” you perch up at him, as he gestures to you with his Ghost, to get lost, a cocky look plastered on his face.

Fed up with the guy’s behavior, you clench your teeth, hand ready to pull out your dearest knife from your back pocket. Maybe a second slice on his eyebrow wouldn´t look to bad. “Well, I´m sorry to inform you, but I´m hired to protect this wing and its beholding’s and since you so kindly confirmed my suspicion that this mask belongs to Kingdom you´ve just become my target, Mr. Thief.”

He huffs, clearly annoyed at your answer. “I´m no thief.” This mask belongs to my family.” You roll your eyes at his petty behavior. “Yeah sure, and I´m totally not a freelance bounty hunter.” You roll your eyes. “I´m telling the truth. This mask is no other than a sacred belonging of my Samurai ancestors, さご.”

“Ugh, didn´t your mother teach you not to insult other people, especially in another…– Wait, did you say Samurai ancestors?!” you change the topic mid-sentence, too surprised by the new revelation. You had heard of Japans feudal times and it´s samurai, but you didn´t think, that there were people nowadays who knew about their ancestry back to the 16th century. That however gave you a interesting idea. Truthfully, you couldn´t care two cents for that mask, and you had no intention of partaking in cultural property theft, but the cocky behavior of the guy massively ticked you off.

"Yeah, what about it?” The man replied nonchalantly, the proud smile on his lips only confirming to yo, that he was indeed pretty proud of his heritage. “Let´s assume this whole story is real, Mr. Samurai-…” He cuts sharply into your words. “Yoru.” You look puzzled at him. “That´s my name.” “Okay, Yoru. Let´s assume-….” He cuts you off once more “And you are?” You clench your teeth in frustration. “y/n. Now, Yoru, if the introduction session is over now, I´d like to ask why the fuck I should let you go and risk my whole career for correcting a cultural property theft of a big federal cooperation I´m not affiliated with.”

Taken a bit aback by your words, the Japanese man raises his eyebrows before bursting out into a laugh. “Must say, you´re really a funny one.” Your gaze hardens, a single “Why?” being ushered from your lips. Yoru looks at you for a close second, seemingly taken in your form, then with a finger snip he´s directly in front of your face, having bridged the distance between you in mere seconds.

Damn rifter.

He looms over you, as he musters you from above, a challenging gaze in his dark eyes. You hated yourself for the thought alone, but from up close he looked even easier on the eye, his menacing aura only adding up to his visual.

“As if you could overpower me, doll. I don't care if there are five or fifty of them, I take em´all.” You click your tongue, eyeing him up. “You mean in a fight?” As expected, he perches up quickly, his brow twitching in annoyance. “Careful now.”

“Or what?” you growl, ready to bounce at him at any moment. His brows furrow, his face now only mere centimeters away from your face. “You know how they say, fuck around and find out.”

It doesn´t take more than that for you to launch yourself at him with a ferocity that took him by surprise. Your bodies gabbled to the ground, locked in a fierce embrace as you struggled for dominance. Yoru was definitely right. You couldn´t overpower him by sheer strength, but you were faster and more agile. He yelped in surprise, when you snaked around him, one Hand reaching into his raven locks, the other on his torso, to press him onto the solid ground. Victorious, you smirked down at him, his heated gaze meeting your own. “Come again, Mr. Samurai, you take em´ all?”

“Well, fuck you too.” his growl is low and bratty, coming through clenched teeth. You start to laugh, just then realizing the compromising position you were putting yourself into. Just as you want to bring some more distance between you, you feel two hands sneak around your hips, gluing you to the spot. “Hold on -…!” You try to squirm away, but stifle when you move against Yorus strong hands, a twitch emitting just right under your core.

You stare at him with open mouth, trying to decide if you should feel disgusted or aroused by this whole situation. As your gazes meet for a brief second, you can´t but notice a pink hue on his tan cheeks, before he looks awkwardly to the side. “That´s why I didn´t want you to move.”

“You got off, from me eying you up? You´re such a narco!” Only staring at him further, he suddenly snaps his head back clearly trying to ease the situation. “What? Don´t act like you didn´t eye fuck me the second you saw me.”

This time Yoru kept up with your gaze, his hands retreating all of a sudden, ready to shove you off his lap any second. “Act on it or get the fuck off me, バカヤロー (Idiot). There´s nothing more that I hate than indecisiveness.”

It didn´t take more for him to say, than for you to crush your lips onto his. His cocky behavior had been ticking you off for some time now, but the fact that he was cursing you for a third time in his mother tongue, was the final straw it took for you to snap and teach this brat a lesson or two. The hand on his chest quickly moved towards his hips, locking him further in place to press your clothed cores on each other.

A groan escaped Yorus throat, followed by a curse in his mother tongue. You didn´t waste any more time, to collide your lips with each other, all the buildup tension releasing at once. The battle of dominance was quickly sorted out by the forceful way your tongue found it´s way into his mouth and Yoru surprisingly complying with much vigor. You couldn´t help but notice the way his member twitched in excitement under you, as he was clearly enjoying the situation as it was.

Cute.

“Must say, didn´t think a narco guy like you, would be so submissive.”

“うるっせ! (Shut up). I ain´t doing that every day you know.” Yoru grumbled to you, clearly embarrassed by his own enjoyment of the whole situation. You give him a taunting look. “What? Selling yourself out like a cheap whore? Didn´t have that impression, with how eager you were just now.” you chuckle, before pressing your lips back on his, not missing the way he bucks his hips against you for some much-needed friction on his lower half, his hands clamming around your ass.

Not leaving the grip from his raven hair, you broke the kiss off for some air, yanking his head only a bit from the ground before, locking gazes with him once more. Gently you nudged your thumb over his cheek dusting a bit of dust from it before opening your mouth. “You wanna act like a slut? Fine, I´m gonna treat you like one. Open wide.”

You were amazed how quickly he followed your command, no single trace of the cocky behavior he showed you mere minutes ago. Presenting you his pearly white teeth, you didn´t waste a second to spit into his mouth, giving his cheek a careful yet determined slap as a follow up. “Swallow.” You hum appreciatively, as he follows, taking in Yorus handsome face for a brief second. His cheeks are heavily dusted by a pink hue, a bit of saliva from your make out session still on his chin. “Such a mess.” You´re quick to wipe it a way, yelping in surprise, when the mans tongue slides out of his mouth, wrapping greedily around your thumb. A smirk spreads over your lips, as you are quick to retreat the finger, instead presenting him it anew with your additional index finger, offering a simple command to the young agent.

“Suck.”

For a brief second, Yoru stares at you, then a smirk spreads over his lips as well, as he wraps his lips around them, taking them deep into his mouth not once breaking eye contact with you. You startle, a bit over sensitized by the sensation and warmth that suddenly surrounds your digits. The way he looks up to you, fully enjoying being in your submission and presenting himself to you, all the while his tongue greedily wraps and sucks around your fingers, sends shivers down your spine. It doesn´t take long for a well to known warmth spreading in your inner most core, sending butterflies all around.

All the while, you move your free hand down to the prominent tent in his trousers, kneading him through the elastic black fabric of his jeans. A low moan resounds in the man’s throat, the vibration going straight from your fingers to your core, a small gasp leaving your swollen lips. “Fuck you´re hard.” With a plop the raven-haired man releases your fingers, a way to sexy smile on his lips. “Not my fault, doll. Seems you´re enjoying yourself as well. Bet your drenched.” He licks over his lips, leaning a bit forward to catch you in another heated kiss.

With skilled fingers you open the zipper of Yorus Jeans, freeing him out of his tight confinement. He gasps into the kiss, due to the much-needed release that comes with his cock springing free. Your hand glides over the small dark happy trail on his trained abdomen. A bit of precum already oozes out of his pink mushroom head, twitching as you wrap your fingers around it to give him a few experimental pumps. “Damn, I didn´t think you´d be that thick.”

“What, because I´m Japanese?” he retorts aggravated, fingers digging into the subtle flesh of your thighs. You roll your eyes “No moron, because men with big egos suck ass.” You earn yourself a hiss from Yoru as your other hand cups his balls, giving them a light squeeze. Spurred on from his cussing, you press your right knee more between his legs.

He squirms under your touch, an eager look in his eyes, as he impatiently tugs at the hem of your pants. You growl against his skin, moving your hands from his balls to his muscular upper thigh to give him a reprimanding squeeze.

“Don´t forget who´s in charge. Now, be a good boy and hold still.” His dark eyes flicker to you, a bit sceptic of what to expect. “Trust me.” You roll your eyes. Slowly, you snake your pants down your legs, quickly aligning his cock with your drenched core, sliding slowly down on it. He gasps from the sudden contact of your naked cores, your plush walls hugging him snug, sucking him deeper into you. It´s only seconds later, that one hands cup around one of his hip bones, the other slowly wrapping around his throat, giving it an affirmative squeeze.

The cocky man, gasps at your advance, palms digging into the ground under him. “Does that feel good? You want more?” you mumble, only stopping briefly from moving up and down on him to make sure his reaction wasn´t truly of any discomfort. For a brief second, no words left the young Japanese. Then, swift as the icy cold wind was blowing outside the Facility, he issues a quiet yet determined “Go on.”

You grin at his last word, pressing your hand closer around his air pipe. “Could´ve said that sooner!” you croon, all the while gently massaging his hip. The athletic man gulps, his Adams apple bopping, as you play with his breath. You grin as a much higher moan leaves Yoru, as you slam your hips down on him. It was only a matter of minutes with having the man at your full mercy, and him clearly enjoying the whole ordeal, for you to usher an “I´m close.”

“And what do we say, when we want to cum?” you cooed, nuzzling your face into the nape of his neck. Your Cheshire grin only spread further when Yoru nearly whined.

“Please”.

“Of course. Everything for a good boy.”

That was the final straw for him.

With a cry, the young agent came, thick oozes of cum shooting out of his cockhead into your walls. You were quick to follow, the sudden warm sensations making you squirm in pleasure. Trying to catch your breath, you slowly retreated from Yoru, pulling your trousers back over your hips. As you looked back to him, you couldn´t help but be a bit proud about yourself. The man was an absolute mess, hair disheveled, saliva on his cheeks and a heavy blush covering his face. You decided to not tease him to much about it.

“That was fun.”

He remained silent for a moment, buttoning his trousers up, before replying. “You´re a madman.”

“If that's your´re way of complimenting, then I take that with great honor.” you chuckle, dusting your hands of each other, before grabbing the mask and gun from the ground. He´s quick to perch up, but relaxes when you throw both towards him. “Happy you enjoyed it. I´m off then”

You wink at him, before he catches it with much bravo, his plump lips turning to a displeased frown. “Fine by me, but Kingdom will be after you as much as me when they hear about the mask disappearing.”

“Don´t worry your pretty little head about that. I can give you a bit of a head start. The rest I´ll handle myself. It´s not my first job I fucked up.” you shrug your shoulders, slowly walking up to your own gun and settling it back on your shoulder. Just as you want to turn around for a final time to say goodbye, you suddenly feel a strong hand grab your waist. “What the-?!”

As you turn around, you face Yoru, the rifter clearly having teleported himself into your proximity. “We´re escaping together.” as he spoke, he put the blue demon mask on his face, his eyes suddenly emitting glowing blue flames. You shrieked back, nearly hitting your back on a close by storage box, but the young man is quick to follow, pressing you back to his chest. As he opens his mouth to speak again, another pair of blue flames emit from the mask, dangerously close to lick some of your hair. “They´ll kill you. It would be a disgrace to my ancestors, if I simply leave you be.” he says, his voice urgent, shortly pausing before adding flirtatious, “Also, I´m not finished with you.”

You snicker at his answer, a defeated sigh leaving your lungs. “Well, same goes for me, so I guess you´re right.”

Only mere seconds later, the ground beneath you shakes, tears of reality appearing just right before your nose as bright blue flames envelop you both. You feel disoriented, a bit nauseous, and last of all exited as you realize that the young rifter had opened a portal with his bare hands.

“Ready?” he looks down at you cockily, his eyebrows raised. You're quick to reply, a smirk on your lips. “Count me in.”

And with that you lept into the portal.

“Alright. Cutting through!”

#yoru #yoru x reader #valorant #valorant x reader #fanfic #writing #my stuff #valorant x you #valorant x y/n #yoru x you #ryo kiritani #kiritani ryo

54 notes · View notes

ecoamerica · 1 month

Text

youtube

Watch the 2024 American Climate Leadership Awards for High School Students now: https://youtu.be/5C-bb9PoRLc

The recording is now available on ecoAmerica's YouTube channel for viewers to be inspired by student climate leaders! Join Aishah-Nyeta Brown & Jerome Foster II and be inspired by student climate leaders as we recognize the High School Student finalists. Watch now to find out which student received the $25,000 grand prize and top recognition!

13K notes · View notes

terephin · 7 months

Text

Fuck it, Honkai 3rd worldbuilding time.

============

Anti Entropy Server Network > General Information > Honkai Energy Weaves > Necessary Weaves

An Introduction to Honkai Weaves, presented by Doctor Henry Clarke, (Formerly) of St Freya

(Note : This edition of the document was written shortly after the incident with the Wind Herrscher.)

Honkai Energy is all around us, in doses large and small. From the smallest of AE’s batteries to the Herrschers themselves. To be a Valkyrie, or analogous, requires one to have an immense understanding of this.

Honkai Energy, when used through the outlet of Humanity, and Intelligence as a whole, is best utilized through what are commonly called Weaves. Weaves are highly complex, layered semi-constructs of Honkai Energy, used in everything a Valkyrie does, be it enhancing their body beyond human comparison or summoning giant cat paws.

In this introduction, I will go over two of the most common and crucial weaves, while more complex and niche ones will be introduced to students individually.

Now, to begin with we have the Enhancement Weave, a fairly simple weave that you’ll become intimately familiar with soon enough. The Enhancement Weave, as should be obvious, enhances the physical form.

It’s laughably simple, in truth, to generate. While I can’t explain it’s workings in an understandable way here, as it’s something rather esoteric and they still won’t update the system to support graphs and images, I can explain what it does further.

The Enhancement Weave increases speed, strength, reaction time and so much more, but what’s important is two factors. 1) This enhancement uses your current state as a basis, meaning the better your condition the stronger you are. 2) When you unravel Deactivate if you want to be boring. the weave not all it’s effects are lost There are ways to trigger this effect without unraveling it, but all are highly complex. In fact, roughly 5% of the effect remains indefinitely. When you couple these two things you get the ever increasing power of a Valkyrie.

Now, onto the next weave, which is important less often to B rank Valkyries, but is essential if you seek the A rank, alongside simply making many other things easier.

I am, of course, talking about the Friction Weave. The Friction Weave, while having a gross oversimplification of a name, is truly necessary when you reach the levels of an A rank Valkyrie. Now, you are all likely to struggle with this weave, as while it’s considered among the basics it’s also one of the more complex weaves you’re likely to run into.

The weave itself is not of human creation. In fact, to my knowledge, it was copied unfathomable long ago from either a rather powerful Honkai Beast or a full on Herrscher, both of which are known to generate it by their very natures.

The Friction Weave has very little to do with friction, inherently. But ignoring that for now, what it does, most importantly, is negates sonic booms1. It’s this weave that allows A rank Valkyries to move at speeds in excess of Mach 2, when the situation calls for it. It’s this weave that allows the most massive of Honkai Beasts to even move without tearing themselves apart. It’s this weave, all of it. And we barely know how.

However, this isn’t the time to lament the limits of human knowledge. Instead, I have one last thing to mention regarding the Friction Weave. In certain atmospheric conditions, few of which are even vaguely natural in occurance, the weave actually has the opposite effect. It generates devastating effects of various natures instead, typically vaporising everything nearby.

(Archived note, attached to main document after transfer.) It is this fact that makes me believe that a fully realised Wind Herrscher would’ve been a threat like no other. While we never got any halfway decent scans of Wendy’s weave, battlesuit scanners meant to monitor the condition of Raiden Mei (Atmosperic sensors included to note possible stormfronts) detected forming type 1 and type 5 environments all around her during the event.

1 Which can be rather terrifying when they interact with Honkai Energy, being known to have pulverised solid steel and deafened everyone within 40 meters during testing.

#honkai impact #honkai impact 3rd #honkaimpact3rd #honkai 3rd #HI3rd #Honkai Impact worldbuilding #Honkai Impact theory #technically #more headcanon though but eh~#Honkai Impact headcanon

11 notes · View notes

countlessrealities · 7 months

Text

{ @shimmerbeasts }

If asked later, Rick would have denied it, but his shoulders relaxed a bit as Silco's voice answered from somewhere ahead of him. It seemed like the other man had landed further from the site of the collapse than he had, which hopefully meant that he was less injured than the scientist himself. Having at least one of them able to work properly would have been very helpful in their current circumstances.

"I-I wasn't worrying, just not looking forward t-to having to drag your ass all the way out of here," he shot back with a scoff, but the cockiness he had tried to convey was ruined by the slight slurring of his words.

Useless to say, it was pretty obvious that for once it wasn't due to him being intoxicated.

Rick scowled to himself, mentally cursing his body for openly giving away how bad his wound had to be. He was used to bullshitting his way through his injuries, as he did with everything else, acting like he was more in control of the situation than he actually was. However, Silco was usually too smart to fully buy his crap to start with and there was no way that the other man would have believed his act this time, with all the clues that pointed towards it being a lie.

The sounds of the other's approaching steps snapped him out of his thoughts, just in time for him to notice a hint of unevenness in them. Silco might not have had it as badly as him, but it looked like the Eye of Zaun wasn't unscathed either.

The feeling of those eyes burying into his form almost made the scientist want to squirm. He wasn't too fond of the other man's penetrating looks in general, but in that moment he couldn't even balance the uneasiness they gifted him with how they made Silco look pretty hot, as he usually did.

"Y-Yeah, no shit, Sherlock," he grumbled moodily in response to the statement. And to hell with the fact that his companion wouldn't get the reference. "B-But yeah, it would help if you could get me out. I-I know that I'm a looker, b-but you can stare at me plenty later."

Despite his defensive sarcasm, Rick was more than willing to let Silco remove the rocks that had been trapping him and then drag him away from the cave-in site. He didn't even complain or make a lewd joke when the Eye of Zaun carelessly slashed his shirt open, as one might have expected.

Blue eyes followed the flame as it heated up the blade of the knife, fully knowing what was coming next. Yet, he didn't even try to move away when the scorching metal was pressed into his wounded flesh and the only sound he let out was a soft hiss through clenched teeth. To an attentive eye, it would have been clear that this wasn't the first time he got a wound cauterised in a similar fashion.

"W-Well, shit, that's gonna leave a scar," he commented once it was over, voice slightly hoarse. He pulled out his flask and downed a generous gulp of hard liquor. "A-All this is giving me war flashbacks. Literally. J-Just here we have less lasers an-and bombs going around."

He wordlessly offered the flask to Silco, in case the other wanted a dose of makeshift painkiller, while his free hand reached out to tap his temple. Unfortunately, as it turned out, his cybernetic eye had been damaged when he had hit his head and all he got in response was a light electric shock and his vision on that side turning into static for a few seconds.

"A-Alright, no cheating with night vision," he muttered under his breath. Thankfully his human sight was still as perfect as he had been in his best years, thanks to the repairing agents he had been injecting in his eyes through the decades. "W-We'll have to do this the old-fashioned way."

With that, he tried to push himself on his feet, only to have to stop because of the burning shot of pain that spread through the whole left upper side of his body, starting from where his injury was. Apparently Silco wasn't the only one to be forced to admit that he needed assistance.

"...H-Help me up first, will you?"

#[ threads :: c137 Rick ]#&& Silco #[ v. Portal Mortventures: Summer Rickflections of Iron and Glass ; Zaun regulars verse :: c137 Rick ]#shimmerbeasts #[[ totally worth the wait !! ]]#[[ I'm really looking forward to seeing where this thread will lead to -eyes- ]]#;; queue

3 notes · View notes

haxxy · 2 years

Note

Hi sorry I'm the anon who asked about hrt, I was asking because I've seen you mention considering it in the past! I'm actually nb and on hormones myself- I realize it's none of my business what you do with your body, but I've been following you for years and was just genuinely curious! I'm so sorry if I made you uncomfortable, obviously you don't have to talk about it if you don't want to! Anyways all the love and luck to you! I think you're super cool, have a good night! :)

Dw about it! You didn't make me uncomfortable at all, and honestly my first reaction to the ask was to take it in good faith! I've just been blocking a lot of shitty people lately, so I was a bit hesitant to reply given the existence of like... truscum and such. You know how it is, lol

I don't mind talking about this sort of thing, although it is pretty complicated for me! So for anon, and anyone else who's interested in knowing this sort of stuff, I'll put my response under a read more.

Okay sooo.... the long and short of it is that it's a tricky thing for me to approach

To start with, I have PCOS and therefore have a naturally elevated testosterone level, so theoretically there was already a point in my life where I was experiencing what small doses of T would probably do to me. Some of the stuff I really loved (facial hair, a lower voice register) and gave me a ton of gender euphoria, but some of it was annoying or even distressing (such as having a ton of acne and hair loss). Because of the latter symptoms, I actually ended up getting onto medication (progesterone and spiro -- isn't that funny, it's like HRT in the wrong direction), and while it was really upsetting (and dysphoria inducing) to watch some of the things I like vanish due to my medication (especially my ability to speak/sing in lower octaves godddd give it back), I had weighed the consequences and am generally happier now that my head isn't shedding hair like a motherfucker. This has been something I've thought about a lot in relation to HRT -- if I were to get on it, I would end up reversing the progress I've made with medication and I already know that as much as some of the parts of being on T make me happy, other parts make me miserable. Not to sound so typically nonbinary, but god do I wish that you could just check boxes and pick the parts of transitioning that you want, it would make it so much easier.

Idk, I guess all of that is to say that I don't really mind the way my body is currently, and whatever changes I might like to make are the type of thing that are small enough to sacrifice or can be replicated in other ways, like voice training (which I honestly should start trying to do). I could talk about all of the other stuff that goes with this, like feeling dysphoria for something on one day + then liking it about myself on another day (being nb isn't simple, is it), or the fact that I've actually gotten more comfortable presenting in a femme way (clothes wise) after gaining an understanding of my gender, or how I likely won't socially transition outside of my friend groups (and the internet) because god would be exhausting to explain my identity to people over and over again, but... maybe that's a story for another day, lol

TL;DR If HRT was a character customization screen, I'd jump on that shit, but unfortunately testosterone wants to make me BALD

#haxxy stop #thanks for taking the time to send another ask! sorry if I seemed snippy in my first reply

3 notes · View notes

prismmediawire · 2 months

Text

Lipella Pharmaceuticals Announces FDA Clearance of IND for LP-410 for Oral Graft-Versus-Host Disease, Advancing Clinical Pipeline

Clinical testing of LP-410 expected to commence in Q2 2024

Pittsburgh, PA, March 05, 2024 - Lipella Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Nasdaq: LIPO) ("Lipella," "our," "us" or the "Company"), a clinical-stage biotechnology company addressing serious diseases with significant unmet need, today announces that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved an Investigational New Drug (IND) application for clinical testing of LP-410 in the treatment of oral Graft-Versus-Host Disease (GVHD).

Lipella’s clinical study, titled, A Multicenter, Dose-Ranging Trial Evaluating the Safety, Tolerability, and Efficacy of LP-410 in Subjects with Symptomatic Oral GVHD, is expected to commence in the second half of 2024.

Dr. Jonathan Kaufman, CEO of Lipella, said, “We are extremely pleased to announce the approval of our IND application, and we look forward to initiating clinical testing in patients in 2024. This is an important milestone for Lipella as we pursue a potential treatment for this patient population.”

Dr. Michael Chancellor, Lipella’s Chief Medical Officer, said, “Oral GVHD is a rare but serious oral mucosal disease that currently has no approved therapy. We believe that Lipella’s proprietary oral rinse formulation of liposomal tacrolimus has the potential to effectively treat oral GVHD, while minimizing systemic toxicity. The addition of this clinical asset is a significant expansion to our pipeline, which now comprises three IND-approved assets, two of which have been granted Orphan Disease Designation by the FDA. We are enthusiastic about our path forward.”

LP-410 targets the underlying mechanisms of oral GVHD, potentially providing a safe and effective treatment option for affected individuals. Lipella received FDA Orphan Drug Designation on tacrolimus for treatment of GVHD on November 8, 2023.

About Oral GVHD

Oral GVHD is a rare and serious disease. GVHD is a major cause of morbidity and mortality with chronic GVHD being the leading cause of nonmalignant fatality post Hematopoietic Cell transplantation (HCT). It is a clinical syndrome where donor-derived T-cells attack the patient's own tissues, in this case, the oral mucosa. There is currently no FDA approved local drug treatment of oral GVHD.

About Lipella Pharmaceuticals Inc.

Lipella Pharmaceuticals is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing new drugs by reformulating the active agents in existing generic drugs and optimizing these reformulations for new applications. Additionally, Lipella maintains a therapeutic focus on diseases with significant, unaddressed morbidity and mortality where no approved drug therapy currently exists. Lipella completed its initial public offering in December 2022. For more information, please visit www.lipella.com or LinkedIn.

Forward-Looking Statements This press release includes certain “forward-looking statements.” All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included in this press release regarding, among other things, our strategy, future operations, financial position, prospects, pipeline and opportunities, sources of growth, successful implementation of our proprietary technology, plans and objectives are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements can be identified by words such as “may,” “will,” “could,” “continue,” “would,” “should,” “potential,” “target,” “goal,” “anticipates,” “intends,” “plans,” “seeks,” “believes,” “estimates,” “predicts,” “expects,” “projects” and similar references to future periods. Forward-looking statements are based on our current expectations and assumptions regarding future events and financial trends that we believe may affect among other things, our financial condition, results of operations, business strategy, short- and long-term business operations and objectives, and financial needs. Because forward-looking statements relate to the future, they are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict. Our actual results may differ materially from those contemplated by the forward-looking statements. We caution you, therefore, against relying on any of these forward-looking statements. They are neither statements of historical fact nor guarantees or assurances of future performance. There are risks, uncertainties and other factors, both known and unknown, that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements which include, but are not limited to, regional, national or global political, economic, business, competitive, market and regulatory conditions, and other factors. Any forward-looking statement made by us is based upon the reasonable judgment of our management at the time such statement is made and speaks only as of the date on which it is made. Factors or events that could cause our actual results to differ may emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for us to predict all of them. We undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise, except as may be required by applicable law. Nothing contained herein is, or shall be relied upon as, a promise or representation as to the past or future. In addition, the information contained in this press release is as of the date hereof, and the Company has no obligation to update such information, including in the event that such information becomes inaccurate. You should not construe the contents of this press release as legal, tax and financial advisors as to legal and related matters concerning the matters described herein.

CONTACT Dr. Jonathan Kaufman, CEO Lipella Pharmaceuticals [email protected] 1-412-894-1853

Jeff Ramson PCG Advisory [email protected]

SOURCE: Lipella Pharmaceuticals Inc.

#press release #prism mediawire #stock market #investing #prismdigitalmedia #prismmarketview #healthcare #nasdaq #pharmaceutical #biotechnology #biopharma #LIPO #Lipella Pharmaceutical

0 notes

nerdyarcadedonut · 1 year

Text

10 Secrets About is delta 8 You Can Learn From TV

Everything about Is Delta-8 Thc Synthetic And Why Does It Matter?

Table of ContentsThe 5-Second Trick For Delta-8, Aka 'Diet Weed': Nicer And Kinder -- Or Unsafe?10 Easy Facts About Delta-8 Vs. Delta-9: What's The Difference? DescribedNot known Facts About Is Delta-8 Synthetic?The 5-Second Trick For 5 Things To Know About Delta-8 TetrahydrocannabinolExamine This Report about Is Delta 8 Synthetic?

Delta 8 THC is actually identical in its own impact on the individual body to delta 9 THC - bulk d8. It creates a psychedelic result that the majority of customers quote concerns one-half as strong as delta 9 THC [1] It is actually usually thought about a great choice for those searching for the potential perks of THC without as heavy of a higher or for those that have concerns consuming THC because it induces stress and anxiety or fear.

Delta 8 THC likewise contrasts coming from delta 9 in its own validity. While THC is actually banned federally and in a lot of states, delta 8 THC stays legal in the majority of places around the country. Delta 8 THC is actually a natural substance that appears in weed as well as hemp plants without any type of individual intervention. delta 8 vs cannabis. As such, it's a totally all-natural cannabinoid and is actually not thought about artificial.

Delta 8 THC is lawful in the majority of states and on a federal government amount with just some small regulations. Alternatively, K2, Flavor, as well as other artificial cannabinoids are actually unlawful for belongings, make use of, and also purchase in many countries and throughout the United States (delta-8). It's also necessary to take note that the results and also negative effects of delta 8 THC, K2, and Spice vary largely.

Like all cannabinoids, there's some issue bordering the safety and security of delta-8 THC as there are actually some unfavorable negative effects linked with consuming delta 8 THC - delta 8 gummies synthetic. Most are actually really identical to those of delta 9 THC as well as are more and more likely along with bigger doses. Most individuals state that the impacts of delta 8 THC are extremely comparable to those of delta 9 THC.

Currently, delta 8 THC is actually lawful on a government level in the USA, and it stays legal at the condition degree in many conditions, too. However, there are actually some limitations and also warnings. cloud 8. Presently, delta 8 THC is only lawful if it is actually obtained coming from hemp vegetations. According to the Ranch Expense of 2018, hemp is determined as cannabis vegetations along with lower than 0.

Excitement About What Exactly Is Delta-8? Why You're Hearing About It

The exact same bill authorized hemp for development, production, belongings, as well as sale, together with derivatives of hemp. Delta 8 THC helped make coming from hemp-derived CBD is legal in the majority of places throughout the USA, also where recreational cannabis stays illegal - is delta thc safe. Prior to buying or making use of delta 8 THC, you need to examine your neighborhood regulations to ensure it is actually lawful in your area.

Articles from Missouri Medication are supplied here courtesy of

"What we understand as well as our company have studied considerable amounts of items is that there's no quality guarantee for the last item," Calmness claimed (summit delta 8 gummies). "We understand, for instance, that in several of the products we have reviewed, they are actually two, three, 10 opportunities a lot more strong along with delta-8 than what the package insurance claims. georgia hemp company decatur.

Delta-8 THC is actually a cannabinoid discovered in little track volumes in the marijuana vegetation. Considering that of its own reduced availability, some makers are doing an extraction process of cannabidiol, or CBD, which is actually generously existing in the plant, as well as following it along with an acid sale process that utilizes varying chemicals to synthesize the decided on substance into delta-8 THC (diet smoke).

Each cannabinoids tie to CB1 and CB2 receptors, but the major difference is actually that delta-8 concerns one-half as powerful as delta-9 causing "mellower" results. Delta-8 THC's milder psychotropic experiences and much less unfavorable results have gained it its own nickname, "Delta-9's much younger and better sibling." A removal only of the delta-8 THC material coming from the cannabis vegetation would be actually thought about natural delta-8 THC.

6 Simple Techniques For A Legal-ish Way To Get Stoned Is On The Rise. Is It Legit?

This double connection is believed to generate the effects of really feeling higher. Nonetheless, the distinction between both is actually the posture of the dual bond (delta 8 thc real or fake). Delta 8 THC's dual bond goes to the 8th posture as well as delta 9 THC at the 9th posture of the carbon dioxide chain. Delta 8 THC is a naturally occurring compound in marijuana as well as hemp.

3% of delta 9 THC on a dry-weight basis. The 2018 Ranch Bill created hemp-derived products lawful to buy as well as usage - how to make delta 8 carts. Practically, delta 8 THC has actually climbed in recognition considering that it is actually thought about a "legal way to acquire higher" in states that categorize cannabis as well as delta 9 THC as illegal.

The discussion about whether delta 8 THC is all-natural or synthetic is actually not clear considering that an individual intervention procedure is actually called for to remove high amounts of it. Some conditions, such as Oregon, are actually dealing with laws to transform just how "artificially derived" cannabinoid is specified - whats the difference between delta 8 and delta 9. Some states including New york city have actually forbidden THC isomers derived coming from hemp. delta 8 for sleep.

Many individuals are perplexed about the existing condition of undertakings connected to delta 8 THC. This cannabinoid is actually located normally in the cannabis vegetation, however many individuals are actually stressed it may be actually man-made. Along with all the troubles that have developed from artificial THC before, is delta 8 THC any sort of various? Here, you'll learn where delta 8 THC arises from, why specialists consider it naturally derived as opposed to synthetic, and what this means from a lawful point of view - how do you make delta 8 thc.

Delta 9 THC is the key psychoactive compound located in cannabis (fake runtz gummies). Delta 8 THC is actually identical in chemical make-up yet possesses a double bond on the 8th carbon connection instead of the nine. As a result of this subtle distinction, it supplies a milder psychedelic result, causes less fear and nervousness, and induces a more smooth as well as soothing experience.

6 Simple Techniques For Is Delta-8 Thc “Synthetic”? Does It Matter?

These items were actually prohibited and pricey so there certainly was actually little public passion in 8 THC. But opportunities are altering. lumi microdose reviews. Scientists have recently found brand new approaches of segregating and also removing considerable volumes of the 8 THC from hemp. They're lawful under the 2018 Farm Costs (in many states) as well as price lower than many delta 9 THC items.

Man-made cannabinoids describe materials not readily available in all-natural sources - is delta 8 bad. These materials possess entirely different chemical frameworks, effectiveness, and effect profile pages. Much of them have actually are actually verified to supply sizable unpleasant effects on the body system. Each artificial as well as organic cannabinoids boost the endocannabinoid unit, specifically the CB1 and also CB2 receptors.

Though much more secure, delta 8 is certainly not without negative effects. These are identical to delta 9 THC's impacts, however on a lesser degree. Listed here are actually the absolute most typical negative effects of delta 8 THC. Reddish eyes Dry mouth Unsteadiness The munchies Delta 8 THC is additionally legal in most states and federal government amounts, so it's quickly obtainable.

Delta 8 THC is an all-natural cannabinoid that discusses the exact same timeless cannabinoid shape as delta 9 THC, CBD, and various other phytocannabinoids - how does delta 8 work. This helps make delta 8 THC far safer than the non-classical cannabinoids found in man-made grass products like K2 or even Seasoning - delta 8 cbd. Always inspect for 3rd party laboratory tests when looking for delta 8 THC products.

Others, nevertheless, contend that 8THC threatens to the hemp business's reputation. For additional viewpoint, I encourage you review this write-up along with one more short article I created on the legal standing of delta-8 THC, entitled "Is Delta-8 THC Legal or otherwise?", which you may do by. Also, nothing at all in this particular write-up need to be construed as legal assistance. delta 8 is synthetic.

Our Is Delta-8 Thc Synthetic And Why Does It Matter? PDFs

When a cannabinoid is drawn out from hemp, it is legal through interpretation given that it has no greater than 0. 3% delta-9 THC. In reality, 8THC carries out not contain any type of delta-9 THC. Although they are actually identical in their molecular structures, and also both are THC analogs, 8THC as well as delta-9 THC are actually 2 different as well as unique cannabinoids.

0 notes

chiefhologramharmony · 1 year

Text

10 Things You Learned in Preschool That'll Help You With d9 distillate for sale

The Only Guide to Thc-o Is The Semi-legal Psychedelic Cannabinoid

Table of ContentsNot known Details About Thc-o Is A New Cannabinoid That May Lead To Powerful Everything about What Is Thc-o? Thc-o Effects: Discover The BenefitsHow 10 Signs You Should Invest In Thco Distillate can Save You Time, Stress, and Money.Unknown Facts About What Is Thc-o Acetate, And Why Is It Getting Attention?

THC-O as well as frequent THC (as in delta 9) share the exact same molecular foundation framework - thc-o price. When taken orally, or even smoked, or even vaped, the THC-O particle usually tends to possess a similar higher impact for users relying on the dosage. THC, delta 8, delta 9, and also THC-O possess the very same base structure along with some variety.

Perhaps the starkest difference between a common grass and the THC-O variation is the psychedelic high it makes. Some consumers state moderate visuals. Generally, it seems to become a a lot more strong pot expertise - thc-o distillate wholesale. THC-O-acetate performs the costlier edge when it concerns the THC market. Very few providers create or even bring it, making it challenging for users to receive ahold of it, which drives the cost up (wholesale thc-o carts).

There are a selection of THC-O-acetate items on the market place. d9 distillate for sale. Each product varies in start time, duration of effect, as well as procedure of consumption. Have a look at the adhering to and choose which one benefits you. THC-O extract or even dabs can be actually difficult to discover because this is actually rather much the purest, concise type.

It is actually certainly not the best attractive item to smoke as a result of its unpleasant discussion, however some customers prefer it. Gummies are just one of the a lot more well-known methods to take in cannabinoids like CBD, D8, and also D9, and THC-O is no exemption - thc 0 potency. Customers adore eating delicious, fruity sweets as a way to achieve their intended marijuana experience.

Consumers also like THC-O casts since they have a much shorter beginning opportunity matched up to gummies. Vape pushcarts along with the THC-O prevail in the on the internet market. A lot of providers make vape carts in several tastes that customers may smoke from a typical vape pen. This strategy of consumption could be risky since warming the chemicals and also by-products utilized to produce THC-O-acetate are extremely flammable. what is thc 0.

Getting The Thc-o Acetate: Everything You Need To Know About Thcoa To Work

On the whole, THC-O vape carts are the least risk-free method of intake, and customers must select a various sort of THC-O item. The appropriate dose of THC-O relies on a handful of aspects, like body system weight, height, metabolic rate, and a few various other individual points to consider. As well as, due to the fact that THC-O is pretty new and also recently expanding in appeal, it is actually under-studied, and there are actually no clear or even details referrals for application.

Don't forget, THC-O is actually 3 times more strong than the typical D9 THC. With that in thoughts, you can a lot more easily decide the amount of THC-O you could need to have. Maybe start with a third of the dosage you will usually take of D9, and also after that take even more if or even when you're familiar along with just how it is going to impact you - thc-o syrup.

In mild doses, there will certainly prevail psychedelic effects. In much higher dosages, there will certainly be psychoactive effects and possibly experimental results. 0. 5 mg smoked or even 3 milligrams oral Moderate 1-3 mg smoked or even 3-10 milligrams dental Mild-moderate 5 mg smoked or even 10 mg+ dental Moderate-strong THC-O is growing in level of popularity, and also much more as well as even more consumers are actually curious in its own psychedelic effects.

For the time being, use vigilance when taking in THC-O and keep current with additional existing research as well as the laws concerning this cannabinoid - what is thco acetate.

What is THC-O? What are actually the effects of THC-O? Today, our company're visiting find the results and also advantages of this particular amazing, potent cannabinoid. thc-o effects. Initial thing initially. There appears to become a growth in the discovery of cannabinoids. Our company're uncovering a growing number of daily, especially THCs. From the identification of delta-9 THC to the business of its delta-8 as well as delta-10 variants, we can easily view that experts frequently produce brand new inventions about cannabinoids.

The Definitive Guide for The Risks Involved With Using Thc-o

Additionally, a growing number of remarkable THCs seem to be to become uncovered. In current months, Americans found out a brand new drug created coming from hemp called THC-O acetate or THC-O. Because it's solid and powerful, it's numerous buyers find it enticing, specifically those without lawful access to marijuana. In short, THCO's popularity and attraction derive from its own stamina in addition to its legal status - thc-o distillate syringe.

Nonetheless, their validity as well as safety and security stay discussed. Today, our experts'll address your concerns about this cannabinoid. We'll additionally resolve the potential benefits of THC-O-acetate and highlights possible side impacts. Put simply, it is actually a resource to aid you discover all you must find out about THC-O. THCO stands up for tetra cannabinoid-O-acetate, additionally recommended to as THC-O acetate.

THC and also THC-O were actually found out as well as explore in the course of this period. It was uncovered that THC-O ruined pets' muscle balance twice as a lot as regular delta-9-THC performed - fresh cbd. Despite the lengthy time frame, the drug possessed a detectable toughness, therefore researchers split it from conventional THC. Observing that, DEO scientists discovered THC-O when again when they concentrated on its own synthesis procedure.

While the impacts differ, THC-O and THC were actually matched up to narcotics and also morphine. thco+d9. Cannabinoids were the past, and opioids the last. In their defense, the researchers simply reviewed the extraction methods of the drugs. THC-O is actually obtained coming from THC similarly as drug is actually created coming from painkiller. THC ties along with receptors in the endocannabinoid system that regulate mood, ache, and also other emotions.

Much more thus, THC is actually the major psychedelic chemical compound in cannabis - distillate thc. Having Said That, THC O acetate is a prodrug. Therefore, it is actually biologically non-active until it is actually metabolized due to the physical body. Every individual is actually distinct; for this reason THCO may have a different result on each person. However, some impacts appear to be actually usual as well as have actually been reported by THC customers.

The 8-Minute Rule for Thc-o Is The Semi-legal Psychedelic Cannabinoid

Simply put, 11-hydroxy-THC will definitely be found in your system despite the style of THC you take. It is still unclear regardless if THC-O creates these metabolites at the same rate as frequent THC items. cbd fresh. However, due to the fact that it connects with the endocannabinoid unit at a more significant pace, it may generate these metabolites at a much faster cost.

What is THC-O? effectively, it is actually secure for one! There is actually inadequate study on THC-O-acetate to frankly conclude that it is entirely risk-free. Although research studies on this cannabinoid are still not clear, the fact that there have actually been actually no recorded overdoses from eating THC-O is actually relatively motivating. Considering that THC-O is unstudied, unchecked, and semi-synthetic, there is substantial hazard connected with it (thco delta 8).

Currently, lab exam leads for THC-O are rather complicated to happen by. On the whole, while THC-O performs certainly not seem risky, it is also certainly not essentially safe - tetrahydrocannabinol acetate. Consequently, when obtaining and also ingesting THC-O-acetate products, it is your duty to identify their protection. Make use of caution as well as remain improved on medical studies and the requirements controling this cannabinoid.

Under the 2018 Ranch Expense, THC-O is looked at lawful as it's acquired coming from the hemp plant, and the legislation explains that every hemp acquired apart from delta-9 THC could be lawfully offered as well as acquired. Although THC O and delta-9 THC both have a psychedelic impact on customers, THC O is actually government lawful in regarding 38 states, while its own counterpart, delta-9 THC, is actually federally prohibited and outlawed in most conditions. thc o acetate cart.

If you're brand new to cannabinoids, it could be a good idea to keep away from THC-O acetate due to the fact that of its extreme effectiveness. Every person has a couple of concerns they intend to ask concerning THC-O - thc oil las vegas. Nevertheless, what is THC-O? Our team have each one of the solutions yes every one of all of them! Well, we'll perform our ideal anyway! No.

0 notes

mimosagirl22 · 2 years

Text

Pentadecapeptide BPC 157 counteracts Caramboxin-induced catalepsy BPC 157, L-NAME, L-arginine, NO-relation, from the suited rat acute and also chronic types like 'positive-like' symptoms of schizophrenia

The majority of judgements are made over a case-by-case schedule using tiny accessible facts. It can be cloudy whether set up tips for that additionally happening extremity sarcomas may be correctly extrapolated for the good care of individuals together with chest walls ailment. The only the very first thing inside community control as well as long-term survival is really a wide, full, R0 resection.Hippocampal theta (6-12 Hertz) has an important part throughout syncing the discharge of actions possibilities, finally orchestrating personal neurons straight into large-scale outfits. Alterations in theta characteristics may echo different versions within sensorimotor integration, the movement involving sensory input, and/or intellectual running. Formerly we've investigated septotemporal alternative inside the locomotor velocity to theta plethora romantic relationship in addition to just how which romantic relationship is actually systematically altered as a function of book, bodily space. With the current economic study, we all ask, past actual space, no matter whether continual and also passive sound shipping can modify septal theta nearby discipline probable groove characteristics. Benefits show distinct alterations in the particular incline with the rate to be able to theta amplitude relationship as a objective of appear business presentation and location. Even more, this particular decline in slope habituates over days and nights. The current conclusions spotlight in which moment-to-moment modifications in theta plenitude is often a rich powerful list that is certainly quantitatively related to the two adjustments to motor habits along with physical expertise. Your effects of those phenomena are talked about when it comes to emergent mental features sub-served through #Link# hippocampal build. (H) 2014 Wiley Newspapers, Corporation.Kidney tubulo-interstitial inflammation is generally associated with polyuria and also pee concentration disorders. This particular guided us all to analyze the results from the significant pro-inflammatory nuclear aspect kappa W (NF-kappa W) walkway about aquaporin Two (AQP2) expression with the gathering duct. Using immortalized amassing air duct main cellular material (mpkCCD(c14)), all of us found that, performing separately involving vasopressin, account activation associated with NF-kappa W by simply lipopolysaccharide (LPS) lowered AQP2 mRNA and also necessary protein ranges in a time-and dose-dependent manner however didn't lower AQP2 mRNA balance. Constantly, constitutively energetic We kappa W kinase beta lowered AQP2 phrase. The LPS-induced loss of AQP2 mRNA ranges was validated within rat kidney slices and it was produced equally beneath problems regarding #Link# elevated cAMP awareness and V-2 receptor antagonism. Personal computer research AQP2 marketer revealed a couple of putative kappa T elements. Mutation associated with both kappa N element canceled your LPS-induced decrease of luciferase action throughout cellular material indicating AQP2 promoter-luciferase plasmid constructs. Chromatin immunoprecipitation said LPS obstacle diminished p65, increased p50 and p52, along absolutely no relation to RelB and c-Rel joining in order to kappa B elements of #Link# the actual AQP2 ally. RNA-mediated interference silencing associated with p65, p50, and also p52 validated governed AQP2 transcription simply by these NF-kappa N subunits. We all furthermore discovered that hypertonicity stimulated NF-kappa T throughout mpkCCD(c14) cellular material, an impact that could deal with the actual Tonicity-responsive enhancer holding health proteins (TonEBP)-dependent boost in AQP2 gene transcription.

#Sorafenib #Temozolomide #Caramboxin

1 note · View note

auercbdsblog · 2 years

Text

1200mg CBG Oil Strawberry Full Spectrum Tincture

Little Known Facts About Cbg Oil For Sale - Cbd Tincture.

CBD and CBG look per be far better at various traits, and these 2 cannabinoids definitely beam when they're made use of with each other. Since CBD as well as CBG look to end up being more powerful when utilized simultaneously due to the entourage impact, there's commonly no cause to determine which cannabinoids are fairly "a lot better." It remains the scenario, however, that either CBD or even CBG may be a far better choice relying on the problems you're making an effort to handle.

Just like is the instance along with CBD, analysis into CBG has certainly not but uncovered any considerable negative effects. top 1200mg cbg oil strawberry full spectrum tincture. A 2021 research, as an example, checked out at all the research carried out in to CBG to time, and it found that no severe unpleasant activities have actually been actually mentioned therefore much. Always remember that the cannabinoid CBG and also "CBG oil" are pair of various factors.

There's an explanation CBG and also CBD casts have actually come to be thus well-liked: They're the only form of oral hemp products that grab the perks of sublingual management, helping make cannabinoid-rich hemp casts inherently much more successful (get 1200mg cbg oil strawberry full spectrum tincture 2022). There may not be any main application standards for CBG oil dose however,. Commonly talking, however, the very same guidelines use to each CBD and also CBG application.

To determine the amount of CBG oil you're consuming every dosage, simply inspect the volume of CBG that remains in your container of tincture and also divide that amount due to the amount of CBG tincture you eat. buy auercbd.com 1200mg cbg oil strawberry full spectrum tincture. Some CBG oil suppliers are actually kind enough to note the volume of CBG current in each decline or even dropper total of the tincture (best 1200mg cbg oil strawberry full spectrum tincture).

Unknown Facts About Full Spectrum Cbg Oil-strawberry

Whether you utilize it in the form of CBG isolate or even as a full-spectrum hemp extract, CBG remains one of the most amazing cannabinoids on the marketplace today - get auercbd.com 1200mg cbg oil strawberry full spectrum tincture. Our experts as soon as believed that CBD was actually the only non-intoxicating cannabinoid worth going after in hemp, however CBG confirms that there is actually far more to the hemp plant than our experts pictured.

If you still may not be sure, connect to client service along with any kind of questions you could have. In most cases, just the way a CBG cast maker responses your concerns is good enough to inform you if you can trust their hemp oil or not (buy auercbd.com 1200mg cbg oil strawberry full spectrum tincture). If it looks like they're only in it for the money, proceed - get 1200mg cbg oil strawberry full spectrum tincture 2022.

In a similar way, if you have any type of concerns regarding exactly how we picked the CBG cast products within this listing or concerning CBG generally, do not be reluctant to reach out. It's our objective to deliver the best-unbiased learning on cannabinoids our company can, therefore satisfy let us know if there's something our company missed out on.

How Cbg/cbd Full Spectrum Oil Tincture can Save You Time, Stress, and Money.

Anyone can produce it, market it as well as whack a misleading or maybe straight-out misleading label on their product. Along with numerous brands to select coming from, it may be hard to calculate who to count on. Rather than merely professing our products are actually the finest, our experts show you. All of our products are supported by our batch radar so you may view a certificate of analysis for the product in your hand.

Also some of the most significant names in the organization have actually acquired busted for incorrect lab reports! Our company put a monitoring amount on all products that you can utilize to watch the COA certain to each batch generated - auercbd.com 1200mg cbg oil strawberry full spectrum tincture.

While this is actually a CBD product, usage of this item can trigger a fallen short medicine exam. These declarations have certainly not been analyzed by the Meals & Medication Management. This item is actually not aimed to detect, deal with, cure, or even stop any ailment (buy auer cbd 1200mg cbg oil strawberry full spectrum tincture).

DO NOT USAGE IF THE SEAL IS BROKEN OR MISSING. Laboratory Checked. This is a food items supplement that ought to be actually taken as part of a diverse and also healthy and balanced diet.

0 notes

didanawisgi · 3 years

Link

Jul 14, 2021

Not Covid-19 vaccine-mediated but naturally acquired immunity enables herd immunity

“The single most important objective of mass vaccination with Covid-19 vaccines was to achieve herd immunity! Meanwhile, health authorities and their advising ‘experts’ have acknowledged that herd immunity is no longer within reach. They now tend to blame a number of factors for not achieving this goal. Amongst those, they like to cite disappointing vaccine coverage rates, essentially in the younger age groups, and reduced efficacy of the current vaccines towards emerging viral variants. They claim that instead we’re now luckily heading towards a situation where the virus is becoming endemic and where vaccination will be key to ensure individual protection! Unless one is dealing with a pandemic or epidemic, only vulnerable people (the so-called ‘target population’) are getting vaccinated. As also younger people are now increasingly contracting Covid-19 disease, the need for all of us to get the shot remains unchanged and hence, mass vaccination campaigns are to be continued. That’s at least the narrative that is currently used to convince youngsters and children to take the shot too.

From a scientific viewpoint, the above interpretation of the current situation is beyond shortsighted and is lacking every piece of scientific evidence. First, the weak link between the (rising) number of cases and the (declining) hospitalization and mortality rates, as now observed in a number of countries with high vaccine coverage rates, is not reflecting a transitioning of the virus into an endemic phase. Endemicity is not possible without herd immunity and herd immunity is the last thing that the ongoing mass vaccination campaigns will be able to achieve (see below). The weak link is much more likely to result from the fact that in many cases the vaccines still provide protection against severe disease whereas the infection rate is now dramatically increasing due to enhanced circulation of more infectious variants that flourish on a background of increasing spike (S)-directed immune pressure exerted by the (massively vaccinated) population. As already mentioned in multiple previous contributions, increased infectivity rates in the population will make it more likely that younger age groups get re-exposed to the virus at a point in time where they have become vulnerable (i.e. during a temporary window of suppression of their innate antibodies by short-lived, immature S-specific antibodies). As the vast majority of individuals in the younger age groups have either not been vaccinated at all or only received a single shot of a 2-dose vaccine, the level of their functional (i.e., non-suppressed) innate antibodies (Abs) may still be high enough to prevent severe disease. I presume that this situation is going to change for the worse when i) the virus becomes resistant to the current vaccines (which genomic epidemiologists acknowledge is inevitably going to occur) and ii) the number of fully vaccinated youngsters is going to substantially increase. This is to say that the seemingly attenuated clinical symptoms are unlikely due to a shift of the pandemic towards endemicity or diminished virulence of circulating viral variants but merely reflect the impact of growing resistance of the virus to vaccinal Abs combined with a higher level of viral infectiousness. Growing resistance would still grant older age groups some remaining vaccine-mediated protection whereas younger age groups could still rely on some remaining innate immune protection. How otherwise could diminished hospitalization and mortality rates be reconciled with a steep incline in infection cases? This is certainly not a typical feature of a pandemic that is on the path of extinction!

It is, indeed, quite unbelievable that some advising experts pretend that although we won’t achieve herd immunity, we will still be able to exchange the pandemic for an endemic situation. When does that happen? The answer is: never. Neither disappointing vaccine coverage rates nor diminished virus neutralization rates should be blamed for failure of these vaccines to enable herd immunity. From their very first conceptualization, it should have been very clear that these ‘S-based’ Covid-19 vaccines are completely inadequate for generating herd immunity in a population, regardless of the magnitude of Ab titers induced or the rate of vaccine coverage. Why is this? Let’s first have a closer look at the definition of ‘herd immunity’. Herd immunity occurs when most of a population is immune to an infectious disease and thereby provides indirect protection to those who are not immune to the disease. Mechanistically, indirect protection is due to absence or strong reduction of infectious transmission by those who have been immunized (i.e., the majority of the population). So who concluded all of a sudden that herd immunity would only depend on antigen (Ag)-specific (in this case, ‘spike-specific’) humoral (Ab) responses and nonantigen-specific innate immunity (i.e., operated through several different immune stimulatory and modulatory cytokines and chemokines secreted by immunocompetent cells, including noncytotoxic Ag-specific T cells)? If this were the case, a natural pandemic could never irreversibly evolve into an endemic infectious situation. Here is why S-specific Abs and nonAg-specific innate immunity could never force the Sars-CoV-2 pandemic into endemicity, let alone eradicate Sars-CoV-2:

In the course of a pandemic, the virus will eventually circulate in parts of the population that have previously been infected but see their Ab titers decline below a threshold that protects against infection. Although these people will no longer be able to control the infection, they are still capable of rapidly abrogating viral infection and transmission at the portal of entry thanks to their protective effector memory T cells. The latter will, indeed, be readily recalled as soon as pathogen-derived antigens are expressed on the surface of infected cells. Because of the rapid elimination of infected cells at the portal of entry, individuals with such subthreshold levels of functional anti-S Abs can still significantly reduce viral transmission in the host population. This is to say that even in the presence of suboptimal S-specific Abs, previously primed effector T cells will be recalled to eliminate Sars-CoV-2-infected cells and thereby curtail viral transmission at an early stage of re-infection. Elimination of those cells can take place regardless of the Sars-CoV-2 variant they are infected with as CoV-derived T cell epitopes are far more conserved than the S-derived B cell epitopes. This is in sharp contrast to the immune response induced by vaccination of naïve individuals. Although suboptimal titers of functional vaccinal Abs cannot prevent viral infection and transmission, they may still protect vaccinees from contracting (severe) disease. However, as none of the current Covid-19 vaccines induces S-specific cytolytic T cells, vaccinees endowed with suboptimal S-specific Ab titers will no longer be able to abrogate viral transmission upon re-infection with Sars-CoV-2. In addition, mass vaccination campaigns conducted in the heat of the pandemic simultaneously allow large cohorts of subjects with suboptimal Ab titers (e.g., as occurring after the first dose or between the 1st and 2nd dose of a 2-shot vaccine) to become exposed to the virus. This enables naturally selected immune escape variants to evade vaccinal (S-directed) Abs. Conclusively, the transmission-blocking potential of the immune status conferred to the population by mass vaccination is spike Ab-dependent and substantially lower than that conferred to a population that becomes infected by Sars-CoV-2 during a natural pandemic. This is to say that in the course of mass vaccination campaigns large parts of the population are left with suboptimal / incomplete immunity (e.g., Ab titers too low, Abs not fully mature/ functional, no priming of Ag-specific cytolytic T cells) and can, therefore, not control viral transmission upon exposure to the virus.

This, together with the propensity of viral variants to propagate on a background of S-directed immune pressure, prevents ‘imperfect’ vaccines from establishing herd immunity when used in mass vaccination campaigns at the height of a pandemic. As a result, vaccinees are prone to breed naturally selected immune escape variants and serve as asymptomatic spreaders. This is exactly the opposite of what herd immunity is defined as! It is important to note that coronaviruses have evolved a broad spectrum of strategies to also evade nonAg-specific innate immune responses. S-directed immune escape can, therefore, not be compensated by nonAg-specific innate immunity, even if the latter originates – at least to some extent – from stimulation of S-specific T cells (see references 12, 13 in previous critical opinion article: ‘Why is the ongoing mass vaccination experiment driving a rapid evolutionary response of SARS-CoV-2?’).

Overall conclusion: From the very beginning of the mass vaccination program, it should have been clear that because of the intrinsic limitations of S-based Covid-19 vaccines and their deployment in mass vaccination campaigns in the midst of a pandemic, herd immunity was simply the last thing this mass vaccination program could possibly achieve and that moving this program forward would fulfill all the conditions for driving S-directed viral immune escape to eventually result in full resistance of Sars-CoV-2 to the Covid-19 vaccines. Boosting vaccinal Abs with 2nd generation vaccines is not going to solve the issue of immune escape, even if the immunization with ‘updated’ vaccines would be repeated by 6-month intervals. This is because 2nd generation vaccines will primarily recall S-specific Abs elicited by the first generation vaccines (due to ‘antigenic sin’) and not be effective against recombinations of Sars-CoV-2 variants, which are highly likely to occur as a result of co-infection, especially in the most vulnerable (see previous critical opinion article: ‘Why is the ongoing mass vaccination experiment driving a rapid evolutionary response of SARS-CoV-2?’).

The more rational way to control infectious viral transmission in a pandemic of an acute, self-limiting viral infection and to achieve herd immunity is to use live attenuated vaccines. An even more effective approach to immune intervention in a pandemic is to use vaccines capable of conferring sterilizing immunity as those will rapidly and dramatically reduce (asymptomatic!) viral transmission, thereby providing herd immunity at a low vaccine coverage rate and eventually enable virus eradication.”

#covid-19 #covid-19 vaccine #sars-cov-2 #herd immunity #immunology #virology #family medicine #fav #print this off later #Geert Vanden Bossche

17 notes · View notes

fyeah-anya-corazon · 4 years

Text

Why this is the right time for Sony to make a Araña/Spider-Girl movie

(Ok, so maybe not right now, after this whole mess dies down, but you get the idea....)

So you want to make a superhero cinematic universe. And you want to do it with such classic characters like Solo! And Jackpot! And Nightwatch!

Wait, who?

Yeah, all those fellas have been announced by Sony as potentially being part of their shared universe that started with Venom and is being followed up by Morbius, plus that Spider-Man movies that kinda sets these movies in the MCU but kinda not.

Sony is limited for what can they do, and they’re mostly interested in doing these 90′s anti-heroes. Just really, who is really interested in freakin Solo? Deadpool already exist, so a even more generic mercenary character at this point doesn’t sound appealing. And it’s not like they don’t have interesting characters that break molds and add diverse storytelling and representation to this overcrowded superhero genre.

So let me introduce you to Anya Corazón, aka Araña/Spider-Girl.

So, who is Anya Corazón?

Anya Corazón is a half-mexican/half-puerto rican superhero who is part of the Spider-Man family. She first originally debuted in 2004 under the pseudonym Araña, but since 2010 she became Spider-Girl.

She is awesome! After she gets in the middle of a confrontation between two rival magic clans, she ends up mortally wounded. She is saved by a mage, who would later become her mentor, Miguel and since then became Araña. She originally had a power consisting of summoning a blue exoskeleton, but has since then lost then and currently she has generic spider powers. For a while them she lost them completely and was superheroing without any powers!

She also holds the distinction of being Marvel’s first ever WoC to have her own ongoing series, as well as being the first mainstream latina superhero to headline her own ongoing.

She has had two solo ongoings, as well as being part of various teams and playing supporting character in various events, even been Carol Danvers’ sidekick. She also currently is part of the Marvel’s Spider-Man cartoon, alongside Peter, Miles and Gwen. Here’s a reading order for you to enjoy!

So, why her? Why now?

With Sony trying to launch their own superhero cinematic universe, they need to diversify. There’s so much you can do with “villains but kinda not”.

Probably one of the most accesible things about Anya is how she’s not really connected to Spider-Man, origin wise. She’s a completely stand alone hero who is more spiritually connected to Spider-Man than being a outright legacy character -like Miles- or who has relation with him or other supporting characters -like Gwen or Silk-. She has her own mythology and supporting characters that can be expanded into much more.

As for why now? Sony has a big chance here to mark a “first”.

Latino audiences each time make a bigger factor in the box-office. They represent 20% of the moviegoing audience, the highest of any minority in the US. Latin America loves superheroes too, and each year theres a increase in box-office revenue, with superhero movies leading the charge. Mexico in particular is a country that yearly grows, reaching a all-time high last year, and with Marvel movies being the highest grossing movies of all time. Add to that the success of Coco (which occupied for a while the throne of the highest grossing film of all time in Mexico until Infinity War and Endgame dethrone it) and it’s clear that a well made and marketed superhero film with heavy latino influences would be a hit.

And here’s where Sony has a advantage: there’s absolutely no one making a live action movie starring a latino hero.

Warner for a while commissioned a Blue Beetle script, but it seems that instead they’re making a tv show. So far Marvel/Disney haven’t announced any movie with a latino lead. So if Sony wanted a chance to grab a audience that neither of the big two haven’t, is this one. The fact that she is charismatic young girl as the lead just adds to the likeness factor!

And as I said, she’s currently part of the leads in a cartoon show, so she isn’t entirely obscure among younger audiences as one might think!

Personally, she’s my favorite superhero. There’s so much she resonates with me as a mexican myself with cuban descent. The first time I discovered her I googled “best mexican superheroes” and immediately became my introduction to comics. Her story has topics of immigration, identity and the type of crimes we suffer in Mexico, with a dose of urban fantasy and superheroics!

So anyway, hopefully we’ll get loud enough for someone to tackle a potential movie!

#Anya Corazon #SpiderGirl #Spider Girl #SUMC #Sony's Universe of Marvel Characters #MCU #Marvel Cinematic Universe #Marvel #Araña #Arana #SpiderMan #Spider Man #Spider-Girl

222 notes · View notes

cats-moss-gays · 4 years

Text

@terflies

You’ve been all over my posts so I’m just going to consolidate into this one. I’m tired of scrolling past your long and quite frankly boring responses. This post will be divided into sections. If you’re going to respond please say something interesting. However I doubt either of us will ever change the other’s mind. These are kind of like closing statements and I doubt I’ll make anymore major responses because I’m trying to stay focused on offline things.

1. Unanswered Questions

There are some questions and statements in my reblogs that you conveniently ignored.

Definition of a woman? You responded with some generic bs that very clearly isn’t an answer. I’ll be more specific, what should the dictionary definition be? Any ideas?

If I don’t feel like a woman am I allowed to identify as one? You said you weren’t going to humour this question but it is applicable to me and many other gc women. I definitely don’t have any internal feeling of womanhood, or any gender. Does this mean I have to be agender? Is the female gender label restricted to a certain feeling? Or is there absolutely nothing that women have in common?

What is the feeling of womanhood? You kind of answered this but I have a follow up question. You say the feeling of womanhood is enjoying being perceived as a woman. If I feel indifferent to this does it mean I’m not a woman? Additionally, many women feel uncomfortable with being perceived as a woman because of the misogyny associated with the label, does this make them men?

2. Inaccurate Statements and Lies

I don’t believe any “TRAs” define women by gender roles

You may not but there are many who do. It’s also important to point out how deeply ingrained gender roles are in society; you can’t stop them by just saying your choices exist in a vacuum. I’m sure you think I’m just making this up for fun, so here are some examples ;) x - x - x - x - x - x - x - x - x - x - x - x - x - x - x - x

So this whole…thing is dishonest from the start. Gender does not replace sex.

In another post you said that laws should be based on gender instead of sex. So which is it, either gender isn’t replacing sex or it is. When feminists talk about sex based oppression they’re called terfs. When gay people say their attraction is based on sex they’re called transphobic. When people were saying that only females get cervical cancer, they were called violent transphobes. Gender is absolutely attempting to replace sex as the basis of legal protections, safe spaces, political movements, etc. Two of the top post on my blog are more extreme example of this. x - x

BONUS: You’re saying TERF rhetoric

3. The “Questions” Post

You seem very confused about how to define biological sex and to some extent I understand that but you have to stop playing dumb. There must be some way that doctors are able to identify the sex of a fetus before it’s even born in the vast majority of cases, right? And before you try to say I’m just ignoring the existence of intersex people or trying to deny science, I’ll point out that I have watched and read a lot of “sex is a spectrum” stuff. I understand that DSDs exist and that biology is complicated. Our disagreement is mostly not over the facts but over how to define them. I know that however I explain it you’ll pretend you don’t understand it, so instead I’ll just link you to some other sources that explain it more in depth. x - x - x - x - x - x - x - x - x

A third sex—and many creatures have more than two—does not necessarily mean a third gamete. Mostly this question is a childish distraction, but if you were to use a strict, gamete-based definition of sex the answer would be “none”.

So all infertile people are a third sex? To be female you have to be able to bear children? And you call me regressive, yikes. This can be debunked with the same sources from above but I wanted to feature it in my post because I want people to know that you think there’s a third sex.

I made a quick little chart to compare all the things gender has been compared to! The difference is that while many are socially defined, gender is socially constructed. If someone never interacted with other humans, they would still have a skin color, have or not have specific abilities, have a sexual orientation, and be male or female. They would not have an observable gender identity.

1 - You refuse to humor my questions about being a woman who doesn’t feel like one, however this is not in bad faith; I do want to know what you think. Many gc/radfems, including myself, and many women in general do not have a specific feeling of gender. This is especially true for gnc women, who often feel a disconnect from the feminine gender role and subsequently, the feminine gender. The solution is to realize that there are no standards to conform to to be a woman, no clothes or interests or feelings, just the biological reality one is born with.

2 - You say “the feeling of womanhood is enjoying being called a woman” but what does that mean? It’s circular reasoning, a fallacy called begging the question. How do you know you are a woman? If I gave up being a terf on tumblr, how would you advise that I identify if I don’t think I feel like a woman? My current plan was to just pick the mogai flag with the prettiest colors, but I’m thinking maybe there’s more to it than that...

3 - See my explanation above. Sex is comparable to race or disability or sexuality; gender is not.

4 - You say genders are social classes. If they are indeed social classes, they are unnecessary ones that reinforce oppression. They are undefinable when not based on biological sex or gender roles. The other example of classes I can think of is wealth. Wealth classes have obvious divisions, you can’t just identify into more money. Gender has nothing that is shared by every woman, man, or nonbinary, so you can just identify in and out of classes. Additionally, if there are like 100 genders, are there 100 classes?

4. The “Biological” Sex Post

Gender does not replace sex

Then why are TRAs trying to say sexuality, legal protections, bathrooms, spaces, political movements, etc should be based on gender instead of sex? You keep contradicting yourself; you should talk to your fellow trans activists because many would disagree. Also see my response in part two.

A number of points here aren’t factually wrong but simple (*simply) irrelevant

So you would agree that biological sex is important and that it is relevant to many conversations? Then why were people getting mad about this?

Or this?

On to the specific examples. This post is long enough already and I’m not going to spoon feed basic biology to you because you’ll probably just ignore it. I referenced a variety of sources earlier. I’ll just reference Invisible Women since it’s an amazing book.

1. This first point is, appropriately enough, true in isolation; it just doesn’t support Paradox Institute’s argument. Listing it leads the audience to believe that truth is on their side, but PI do nothing at all to justify that.

So nothing here is true? They’re just lying? Here are their sources btw.

2. Generally irrelevant, but not entirely biologically accurate, either. It isn’t that ‘male’ and ‘female’ are categories intrinsic to nature that produce small, motile and large, immotile gametes respectively; ‘male’ and ‘female’ are labels we assign (generally, but not always) according to gamete size.

So it’s not relevant that one sex has the ability to carry children or menstruation or get an abortion? It’s not like there’s any issues women face specifically for that, right? So we assign the labels male and female to gametes. If you want to play semantics, sure, we created the words, but the gametes themselves already existed. Not really sure what you’re trying to say here other than disagreeing for the sake of disagreeing and moving some words around. Are you implying that the categorizations of gametes are subjective? Are you saying there’s a spectrum of gametes?? Are eggs just big sperm and sperm just small eggs??? Genuinely have no idea what the fuck you’re trying to prove here.

3. Whatever your opinion of evolutionary psychology, this does not preclude gender. (On the contrary, we ought to include gender in our understanding of cultural development with respect to sex.)

The only gender in history was gender roles, and both were tied to sex in most cases. Sex absolutely came before gender and is more integral to our existence. In any time before the last few decades, gender and sex were basically synonyms.

4. Entirely a straw argument. And, to the contrary, precision greater than two sex categories would be beneficial (i.e. specific sex characteristics, history, endocrinology etc.).

Obviously doctors don’t just diagnose based on sex, they factor in medical history and other traits. Precision is irrelevant because it still focuses on sex not gender. If it’s “entirely a straw argument” why did someone else reblog your response with this?

Speaking as a member of a medical family, the medical one fucking OFFENDS me.

Blood type HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH GENDER. Or biological sex! Both are totally irrelevant! And medication dosage is determined by AGE and SIZE. A 25-year-old 160-pound person with a penis needs the exact same dose as a 25-year-old 160-pound person with a vagina. In fact, possibly LESS of a dose, if the person with a penis is 5’10” and the person with a vagina is 5’5”. (The taller person may be underweight.)

This is just. UGH. I could scream.

@prismatic-bell this is one of the funniest and dumbest replies I’ve ever gotten. First of all “member of a medical family” tf is that lmao. This reminds me of that post where the “medical worker” tra turned out to be a garbage collector guy. I have no idea why you brought up blood type when it is literally never mentioned in the original post. Strawman much? Fucking obviously blood type isn’t affected by sex, and you’re completely missing the point if you think gender has anything to do with this. Medication dosage is decided by age and size, yes, but also biological sex. This is like basic medical science, dumbass. Mandatory reading from Invisible Women as punishment for your stupidity crimes:

People called her a terf for this :)

5. How sports are best divided is a far broader question than this point implies. We could, for example, segregate sports by relevant physical attributes (as is already the case in some sports) rather than by sex or gender. This point also presupposes (but does not justify) that a woman having an advantage in women’s sports by dint of being trans is significantly greater than an advantage any woman might have by dint of her natural attributes (which, empirically, she does not) and hence would be unfair. That said, enforcement of “female” sports is already marred by racism and perisexism.

You agree sex and gender are different, yes? So then why should males be in female sports? You’re trying to distract me with that stuff about physical performance and whatever. Focus on the question at hand, should males be allowed into female sports? We cannot eradicate sex-segregated sports because female athletes will be even more systematically disadvantaged. If you were truly a feminist you’d understand that female sports are the result of the movement you claim to support. More Invisible Women facts plus some interesting info about the plough hypothesis:

6. Simply untrue. Excluding trans women from statistics about women on the basis that doing so would affect those statistics is arbitrary at best. Those statistics may change, but that does not mean they are unsuitable or inappropriate. The exclusion of any subset of women can be justified in exactly the same way.

Nope! Stop trying to use women of color and intersex women as justifications for why we should let men pretend to be women. You’ve seen the hundreds of receipts of trans women committing all sorts of male violence. Has anyone found anywhere near a comparable number of trans men doing similar things? They have not, even though if trans men were truly men they would be much more violent.

7. The majority of single-sex spaces are, functionally, just as much single-gender (owing to the traditional equivalence of ‘sex’ and ‘gender’ and to the majority of the population being cis. Trans people have been using spaces appropriate to their gender for decades, whereas concerns about them doing so are based on speculation and hypotheticals rather than fact. (Aided, as with a lot of bigotry, by bad and manipulated statistics.)

I’ve spoken about my opinions on the bathroom debate before. If a passing trans person uses the bathroom of their choice I don’t really care, but there have already been many examples of men making women uncomfortable in their bathrooms, or worse. Making all bathrooms gender neutral is by far the worst idea, but unfortunately that seems to be where we’re headed. More Invisible Women, just for fun:

8. This is the worst red herring, exploiting violent misogyny for the sake of argument. It is another straw argument, too, since—even ignoring trans-positive feminism in practice and assuming trans people act only in self-interest—trans people are concerned with addressing such injustice.

Sure, many trans people are supportive of feminism. But we can’t effectively dismantle the patriarchy if we can’t accurately describe the (sex-based) oppression involved. Women are routinely silenced when talking about our biology, even when there is no “transphobic” language involved. “Trans-positive feminism” also often reinforces misogyny by supporting sex work and porn, and by shutting down analysis of things like femininity and makeup because “some women like it.” See also from trans activists: misogyny racism homophobia + lesbophobia

9. Similar to (7) there is no consistent distinction between sex and gender across law. Even so, this is another red herring as it is possible to recognise both sex and gender in laws and policies. Some laws already do (at least functionally, if not explicitly).

You can deny it but the TRA train is leaving without you and they’ve been clear about their goals. As you’ve seen in this post, gender is intended to replace sex. Those who bring up sex-based issues are silenced as “terfs” who deserve the hatred thrown at them.

Sorry for making such a long post but I was on a roll so I just kept writing. I don’t expect @terflies to respond to all of this but I wanted an excuse to make some sort of masterpost that links to a lot of my other posts and can be used in the future. Online school is going pretty well and I’m trying to start some doing some hobbies that are better than tumblr blogging.

#my posts #discourse #factfem #receipts #masterpost #there's so many things mentioned in this post i'm not going to bother tagging them all #debunking anti terfs #terf

35 notes · View notes

jenniferisacommonname · 3 years

Text

T-Minus

Is the hotel nice? Well… it’s enough, anyway. There’s no microwave in the room—a major oversight on my part—but there’s one in the lobby I can use, next to an array of snacks that are only moderately overpriced, considering. We’re less than half a mile from our daily destination, and even closer to a CVS that sells the medicine I forgot to pack. On the other hand, that CVS offers no bottled water to accompany the dose: instead, their nearly-barren drinks cooler sports a yellow sign reading, “NEEDS REPAIR DO NOT RESTOCK SELL THROUGH INVENTORY,” even though it’s apparent the task can never be accomplished because some of that inventory has been trapped inside a massive slag of ice flowing off the back wall. It’s clearly been a problem for a while.

But the middle-groundness of the hotel and its environs are actually a perfect fit for this little non-vacation I’m on. You see, my son is attending a three-day program for teens at NASA, and I am his chauffeur. The daddy-daughter bonding is in full swing back in Austin, and there are precisely zero responsibilities hanging over me between the hours of 7:30 am and 4:00 pm. It’s a freedom that, like the hotel, sounds mundane, but suits my current needs better than I could hope for. I haven’t been really alone since… well, it depends on how we’re measuring. In one sense, it’s been a little over a year, since the 2020 Spring Break that never ended. But in another, more philosophical sense, it’s been 15 years as of this morning, when my son’s birthday trip to NASA turns literal for a day.

The fact that we have just three years left with him is not especially disturbing; much moreso is the fact that his little sister has just turned 13, meaning we have only five years left with any children at all. And who, then, will I be? Because while it sucks to admit, I have in many ways forgotten. Faced with three days alone in a mediocre city, I wasn’t bereft of ideas on how to spend my time, but I did struggle to judge their relative value, as a person with long-dormant tastes and opinions. Did I want to go to a museum, or make a few dents in my decade-and-a-half nap deficit, or just stare at the wall and revel in the fucking silence? This past year has been tough, but the truth is that other years have been tougher, and absolutely none of them have been easy since I blindly started this project of creating humans.

To be clear, I don’t regret having kids—or perhaps I do, but I would also regret not having them? I’m generally a person who regrets missing out on any experience, good or bad. But recently, I’ve been replaying an old memory from my wedding day, some 18-ish years ago. In the midst of the festivities, I found myself seated between my new mother-in-law and the mother of the best man, who had known each other for exactly as long as my husband and his friend had. I mentioned my fondness for big families, and my desire to have four children.

“Oh, don’t do that,” my mother-in-law said.

“No, definitely don’t do that,” said the best man’s mother, at almost exactly the same time.

I laughed; they didn’t. “I’m sitting here between two women who both had four children themselves!” I pointed out, still thinking this was one of those Exasperated Chic, wine-o’-clock throw pillow kind of conversations.

“Yes,” they agreed. “That’s right.” Absolute deadpan.

And yet, because I’m me—or because I was who I was then, who may or may not be who I am now, because who even knows—I took it as a sort of challenge, as if they were implying that I wasn’t capable of pulling off the same feat they had. I really, truly, didn’t understand it for the clear warning it was until years later. And the Catch-22 is they couldn’t say it to either of their own daughters, just like my mother couldn’t say it to me, even though I’m confident she’d go back and live her life differently given half a chance. You can’t tell your own kids that having kids is a bad idea. You also can’t tell your nonexistent kids that not having kids is a bad idea. We’re all stuck advising strangers who aren’t inclined to take our word for it.

My gut feeling is that the “having kids” side of things still comes out ahead, because the bulk of the obligation does end eventually, and you get to go back to living only for yourself. Mark one down for having your cake and eating it, too. The question is, are you able to? Do you buy into society’s lie that everything good happens in your twenties and thirties, and spend the rest of your life wallowing in missed opportunities? Or do you perhaps see the myriad self-reinventions the world offers, only to discover that you no longer remember how to be someone at all?

Anyway, I decided not to make a plan, and just see where the three days took me. It’s not who I used to be—childless Jennifer was a planner, through and through—but I found, at least, that I could trust in being satisfied with what I chose, even if it was nothing. It turns out I do still have the ability to be myself, I just can’t predict in advance who that person is going to be. I was open to finding out.

So I went to Bed Bath & Beyond—because I’m a person who is picky about their pillows, but too embarrassed to travel with their own. I’m a person who goes out and solves a problem quickly and efficiently, and who is absolutely not too embarrassed to walk through a hotel lobby carrying what is obviously a just-purchased replacement for their shoddy offerings.

I washed my car at one of those fancy places with the vacuum tubes and interior wipes—because I’m a person who likes things to be clean, and who judges other people when their car floors are filthy even though mine have been for over a decade. I’m a person who prefers to keep things clean in the first place, and resents cleaning up after others so much that I usually just end up leaving it. But I’m also person who doesn’t mind getting down and scrubbing when I know that it will stay clean (for at least two more days, anyway.)

I had a big plate of Tex-Mex. That one wasn’t a revelation, to be honest—if there’s one facet of my personality that has survived parenthood, it’s a willingness to indulge in Tex-Mex at every opportunity. I also ate an entire box of Rice Krispie Treats over the course of the weekend.

I watched a bunch of TV shows and movies that my family would find uninteresting, and when my son got back in the evening, I watched one of them again—because I wanted to, and he didn’t know I’d already watched it just hours earlier.

And, I wrote this. Because thankfully, it turns out I’m still a person who writes for her own fulfillment, not just as a means of escape. And when the real escape comes in a few years, I now know at least a few of the things that will be waiting for me on the other side.

#parenthood #empty nest #teenagers #wine o'clock #live laugh love #gross #no thank you

2 notes · View notes

dreaminginthedeepsouth · 3 years

Link

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

May 4, 2021

Heather Cox Richardson

In any normal era, the big story right now would be the country’s dramatic economic recovery from the recession sparked by the coronavirus. In the first three months of 2021, the economy grew by 1.6% as economic stimulus measures kicked in and people started to buy things again. Amazon posted profits of $8.1 billion for the first three months of the year; the same months last year brought the company $2.5 billion. Supply chains are still frayed, pushing prices upward, but those problems are expected to ease as the chains heal.

At the beginning of the year, economists predicted just 0.6% growth, because they did not expect vaccinations to go into circulation as quickly as they did, and they expected the recession to linger for months. If the current growth rate holds, it would mean an annual rate of 6.4% (it’s unclear, of course, if it will hold).

For the last three weeks, jobless claims have dropped. Restaurants and service industries are not in as good a shape as consumer goods, but they should recover as more and more people get vaccinated. We are still down about 8.4 million jobs lost during the pandemic, but employment is moving in the right direction.

This economic turnaround is possible because of the administration’s vaccine program. That’s another huge story. Just four months ago, it was unclear how vaccinations would happen, and how long they would take. But Biden clearly considered the vaccination program his top priority, a way to prove that an efficient federal government was indeed vital to the country.

As of Monday, more than 56% of U.S. adults have had at least one dose of the vaccine, and more than 246 million doses have been administered. Biden is aiming to get 70% of Americans vaccinated by July 4 and is trying to make getting vaccines even easier to help persuade everyone to get them. The administration wants pharmacies to give shots to walk-in patients, for example, and is giving more doses to rural areas to cut travel distances. Today, the administration announced that states whose people are refusing the vaccine will be able to decide if they want the vaccines allocated to them as a percentage of their population. If not, they can choose to contribute those they don’t want to a federal pool from which states eager for more could pull.

Biden appears to be betting that Americans of all parties will pay attention to what he is accomplishing and stop listening to Republican lawmakers, who are living in an entirely different political reality than the Democrats.

But it’s hard to get airtime for good, solid, progress when Republican leadership is openly feuding, the former president’s advisor Rudy Giuliani is in front of cameras talking about the Ukraine scandal that led to Trump’s first impeachment, and a federal judge today whacked Trump’s second attorney general, William Barr, for misleading her, Congress, and the public about the Mueller investigation into Russia’s interference in the 2016 election.

The fight between House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and Representative Liz Cheney (R-WY) is escalating. To court the Trump base, McCarthy is trying to bring the caucus together behind the former president, but Cheney refuses to overlook the January 6 insurrection. She is adamant that Republicans must push back on the Big Lie that Trump won the 2020 election, while the Republicans are coming together behind that lie. New York Representative Elise Stefanik, a Trump loyalist, is working to succeed Cheney as the third most powerful Republican in the House. Swapping Stefanik for Cheney will cede the party to Trump once and for all.

On her side, Cheney has the fact that there are already 400 federal cases against the January 6 insurrectionists, and those cases will be in the news, with videos and evidence, in the coming months, constantly reminding people that the Trump Republicans are defending that insurrection. And she is calm and measured, while the Trump loyalists are represented by provocateurs like Lauren Boebert (R-CO), fond of parading around with her guns; Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA); and Matt Gaetz (R-FL) who is currently entangled in a sex-trafficking scandal involving minors. Cheney can do a lot of damage to a Trump party if she wants to.

Tying the party to Trump and the Big Lie also means that party leaders will have to weather whatever might come of the federal investigation into Giuliani, who is publicly accusing officials at the Department of Justice of trying to get to Trump through him. But the investigation into Giuliani’s work in Ukraine began not under Merrick Garland, the current attorney general, but under William Barr, Trump’s attorney general. And today, federal prosecutors in Manhattan asked U.S. District Judge J. Paul Oetken to appoint an outside lawyer, known as a “special master,” to review the evidence investigators took from Giuliani’s home and office to avoid accusations of political bias.

Since the search, legal analysts have been very visible in the media, suggesting that Giuliani is in, as Trump critic George Conway said, “deep s**t.”

Another story today also grabbed headlines away from Biden and kept the focus on the former president. U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson issued a strongly worded opinion ordering the Justice Department to release a 2019 memo connected to whether Trump should have been charged with obstructing justice during the Russia investigation. Jackson accused the DOJ under Barr’s tenure of misleading her, Congress, and the public both about the memo and about the Mueller Report itself.

The DOJ has until May 17 to decide if it will appeal her ruling or release the memo.

This weird dichotomy between the things that are going very right in the new administration and the things that are going very wrong has unusually profound implications. Republican lawmakers in the states are doing all they can to skew the mechanics of government so they can regain control of the country no matter how unpopular they are.

Paying attention to the fireworks on the Republican side of the aisle threatens to drown out the extraordinary things the Biden administration has already accomplished. But ignoring the growing radicalism of the Trump party threatens to downplay just how dangerous it really is.

—-

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

#Heather Cox Richardson #Letters From An American #corrupt GOP #criminal GOP #effective government #political #economic recovery

2 notes · View notes

phoenixtakaramono · 4 years

Text

Finders Keepers

Ch6 Preview: _cynosure

“Hey, hey!” Jack demanded. Coffee nearly splashed out of the mug when he slammed it down on the aluminum surface of the folding table which’d served as his workstation, the mug nearly avoiding his pocketwatch. “How come it’s front and center—next to me?”

The sigh that answered Jack through the comm sounded weary. And it hadn’t been the first, nor the last, time it’d been heard.

The days after the assassination attempt had passed by like a whirlwind. Each time Jack rose with the morning sun, he’d woken up to a hunger gnawing within him. It was a bloodthirst that demanded to be satiated and an all-consuming compulsion to piece together the new puzzle set in front of him. Security had been tightened. Rhys and the loaders had been seen following him doggedly. Even past acquaintances Jack had met intergalactically had actually commed or ECHOed him.

While he basked in the sudden attention, the cynical part of him understood that the demonstrations were ultimately superficial and self-serving. He’d find memos around the Hyperion offices of Opportunity advising him to take insurance against further security risks, and he’d crumble the paper into tight, little balls. Robots that were sent as human proxies ended up being riddled with bullet holes once Jack got tired of their constant nagging.

It was just unfortunate that there had been no survivors to interrogate. Everyone who’d been in that room had been either too skilled or lucky, shooting down the terrorists. Even so, it’d been interesting when he had the bloody corpses examined. They might have been disguised in Hyperion yellow, but he’d thought the make and model of their combat gear resembled the disgraced Crimson Lance soldiers and assassins. That theory only fell to the wayside when the coroner showed him the mess of organic tissues and inorganic parts soldered together in an amalgamation of bioware that made up their anatomies.

To Jack’s recollection, he didn’t remember any surviving Lance units being anything but human. Cybernetics was controversial across the galaxy, with few brave enough to undergo the augmentations. All sorts of laws and restrictions existed to restrict the installation and use of it. Few were willing to amputate their limbs or have cyberware technology implanted into their muscle and nervous system—even with sensory performance improvements and advantages. The only exception to that he could think of was his enforcer, Wilhelm, who wanted to be more cyborg than man.

All and all, the failed assassination attempt had been spun into publicity story—of how it was only due to the presence of the great and mighty hero who had saved his cohorts. Handsome Jack was the hero who overcame all odds to fight for his people. Terrorism was no match for their hero.

Maintaining such notoriety, however, wasn’t without its downsides. He’d been met with begrudging respect and disdain as he spun his web to ensnare the wealthy or the influential and to keep them from taking the next shuttle out. He’d even contributed his own credits—Hyperion’s finances—to the emergency relief funds generated to aid any victims and to rebuild the corporate offices. Of the brave cynics who’d questioned how truly safe their developing utopia could be if such an attack occurred on their soil, Jack made sure to silence and have examples be made out of them, whether it have been through arrests, blackmail, bribery, hefty fines, or even their deaths. The rallying cry of his supporters, with the underbelly of Hyperion propaganda blaring constantly and the societal pressure of its loyal citizens and classism, served to help drown out the majority of his dissenters. It was clear to most that the Hyperion CEO was running Opportunity as a modern totalitarian dictatorship, but Jack thrived in the knowledge of his absolute authority—a far cry from his past. This city would be his magnum opus—one of his three surviving legacies.

While Jack was happy to have things back to a semblance of normalcy since the incident, he was helpless to resist the lure of the stars. Being back on land was appreciated, but it never felt real to Jack. His trips seldomly lasted long; relearning to walk again in the force of the planet’s gravity, regaining his balance and getting his motion sickness under control—they were all great initial adjustments to his routine that he disliked undergoing regardless of whichever homeworld he was visiting. Catching up on current events, pop culture, and life in the time he’d been away made him feel like he was an alien—surreal as it was. Days could have him questioning his sanity: if he could’ve been the only one on this godforsaken, crummy planet with the self-awareness that they could be living in a simulation and everyone around him had been replaced by robots. Those startling moments of sobriety felt like being doused headfirst in cold water, popping up in the most inconvenient of times such as board meetings or over his favorite mealtime, instantly souring his mood.

Those were the times he got trigger-happy. It was a clear indication, when even the return of his taste buds couldn’t keep him satiated any longer, that a trip to the docking bay was long overdue.

He’d even find himself taking comfort in the company of actual machines than with his fellow humans. If he closed his eyes, he could pretend he was back in that world of the transcendently magical and deeply prosaic, with its familiar smell of outer space—vaguely resembling rusted metal—cocooning him. Space was a symbol of liberation from earthly concerns, from petty squabbles and from flapping lips. Pandora was full of bandits and the impoverished, all of whom loathed him just as much as he despised them. The uneducated words that came out of their mouths made him want to bash his head against the wall. The closest sanctuary he could make on this planet that was similar to the floating moonbase Helios, where the wealthy gathered and ambition reigned strong, was Opportunity.

The narrow pale features of his Vice President, Jeffery Blake, was peering back at him through the floating projection. A healthy dose of caution had always tempered the businessman’s mannerisms—an epitome of professionalism—but even he seemed visibly aghast by Jack’s disapproval in this conference call. “Sir…,” Jeffery said slowly, “as I’ve said, we’ve run it by our focus groups. This one was especially well-received—”

So even you’re walking on eggshells? That was the thought that flitted across Jack’s mind.

Jack groaned, slapping his hands on the table. “Pal, you’re not listening to me!” He jabbed his finger at the projection, making it fizzle slightly before Blake’s face reformed over his index finger. He exclaimed, “Look. What do you see? Why am I being overshadowed by my own tinman?”

Like every other propaganda poster displayed at the Living Legend Plaza, on billboards, and even back at Helios, Jack had a team of artists who knew the emphasis of every design was to memorialize the Hyperion CEO in the moment of a heroic exploit. Whether the stories were true or not, no one dared to question the legitimacy—especially not after the examples Jack had made out of his doubters in the past.

Sensing the eyes on him, he finally deigned to glance over his shoulder. The plastic covering of the seat squeaked under him in his readjustment.

If looks could kill, then Jack would be buried twelve feet under with the glower Rhys had been directing at him for the last few hours. Plugged into the charging port, Rhys was currently sitting motionlessly in the back with its arms crossed, strapped into place as all of Jack’s other knickknacks to avoid having his belongings float around. The brown synthetic hair was in disarray, still windswept from the small pandemonium Jack’s arrival had caused at the private spaceport on Pandora. While Jack wouldn’t say what the android had exhibited at the spaceport had been signs of anxiety, it certainly hadn’t seemed pleased with the amount of camera flashes and the throng of bodies that had crowded around them since their arrival. It especially hadn’t liked being ordered out on an errand to retrieve a case of imported alien cigars for Jack and his new buddies to smoke in the first class space lounge.

To Jack, Rhys was becoming more and more capable day by day—even if it did exhibit a lingering attitude problem sometimes, coded into its systems. Despite the personality package of the android’s mysterious predecessor that he had Rhys install into its own noggin, Atlas’ resentment of him seemed to have endured despite the megacorporation having long since been disbanded.

“No, sir, it is merely sharing the spotlight—with you. Everyone knows that you are the hero. After all, how could they not? A mere machine standing next to the rakish, devilish Handsome Jack? You’re the protector; not that robot.”

Jack grunted, removing his gaze from his android.

One thing Jack did like about that stoic man, besides being a damn good salesman, was that the man somehow knew what to say—or what not to say—to get the best results. He somehow intuitively knew how to transverse the landmine that was Handsome Jack, offering fawning words and publicly putting on a show of respecting the Hyperion CEO. Even now Jack could sense the calculating air behind that crafty expression of his.

“It’s unfathomable that you’d be in any way overshadowed anyhow.” There was an evenness to that deep, calm cadence which soothed wounded pride. The man didn’t even give the impression that he knew he was walking on tightrope. With a slight smile, Blake continued, “We are selling an image to the people of Opportunity. What planets need is heroes of today. A fresh face doesn’t hurt your image; in fact, it strengthens it. Besides, the added benefit is that now everyone knows Rhys belongs to you, sir.”

The more Jack listened to his parasitic compliments, to the words drifting into his ears like silk, he could feel a taut smile beginning to split his mask from ear to ear. He’d wanted to reach through that projection and smash Blake’s face into the table. Even though he knew he was being manipulated with honeyed words, Blake’s logic and attempt to appeal to his ego did make Jack subside a bit.

The recliner creaked as Jack sank back into his seat, his arms folded over his chest. His scowl remained on the metallic gold constellations on the blue ceramic mug, with its Dads Need Space Too seemingly mocking him. He could see his own mask reflected upside-down in the black coffee, the rehydrated beverage still full to the brim. No matter how many years had passed, no matter the innovations and technological advancements, the cheap, universally standard freeze-dried coffee still sucked in comparison against the freshly brewed cups that could only be acquired planet-side or at select space stations. Grumbling under his breath, he flicked the plastic straw, sending it careening to the other side.

Safety was priority. Similar to the dehydrated meals of somewhat liquid consistency and the soluble drinks that the Hyperion dietitians had vacuum-sealed into the standard-issued pouches for his flight, the lighter items that Jack had brought had velcro in the back to adhere them to the walls. He didn’t have to look to see his storage locker was full of Pandoran snacks and souvenirs.

By the time that the call with Blake ended, he was pinching the bridge of his nose, exhaling through the mouth of his mask. His foot was tapping a jittery tune against the floor, clattering loudly in the hollow shuttle as the hologram displayed comms he’d made that had gone unanswered.

In the silence that followed the absence of voice, the whirr of machinery permeated the enclosed space, along with the crackle of the comm system as the shuttle cruised among the stars. It was times like these that punctuated how infinitesimal they were in the vast emptiness that consumed them.

The shuttle they were flying in was privately owned by Handsome Jack himself, estimated to be between the cost of the massive space station that was Helios and the cost of at least a quarter of the emergency escape pods that lined that station. Designers and engineers alike, in the dawn of Hyperion’s startup, had tried their best to include enough terrestrial comforts to inspire even the weariest of souls to want to stare into the void that was outer space. Given the weight restrictions and limited space on any interplanetary vehicles, designs had to be lightweight and flexible, serving multiple purposes in low-gravity. But unlike those compact spherical pods, an optional artificial gravitational field had been installed inside the computer modules and ventilation systems—which’d meant squishy human CEOs like Jack didn’t need to tether or strap themselves down to something in order to avoid floating under zero-gravity conditions. It hummed in the background, a constant companion and white noise.

Jack could hear the crack of bones shifting as he flexed stiff fingers. It was a painful sort of awareness; his joints ached and he could get tired so much faster. However much he liked to joke that he was born for the stars, reaching for once unreachable heights, traveling in space reminded him of how he wasn’t as young and sprightly anymore. He’d gotten used to it, but that didn’t mean he had to like it.

It was also only in a private moment like this that he could admit to himself, that as much as he loved hogging the spotlight, isolation could sometimes be a blessing in disguise for him. Yet despite the serenity, Jack’s foot was still restless.

“Shit….” Jack knew himself very well. His eyes shot to the monitor, fixating on the photo hovering on the side. His eyes traced the face of a dusky-skinned woman with piercing eyes and the curve of that sable dark hair which curled up entrancingly against sharp cheekbones. It was one of the few photos he’d captured where she hadn’t been wearing her smirk like her prized cowboy hat, like an accessory. After several more minutes, he declared, “Fuck it.”

And he jabbed his thumb on her name.

The familiar beep, beep, beep of the outgoing call rang hollow in his ears. His thoughts were brewing into a black storm, cresting in the restless energy that threatened to spill over as he laced his fingers tightly under the metal clasp over his chin. “C’mon. Pick up. Pick up.”

Beep. Beep. Beeeeeep. Click. “Howdy there; Lawbringer and Sheriff of Lynchwood here.” A strong voice bled into his ears like smoke, making his nails dig grooves into his knuckles. “Nisha if I know you; Ms. Kadam if you’ve got nasty business with me. Only leave a message if you’ve got something important to say—”

Crack. The table clattered under the fist that slammed down onto it. “Shit,” he said, bowing his head. “Nisha.” His features contorted. Anguish coated his voice. “Why are you ignoring me now? I just...fuck, I just want to talk….”

His hand was throbbing in pain. His resentment flagging, he lifted his fist to inspect why he felt a little wetness. And another curse slipped out once he saw what it was that he’d hit. It was his pocketwatch.

He snatched it, bringing it up closer to eye level. The metal prongs which’d protected the dome couldn’t withstand the impact, the glass having splintered into pieces. The once phosphorus blue glow in the center, which contained his bio-data, granting him full security clearance, had dimmed into black. The DNA inside was contaminated; there was no way he could salvage this.

A voice drifted into his awareness. “...Jack?”

Jack could merely stare down at his broken watch in silence. He felt like a disembodied spectator that couldn’t speak; he could only listen. It was as if his brain was suffering a massive short circuit and struggled to compute. Plip plip plip plip. The liquid seeped between the cracks of his fingers.

Click. Jack heard a strap being unfastened. Footsteps soon clanged on the floor, advancing toward him. He felt a deft touch on his shoulder. “Oh, your watch….” It was phrased as a casual observation, non-judgemental and nonchalant. “Yikes. Give that here. Lemme see.” A pale hand reached down and Jack watched long fingers close over the broken watch.

It was only instinctual; as Rhys’ arm retreated, Jack’s head followed the movement like a gravitational pull, stopping only when he caught sight of the frown on the android’s features as it saw Nisha’s image on the screen. Heterochromatic optics darted from the projected image and refocused on his owner’s possession on his palm. As Handsome Jack’s android, it’d known the timepiece’s functions. Jack had let it analyze its properties before.

“...It may have been an accident, but I’m glad I don’t need to break out the emergency first aid kit.”

Jack nearly jerked back when Rhys reached for his hands, fearless and unafraid.

Rhys’ gaze had transferred over to him, and he watched the awkward tilt of his lips as he squeezed Jack’s fingers. In a charitable tone, he was entreated, “You don’t have to tell me what’s been on your mind, if you don’t want to. But I’d like to help you repair this. It’ll take some time, but may I?”

Staring wasn’t quite the word he’d use to describe what was going on in the moment. Jack’s eyes rested, not unblinking but slowed, locking onto the strange human gesture. Rhys held his gaze but instead of the expected icy hostility, the android almost radiated sincerity.

At a loss for words, Jack pulled his hands back, slipping free from the discomfort of the moment.

“Jack?”

He propped his right fist slowly up against his jaw, and soon the left fist joined. For a moment, he remained silent, ruminating on Rhys’ features. Up close, even he could freely admit to himself that the person Rhys had been modeled after had been somewhat photogenic. Jack wouldn’t say the man had cut a dashing figure—he certainly didn’t look like a model even in the renders, nor was he a pretty boy like the financial advisor Jack had stationed at the VIP Tower of the Handsome Jackpot casino—but Rhys was passable by most societal standards. Well defined, with a sharp jaw and angular cheekbones, tall and lean. (Although his looks were maybe somewhat average in comparison against the ruggedness of Handsome Jack himself, he couldn’t fault the man for being born inadequate.)

While Jack suspected the original Rhys might’ve been prone to bouts of fretting and insecurity from how he’d sounded in the audio logs, Jack saw none of that in the confident way he’d held himself and even now being simulated by this android. In a way, Jack had seen a little bit of his past self in the man that he was learning Rhys might have been, struggling to air respectability to his peers and to be recognized.

“...Y'know,” Jack remarked, “you’re really not that bad of a guy.”

“Uhh.”

He waved his hand cavalierly in the air. “Yeah. If you think you can do me a kindness, go for it. Send it to the best watchmaker I have in my contacts.”

“Got it.”

Putting the computer on sleep mode, Nisha’s picture fizzled out as he gestured for Rhys to take a step back. With a quizzical look, it did as it was told and merely watched as Jack straightened up, wiping the liquid off on his jeans. He ignored the pinched expression it formed upon seeing the small dark stain.

He snapped his fingers twice above his thigh. “Eyes up here, tinman.”

Brown and gold optics leapt up to meet blue and green.

In feigned arrogance, Jack advanced forward toward it. The little rise in the corner of his mouth was a familiar smirk that he’d heard others lament as appearing sinister. “Stand up straighter. I wanna check something.”

“What do you—?”

“Ah!” Jack slapped his hand over its mouth, stopping it from answering. “I didn’t ask you for your opinion now, did I? Now shut up and lemme do my thing.” Without asking for permission, he swept his hand from the top of his head to Rhys’. There was a couple millimeters of empty space between his palm and that coiffed synthetic hair, a negligible difference in reality but it was enough for Jack.

It didn’t matter that he was wearing his high-heeled boots instead of his go-to sneakers. He was taller.

SUMMARY: By some miraculous twist of fate, Jack stumbles across an Atlas android hidden smack dab in Hyperion headquarters. Obviously, what is he going to do with it? Keep it for himself, of course, because as the saying goes, "Finders keepers, losers weepers." What he didn't anticipate was the clusterfuck he'd find himself in, when he discovers the valuable model he'd been hoarding has a hidden backstory. There is more than meets the eye. (It's a sort-of tie-in to the Borderlands and Tales from the Borderlands universes. This is another attempt at an AU, although I hope to pay homage to elements from canon.)

Ship: Handsome Jack & (android) Rhys Strongfork

(A/N) - Ch 1-5 of Finders Keepers can be found on AO3, written by PhoenixTakaramono. For everyone that’s still following this story after my extended hiatus, thank you very much for your patience! If you feel like you’ve read this preview before, you’re not wrong. I’ve made a few revisions, but keep in mind that this preview may or may not reflect the final edits in the final draft of ch6 which’ll be uploaded to AO3 once it’s been complete. This has admittedly been one of my more troublesome chapters to write, but finally I can see the light on the horizon.

#handsome jack #rhys strongfork #rhack #rhys the company man #borderlands #rhys tftbl #finders keepers #phoenixtakaramono #ch6 #preview #this has been the most troublesome chapter yet #which is partially why I’ve been slow #many apologies #I’ve spent far too much time #studying astronauts #to write this 1 scene

16 notes · View notes