#cryogenic solution

[ivfcryo]

Find the top Cryogenic Solution for your Cryogenic needs. IVF CRYO is one of the best Cryogenic Equipment Solutions that you are looking for. We offer services including cryogenic shipping, cryogenic storage, laboratory moving, cryogenic consultations, cryogenic equipment, and maintenance. Our experts will help you, with any query. For more details talk to our experts, Dial: 800.430.9830 or dial https://ivfcryo.com/

[carollakraa]

Liquid Hydrogen Tank Market Growth and Strategic Insights

The liquid hydrogen tank industry is at the forefront of energy storage innovation, driven by increasing hydrogen adoption in transportation and industrial segments.

With burgeoning business growth opportunities, stakeholders are keen on deep market insights and a comprehensive analysis of emerging trends and challenges shaping this niche.

Get More Insights on - Liquid Tank Market

[ivfcryo25]

https://ivfcryo.com/blog/standard-transportation-procedure-human-embryo/

[stars-obsession-pit]

The first time Dani has destabilized, Ecto-Dejecto had seemed like a perfect cure.

Then she destabilized again. And the Ecto-Dejecto did still work, but Danny began to worry about what this meant for her future. Would they need to make sure to prepare periodic doses for her?

Then she destabilized a third time. It was a bit sooner than the last time, but still, no big deal! The Ecto-Dejecto worked. It would be fine, even if he needed to stockpile a bit more than his original estimates.

Then it happened again.

And again.

And again.

And a worrying trend began to emerge. Each time, it was a little harder to bring her back. Each time, the period of stability grew even shorter.

They were fighting a losing battle. Soon enough, the Ecto-Dejecto would no longer be enough to stabilize Dani, and she would die.

But they wouldn’t—couldn’t—accept that. So they began to search for possible solutions.

Yet no matter where any of them looked, every avenue turned up blank. Not even the ghost doctors they consulted (barged into the homes of) could offer up any real advice. Dani’s existence was just too unique.

They grew desperate.

Then they had an idea. Not a solution, but a stopgap. If they could freeze Dani, it might be enough to keep her stable until they had a solution.

Unfortunately, though Danny does have ice powers, he doesn’t have the necessary expertise to turn that into cryonics.

However, he has heard of someone who just might be able to help.

A man from Gotham City by the name of Victor Fries. A true pioneer in cryogenic technology.

…and also a criminal confined to Arkham Asylum, but Danny can look past that. He’s worked with worse people before.

[crazeno]

HI i come baring an au i’ve been stupid ab and lowkey forgot i had tumblr and can share it here

A very basic summary so sorry for the plot holes and shitty wrriting

> CRYOGENIC AU

> Thousands upon thousands of years into the cybertronian war, Decepticon Mad Scientist, Shockwave, revealed his new experiment to dictator, Megatron, in hopes it would wipe out the Autobot faction for good. An infectious Bio-weapon dubbed the “Hate Plague” was unleashed onto the unknowing war soldiers.

.

> A violent virus spread through a prolonged touch, of which the infected would succumb to severe amounts of agitation, a loss of control and morality, as well as exhibiting violent behaviours towards any other life forms.

.

> Quickly they exhibited aggression towards each other, hoping the Autobots would tear their own faction apart. However the plague backfired, quickly advancing through cybertronian kind, both factions finding themselves trapped.

.

> Autobot inventor, Wheeljack, quickly explained the situation to the autobot commanders, having found a momentary solution to the virus during recent encounters, Cold Temperatures, a drop in the atmospheres temperature would halt the spread of the plague on an individual, but would not reverse the effects. Information that could be crucial in reversing the outbreak. But a task as such would be almost impossible with the large spread around the planet.

.

> The Decepticon faction had been completely overrun in attempt to fight back against the virus. Megatron reluctantly fleeing from the war grounds to save his own life, finding the remaining alive Autobots with their base in a secure lockdown.

.

> In a last ditch effort and attempt to prevent further bloodshed amidst the pandemic, Optimus Prime and Megatron formed an uneasy alliance, the raging war between the two factions had been shattered.

.

> Inventor Wheeljack believed he would be able to overcome the virus with a cure, but the current outbreak conditions on cybertron would make time and work near impossible.

.

> Optimus prime reluctantly left Cybertron, taking a handful of remaining autobot survivors, Megatron and what early stage infected bots they could safely secure with them, locked away in a frozen stasis.

.

> The first movements were rather slow, with little time to prepare their travel, energon and resources started to dwindle to dangerous levels, the crew travelling through the vast space for a safe place to land, until eventually crash landing on a near deserted frozen planet, Earth (1 million BCE), where they would be able to safely study and work towards curing the plague, as well as keep their energon stocked and collect resources to fix their ship and hopefully restore their dying planet.

With blood and rage of crimson red ripped from a corpse so freshly dead.

[shitalvacuumtreat]

Shital Vacuum Treat Pvt. Ltd. is the leading service provider/contractor/consultant of vacuum heat treatment, soft annealing process, plasma ion nitriding, solution annealing, stress relieving, Sub Zero/ cryogenic treatment, precipitation, vacuum hardening, vacuum brazing services in Pune, MH, India.

[jesterkoops]

It’s really funny to me to see people suddenly going all SHOCKED PIKACHU after this episode with the realisation that the show will have to address how Helena being complicit in Gemma’s.. whatever it is is going on down there has repercussion for Mark and Helly's (and Helena's) relationship. And saying this suddenly changes how they see Mark and Helly’s relationship and HELLY BAD! NO MORE HELLY FOR MARK! NO!

Really?? It took THIS episode for you to realise this was literally going to be THE major point of conflict for them?? I remember finishing the rewatch before this season began and saying this very thing to my friends. Why else would they even make MarkHelly a thing and reveal she was Helena in the very next episode, if that’s not precisely where this was going to go? This episode hasn’t really changed how I see Mark and Helly/Helena’s relationship at all, because for me it was a given all along this was bound to come up. It was literally THE thing that shot my interest in their dynamic through the roof, when before I was like "meh, another workplace romance between leads". There was literally nothing in this latest episode that changed how I see any of these dynamics. The specifics of whether Gemma was braindead, or alive, or cryogenically frozen, or what have you has no impact on the fact that Helena is to some degree complicit in all this (to what degree, and just how much she actually knows, is still TBD; she's still such a mystery - I have another post about this in the works).

And what baffles me is that some seem to think that the people who came up with THIS show couldn’t possibly find a way to develop this that hasn’t yet occurred to us. "Well, I can't see any other way this ends if not with Mark getting Gemma back, and Helena evil/sacrificing herself for Mark and Gemma/dead" (or something along those lines). Like, sure, that's the most logical conclusion and THAT is what intrigues me: what am I missing that these writers have up their sleeves? It baffles me that it took ONE episode for some to be willing to strip away the entire complexity of the show and the innies/outies dichotomy and the moral and empathy dilemma it is supposed to force upon us through Mark acting as a 'conduit' for the audience.

Pitting up the two relationships against each other as one being superior to the other trivialises innies and their feelings the same way Lumon does. You can't on one hand feel empathy for Gemma's multiple innies and consider their feelings as valid and the impact they have on Gemma and in the same breath dismiss innie Mark's and Helly's feelings as childish and unimportant.

Being able to dismiss innie Mark's feelings as unimportant or inferior to outie Mark's feelings is an easy solution to the struggle reintegration is supposed to present. Take away that struggle, and you remove what's narratively interesting about reintegration.

Along these lines, the last few days I realised that Gemma HAD to be alive for this to be interesting because her being actually dead gives Mark (and consequently the audience) an easy way out. If the whole point of reintegration involves Mark dealing with the fact that he merged a part of him that loves Gemma with a part of him that never did and loves someone else instead... well, if Gemma is actually gone, that doesn't pose much of a challenge for Mark, does it? If Gemma were gone, his predicament would be the same as any other widower who falls in love again. But if she's alive, he has to actually wrestle with the two parts of himself that pull him in two different directions and want two different lives.

And we circle back to point 2: the only way point 3 is narratively interesting is if innie Mark's feelings are just as strong and important and valid as outie Mark's feelings.

And, to a lesser extent, for his feelings to be as strong and important and valid, Helena CANNOT just be a straight up villain because then we would circle back to point 3; it would be the equivalent of Gemma being dead. It would strip the dilemma from Mark because it would be easy for him to dismiss his feelings for her/Helly.

I admit, this is a very very tricky situation to navigate for the writers to avoid falling into cliches and to wrap it up in a way that's original and satisfying. But it's ridiculous to be definitive about an endgame at this stage when there is still so much story to go through. You are literally jumping the gun and reaching conclusions while missing a ton of information and development still.

[sweetcarrotsandroses97]

~ The Weight Of Trust | 2 | JJK

Pairing: Doctor! Jungkook x Assistant! Fem! Reader

Summary: Your life was grey. Just like his thoughts, like his emotions, like his memories. And you ignored it all, the pain, the sadness, the unbearable silence... All because your heart told you to stay when your mind screamed at you to get away from the drowning force of Jungkook's obsession.

Warnings: ANGST, employer x employee, patients in a coma, medical terms, detachment, low self-esteem, diseases, symptoms, death, Jungkook is married, fluff?, yearning, child neglect? needles, medical procedures, talks about a medical experiment, moral guilt? (let me know if I missed anything!)

Word Count: 2.4k words

A/N: Chapter 2 is finally here, darlings! I am so sorry for the long wait but work has been a pain in the ass and school just started. I barely sleep so I wrote so little during the past months. I'll try to get the next chapter as fast as I can!

Let me know your thoughts in the comments, darlings! I'd love to hear from you!

☕Caffeinate me so I can keep on writing! ☕

“(y/n), I need you to schedule a meeting tomorrow with Seokjin.”

Jungkook’s voice reached you, he was hunched over the microscope—again—analysing more samples of tissue you had long since lost count of. You quickly brought up the tablet you always carried with you, your fingers typing the password with sheer muscle memory before typing out Jungkook’s new appointment. 

“Ji-hoon will have his piano rehearsal on Friday night.”

But your words were met with silence. A silence you hated. A silence that hurts the deepest parts of your soul. And to think it had not always been like this. 

“You can go now, (y/n). I have work to finish.”

You sighed, lowering down the tablet as your arm fell to your side. Your eyes studied him for a moment. Taking in his rigid posture, his cold detachment, his monotonous actions. 

“Yes, sir.”

The sound of your footsteps fading reached his ears. His eyes didn’t leave the new sample he was studying and yet, his hands tightened around the small spheres on the microscope at your implications. Couldn’t Ji-hoon understand? Did anyone understand? Everything that he was doing was for Ji-hoon, was for Seo-yun, was for his broken family. Shattered by his own ambitions. 

The door clicked shut behind you, but the weight of the conversation—or lack thereof—lingered like a specter in the cold, sterile lab. The hum of machinery filled the silence, the whirring of centrifuges and beeping monitors a constant reminder of the war Jungkook had waged against time.

He had long since convinced himself that silence was necessary. That it was his armor, his shield. But sometimes, it felt more like a prison.

Jungkook exhaled sharply, rubbing a hand over his tired face before looking back into the microscope. The sample beneath the lens was familiar—another attempt, another variation of the treatment that, despite his best efforts, continued to elude him. A cure. A solution. A miracle.

His grip on the microscope’s adjustment knobs tightened. Ji-hoon’s piano rehearsal.

He should have acknowledged it. Should have said something.

But what was there to say? What was there to ask?

Jungkook knew what you wanted. Despite your silence, despite your quiet judgement, he knew what you wanted. To spend time with Ji-hoon. To be the father he needed. But if there was a possibility to mend his family, shouldn’t he take it?

Jungkook’s fingers hovered over the microscope’s fine focus knob, but his gaze drifted past the lenses, past the samples, past the sterile glow of the lab. Beyond the glass chamber, where time stood still, lay the woman he had failed.

Seo-yun. 

Her body was motionless, her delicate frame encased in the cryogenic chamber like a fragile relic of the past. The soft white vapor curled around the reinforced glass, as if the machine itself mourned the woman within. Her face—peaceful, undisturbed by the chaos he had spiraled into—was the only thing that kept him going.

Jungkook pushed back from the microscope, running a hand through his disheveled hair, exhaling slowly. The pressure in his chest never eased, not even for a second.

“I’m doing this for you”

Yet those words were silent, like his conscience. Only heard in his mind. Seo-yun had been everything. His love, his partner, the mother of his child. And now, she was a patient. A statistic. An anomaly waiting for a cure that might never come.

His eyes burned, but he refused to blink. He couldn’t afford weakness. Not when the weight of an entire life—her life—depended on him.

And he could not—would not—fail her. 

The kitchen was quiet as you served lunch that day, Ji-hoon sat on his usual stool on the counter, his attention drawn to his phone. You sighed, placing a bowl of rice and honey spicy chicken in front of him. 

“Did you add green onions?”

You smiled at his question. He had always loved them in his rice and as he looked up, you saw a rare warmth in his dark eyes. His young gaze softened when he witnessed your beautiful smile as you gestured to the plate. He looked down and sighed in contentment before he put the phone down and his long fingers curled around the round spoon. You watched him eat for a second only for you to turn around and start cleaning the kitchen. 

“(y/n), did you remind my father about Friday night?”

Ji-hoon wasn’t able to see the frown that pulled your brows together, the subtle shake of your hands. But he did notice how your posture went rigid, how your breath hitched in the silence of the kitchen. 

“I will come and see you, Ji-hoon. You know your father is busy right now.”

“He’s always busy.”

The words sat between you both, heavy and suffocating, like the silence that often filled these walls. You turned off the faucet with a quiet click, watching as the water spiraled down the drain before wiping your damp hands on a towel. Ji-hoon’s spoon scraped against the ceramic bowl, a sound that usually meant he was enjoying his meal, but today, it felt absentminded. His shoulders slumped slightly, his dark hair falling over his eyes as he avoided looking at you.

You sighed, sitting down on the stool next to him. 

“Ji-hoon, your father is–”

“Busy, right?”

His voice was laced with something you didn’t hear often from him—resentment. And it pained you to hear it in his sweet tone, in that voice that had once breathed life into this empty house. 

“Too busy to eat with us. Too busy to see me play piano. Too busy to even talk to me.”

You bit your lip, unsure of what to say. What could you say? That Jungkook was trying? That everything he was doing was for him? That every sleepless night, every experiment, every hour he spent in the lab was for their family? Would that even matter when Ji-hoon barely saw his father anymore?

“Friday night is important,”

Ji-hoon continued, pushing his bowl away. His appetite was gone. His heart felt empty. 

“I don’t even care if he watches. I just—I just want him to be there.”

You leaned down against the counter, trying to find his lost gaze in the turmoil of his heavy thoughts. 

“I know.”

Ji-hoon shook his head, letting out a sharp breath. 

“He doesn’t care, not anymore.”

His voice was quiet yet the pain in it was deafening. Your chest ached at the finality of his words, as if he had already accepted such a cruel reality, he had already embraced his loneliness, danced with the silence of heart. 

“Ji-hoon–”

“I have coursework to finish, I’ll bring it to you when I’m done.”

You watched as he grabbed his phone and slid off the stool. He didn’t even finish his food. His footsteps were light as he walked out of the kitchen, yet the weight they carried was too heavy for a fourteen-year old who only yearned for warmth in winter. 

You stayed there for a moment, staring at the half-eaten bowl of rice, the steam slowly fading into nothing. A bitter feeling curled inside you. Ji-hoon had always been an easy child. Quiet, obedient, never demanding more than what he was given. But that was the problem, wasn’t it? He never asked for much. And yet, even the little he asked for—his father’s time, his father’s presence—was denied to him.

You had gotten used to the silence of the house. The stillness during the late hours. But as you sat in your office next to Jungkook’s study, arranging tomorrow’s schedule, decisive footsteps reached your ears. 

The door to your office opened and you looked up only to see Jungkook standing at the threshold, his lab coat on but his eyes, those deep and dark eyes did not hold their usual coldness. 

“I discovered something.”

He announced, his voice laced with bitter victory. You swallowed, putting your pen down as he walked towards your desk. His steps were urgent, the sound resonated through the quiet office. 

“(y/n), I need to know if you would help me.”

You looked up at him, truly looked at him. Noticing the tiredness in his handsome features, the desperation in his eyes, the slight redness of his lower lips from biting it constantly. You stood up from your chair, leaving only the desk between you both. You never broke eye contact, blinking in sync with his heart. 

“You do not have to ask. I will always help you with whatever you need.”

Jungkook nodded, frowning slightly as he considered your words. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed, looking down at you with depth in his eyes that made you drown in the darkness of them. 

“I need you to give me some blood samples.”

You blinked up at him. Waiting for him to elaborate while those seconds of silence made the drumming of your heart resonate in your ears. 

“You have the same blood type as Seo-yun. I-I’m not sure how I didn’t notice it before… you would help me a lot, (y/n).”

Your lips parted slightly but no words came. Jungkook watched you, his gaze unreadable, but his fingers twitched at his sides—restless, desperate. You knew what this meant to him, what this meant for her. The weight of his request settled over you like a heavy fog, thick and suffocating.

Blood samples. 

It wasn’t the act itself that unsettled you. It was the reason. The way he looked at you now, not just as you, but as a potential solution. As a possible key to a locked door he had been breaking his hands against for too long.

And yet, despite the slight heartbreak, despite the smoky hope that intoxicated your soul, you nodded. 

“If it helps you, I’ll do it.”

This was for him. For Jungkook. Not for his wife. Because if he was happy then you were happy as well. If you could help him, he could help her. If you nurtured his obsession, his heart would remain intact. His shoulders eased, just a fraction, and for the first time in weeks, maybe months, you saw something flicker in his eyes—hope.

“I’ll wait for you at the lab. Come when you are ready.”

You watched him with sad eyes as you sat on a stool in his private lab. You barely felt the discomfort of the tourniquet he tied on your upper arm, and the sting of the needle as it pierced skin could not be compared to the sting in your heart as you watched him. 

Just like you always did. 

Jungkook moved with a silent order, a quiet passion, a deep-rooted sadness that kept his heart beating, his hands working, his mind thinking. 

“Tell me if you feel dizzy.”

His voice was deep as he murmured those words yet in the silence of the lab, they echoed in the walls of your heart. 

“I’m alright.”

He didn’t answer. Watching as your blood filled the sample tube before he removed the needle from your arm and untied the tourniquet. He stood up to his full height, cradling the vial with blood to his work station. His long fingers labeled it and put it apart before he turned back to you. 

“Do you think you would be able to help me, (y/n)?”

You blinked, surprised at his question. He wasn’t looking at you, he was searching for a band-aid in his white coat pocket. But your silence made his eyes meet yours. He sighed, crouching down slightly as he placed the round band-aid on the little puncture on your arm before rising to his full height.

“I don’t know how much blood I’ll need until I find a cure; but I do not wish to tire you.”

That voice, that tone, those eyes… they undid you. His normally cold and calculating gaze softened as he looked down at you.

“Just a flask every morning. Fast for eight hours before,”

You felt how his hand reached for yours, his long fingers tangling with your own in a dance that was too methodical for it to be intimate. Yet your heart skipped a beat, your throat bobbed as you swallowed, never breaking eye contact with him. 

“You can have as much as you want. I am here to help you in every way I can.”

Jungkook frowned, feeling the weight of your words setting over his chest. It was yet another responsibility he was about to take. But he had to. If he planned on finding a cure, on restoring his family, he had to do it. 

“Do you want me to heat up some dinner for you?”

He blinked, eyes flickering from your joined hands to your eyes before he untangled his fingers from yours. A second of silence passed, then another. Perhaps you left him speechless with how casual you took everything, or maybe you were surprised with yourself with how willingly you accepted to help him. 

“I… I know you’ll scold me if I don’t eat.”

You looked down, standing up from your sitting position. His eyes followed your every move, looking down at you with a strangeness in his dark gaze. 

“I cannot scold you, sir. I simply remind you of your scheduled time.”

He scoffed, turning back to his microscope. He didn’t look back at you but answered nonetheless in that calculated tone once more. 

“I’ll go to the kitchen in fifteen minutes.”

Jungkook heard your steps fade as you exited the lab and once he was alone again, he sighed. He sat down on the stool you had just been perched on and ran a hand through his dark brown locks of silky hair. What he was doing felt wrong but he couldn’t stop himself from trying. It was just blood samples. Just another experiment. 

But to involve you felt somewhat criminal. You didn’t owe him anything, you didn’t have to help him but you chose to. And that, had a weight on Jungkook’s heart that made him recoil from himself. From his thoughts and knowledge and pride. 

This was a human being he was using for his remedy, a soul, a mind and unknowingly a heart that had belonged to him for years.

June/01/2025

Current Taglist: @toosweetforyall @jksusawife @ttipa @mageprincess7 @chxiosworld @babyitscoldoutside @user-190811 @kooko007 @seokout @llallaaa @prxdajeon want to be tagged? Let me know!

[half-dead-writer]

(Matthew and Gideon are typically both red coded so I switched up Gideon's color to violet to avoid confusion.) I uh, kinda went off the rails with this one?? It was supposed to be a one-shot smut but it has some plot, with feelings, even Also we're just gonna ignore the cryogenic freezers in this one aight guys??

Movie Night (NSFW)

Gideon always pissed Matthew off, but dissing Matthew's favorite movie while he wanted to spend quality time with the both of you was low. Not being able to get Gideon to apologize through conventional methods, you try something different. Would it work? Only one way to find out.

characters: Matthew Patel, Gideon Graves (Scott Pilgrim Takes Off)

words: ~7,1k

reader: gender-neutral

warnings: sex, dom reader (kind of) no beta

𝔯𝔲𝔩𝔢𝔰 + 𝔪𝔞𝔰𝔱𝔢𝔯𝔩𝔦𝔰𝔱 / 𝔖𝔠𝔬𝔱𝔱 𝔓𝔦𝔩𝔤𝔯𝔦𝔪 𝔗𝔞𝔨𝔢𝔰 𝔒𝔣𝔣 𝔪𝔞𝔰𝔱𝔢𝔯𝔩𝔦𝔰𝔱

Tonight's movie fun was supposed to be fun. If only your boyfriends could get along and not get on each other nerves at least for one day...

To be honest, you didn't really know how you ended up dating those two. Matthew and Gideon were far from each other's type, or at least that's what someone would say after spending a few minutes in their presence. They liked to annoy each other (one more than the other), but deep down, you knew they did care for one another. You just had to be patient enough to break up their stupid bickering and keep the peace by reminding them what's important.

"That plot is so unrealistic," Gideon commented with his mouth full of popcorn, "I mean, really-"

Matthew's hush quickly cut him off. "Just shut up and watch."

"But it's boring." Gideon scoffed, stretching himself even further into the couch and lazily putting his arm around you. Matthew, sitting on the opposite side of you, gave him a side-glance, responding in a half-whisper. "Not any more boring than your 14 seasons anime!"

Gideon's offended, sharp stare bore into Matthew's skull, "You'd know it's not boring if you took the time to watch it, it's actually really nuanced," making Matthew's blood boil even more.

"Maybe if you watched the damn movie, you'd see it's not boring too." He muttered through his teeth, forcing a sigh out of you. You knew where this was going too well.

Gideon was ready to hit him with yet another clever comeback, but you quickly nipped it in the bud, sternly calling them both out. "Boys." They turned their attention to you, tuning out the already neglected movie. "Is this really necessary?"

"It's him who started!" Matthew pointed an accusatory finger at Gideon, who just did a "hmph" sound in return. "Gideon," he looked at you, eyes narrowed in an expression comparable to a teen that's been scolded by their parent, "and Matthew. Please."

"What?" They asked in unison, both adamant about not being in the wrong, making you exhale once again.

"You're both acting like children."

"It's Gideon who acts like a whiny child!" Matthew pouted, unhappy at you "taking Gideon's side". "I wanted to watch my favorite movie with my both, lovely partners, and he's not appreciating my efforts! Can you blame me for being annoyed?"

"You should have picked a better movie to be your favorite." Gideon nonchalantly commented, causing Matthew's nose to scrunch up in irritation.

"Gideon." You whipped your head to look at him, pulling out of his embrace to properly sit up. He just shrugged, feigning innocence.

"Alright. I see there's too much tension in the room." Your boyfriends watched as you got up from the couch, putting the movie on pause. They looked at you, having no idea what would be your next move. Were they gonna be scolded like misbehaving children? Not like it would accomplish anything, and you knew you had to think up of a better solution. You were all adults, after all. Very annoying ones at that, but still adults. "Let's take a break."

Matthew was not really keen on stopping the movie, but he knew that was probably the best course of action. Maybe you'd talk some sense into Gideon? He was really looking forward to just nicely spending time together, and even if he didn't say it, Gideon's quips lightly broke his heart. You knew that, which is why you needed to find a way how to get Gideon to cool down on his asshole persona. Well, it wasn't a persona, more-so his way of being, mostly caused by his job as a CEO, which made him more stone-cold than he needed to be while also navigating a relationship with two people.

"Are we gonna talk about our feelings now, or what?" Gideon put the emphasis on feelings, cringing at the mere word. He crossed his arms, well aware of how typically it should go when there's a problem, but getting him to be vulnerable was harder than eating a cactus. The man was so behind on being casually open with his true emotions it almost hurt. Matthew, on the other hand, knew his emotions well, but Gideon's actions were slowly making him more sour than he needed to be.

"Well, do you want to, Gideon?" You asked, still somewhat hopeful it'd be a yes, but much more prepared for a less enthusiastic answer. As expected, Gideon shifted his sight away from you, staring into the corner with an unreadable expression. "...I just don't see the point." He muttered out, not liking the sudden spotlight being thrown at him.

"...Typical." Matthew commented, now crossing his arms as well. They both began a staring contest, getting you to quickly speak up again.

"Alright, no talking about feelings unless everyone wants to, okay?" That sentence caused Gideon to briefly look at you, regaining some of his attention. Matthew just intently observed, trying to decode your next course of action. "So... how about fixing the situations through actions?"

Gideon, along with Matthew, raised their brow.

"So- What? Do we shake hands? Hug it out?" Gideon asked, now briefly amused, regaining some of his bite with the quip. His intention wasn't really want to annoy you, but in the current state, that's as far as you'd get with him cooperating.

"Shake hands? No. Hug... Maybe?" A small smile invaded your lips, you knew one certain way how to release the tension lingering in the air. Before they could ask you more details about your supposed plan, you directed your stare to the wooden doors.

"To the bedroom!" You announced dramatically, hoping to ease the atmosphere with a lighthearted remark. That did the trick, igniting a spark interest from both boys. They followed after you to the specified room, looking at you for further instructions. The comfort of your bed filled you with even more reassurance to your unconventional plan. You cleared your throat, "Since you both obviously can't express your love thru words, let's try something different."

Both boys now caught up with your way of thinking looked at each other with less venom, interested in how your evening is gonna proceed.

"Matthew," you started, making him look at you with curiosity, "sit beside me." He silently obliged, leaving the other man still standing near the bed, hopefully not too bitter about not being picked first. "Gideon, be a dear and rid Matthew of his pants."

The request made Matthew look at you with surprise, later replaced by a knowing smirk. Gideon rolled his eyes, yet approached closer. He kneeled before him, swiftly unbuckling Matthew's belt. Matthew, eager to listen to your orders, lifted his hips to help Gideon take off his pants.

"Underwear too." You heard Gideon's sigh, clearly an attempt to look as bothered by the command as he could to hide his true feelings. Matthew, still very intrigued about the process, looked at Gideon with a cheeky grin, hoping he figured out the ins and outs of your idea.

"Don't get too smug about it, Patel." Gideon huffed, staring back unamused.

"I'm not saying anything, Goose." Matthew's response made Gideon narrow his eyes at the nickname he didn't wanna hear.

"Matthew, please." You gently reminded him to be respectful, making the man quickly get in check, "Sorry, Y/N." Your sight directed Matthew to look at Gideon, "I mean- sorry, Gideon."

Gideon raised his brow with a poker face, not bothering to show his acknowledgement of the apology in any other way.

"Gideon, could you present your amazing skills to Matthew as a reciprocation to your mutual apologies?" You crossed your legs, politely waiting for your boyfriend to take the hint. Gideon mulled over your words for a second, seemingly finally deciding to stop being a nuisance. It was an occasion to finally show Matthew who's in charge here, even if the roles seemed to show the opposite. Gideon craved power and control, being able to turn any situation to his benefit was one of his most practical quirks. In no time, he'd have Matthew writhing under his touch, that'd surely remind him who's the boss.

"Of course, darling." He spoke in a composed manner now, briefly adjusting his glasses before diving down Matthew's crotch. It didn't take long for a sharp gasp to embarrassingly fall out of his boyfriend's lips, caused by Gideon's tongue trailing down Matthew's slowly growing length. You'd feel a bit excluded from the boys play-time if not for the satisfaction you got by bossing them around - it was fun!

Matthew opened up his legs a bit more, letting Gideon rest his hand on his thigh while he was busy working his magic. Matthew's palm would be holding a fistful of your bed-covers if not for your hand which was lying nearby, being a better candidate for an output of his intense feelings. You felt his fingers wrap around yours, which you thought was absolutely adorable turn of events. Meanwhile, Gideon made sure Matthew kept the shameless noises coming, acting as a reward and reason for him to continue.

Matthew's breathing picked up as Gideon tauntingly sucked the tip, his stare focused on the bangs that fell on his face. You were kind enough to pull them away behind his ear, exposing his pretty features. The dark eyeliner was now highlighted with the crinkling of Matthew's eyes. It was hard for him not to just outright close them, but he wanted to observe the man sitting between his legs - it was a rare sight for Gideon to be on the giving end.

From the way Matthew's legs were trembling, it was obvious he was near his end. Gideon wrapped his lips around him and began to swiftly bob his head. His perspective of being in the center of attention changed, now basking in the status of being the main attraction. Or maybe it was Matthew? Either way, he was willing to put on a show for you, with Matthew as his co-star. You felt Matthew's fingers clench around yours as he began mumbling incoherently, signaling his soon-to-be peak.

"Gih- Gi-Gideon--"

Light reflected in Gideon's glasses as he pulled away with a cocky smirk, leaving Matthew's dick to twitch in disappointment.

"YOU DICK!" He shouted out of breath, not even trying to keep his composure. You looked at Gideon, who was smiling from ear to ear. You were about to say something, before Gideon started speaking before you.

"Do the polite thing and say please." He smugly requested, looking at Matthew's red face. He knew he was gonna say anything at this point.

"Fucking- Please! Please, pretty please, just let me-" Matthew sputtered, tired of Gideon's shitty mind-games. Gideon snickered before resuming his work, nearing Matthew's member again, sliding it into his mouth. He didn't expect Matthew to push his head deeper, to the point Gideon choked on the full length, while his throat got flooded with his release. You were quite surprised at the turn of events, but you couldn't deny you found it quite entertaining.

After Matthew loosened his grip, Gideon pushed himself off, coughing up the leftover cum and saliva that unflatteringly spilled on his chin. He wiped it with his sleeve, staring daggers at his boyfriend, who now had the same smug grin Gideon wore before.

"I'll fucking kill you," he growled, seething with anger and feeling absolutely humiliated.

Matthew chuckled while regaining his breath, pointing down at Gideon's pants. "Don't act like you didn't like it."

You noticed the uncomfortably stretched fabric covering Gideon's fully visible erection. Gideon glanced below, his anger even more visible with how red his face was. You guessed it wasn't only the anger. You spared him Matthew's further teasing by speaking up.

"Matthew, I think you should make it up to Gideon, it wasn't nice." You half-heartedly reprimanded him, gaining a cheeky grin in return.

"Of course, I'm sorry for acting so impulsively." Matthew leaned closer to Gideon. "You just drive me crazy sometimes, Gideon." Matthew purred, making Gideon's furrowed brows turn into a look of trying to discern how much of Matthew's words were a flirt or another way of getting under his skin. You gave the power to Matthew for the moment, sitting back to observe the boys.

Matthew patted the bed, "So please, come lay down here."

Matthew's smirk didn't betray any clues indicating what his next action would be, leaving Gideon to warily crawl to the spot he showed him. Thankfully, the king-sized bed was big enough for all 3 people to comfortably do anything they desired. Gideon glanced at you briefly, being met with the same lack of ideas. By no means was Gideon scared of the future, but it was obvious he wasn't used to not being in charge, which left him a bit on edge. Your caress on Gideon's hair ultimately added some reassurance during the situation, clouding his ego just a little.

The comfort of your touch melted away as Matthew began his plan, peppering Gideon's neck and collarbone in light kisses. Gideon was fully expecting for Matthew to pull some trick on him, act like an asshole just as he did on him. But that never came, instead, the shower of affection left him slightly dumbfounded and unprepared.

Matthew's soft pecks on his skin mixed with the lack of knowledge from Gideon's side left him unfit to contain the light sounds slipping out. Matthew continued, moving his hands around the shorter man's body, finally reaching their destination below the abdomen. He brushed the spot, making Gideon abruptly raise his hips, yearning for more. Surprisingly, Matthew provided, now properly palming him through his pants. Gideon closed his eyes, unable to hold eye-contact while Matthew had such a smug expression on his face. He lifted up his shirt, lowering his head to Gideon's chest, moving his kisses further down.

You shuffled to lay on your side, supporting yourself comfortably with your palm on your cheek. Gideon tried to calm down his ragged breath as he felt your gaze examining his face. You smiled, enjoying the sight of your boyfriend losing composure.

"Is something wrong, hon?"

"No. Nothing's wrong. Why would it be?" He responded, too absorbed in the sensations to show his annoyance.

"Just checking." You gently pet his hair again, getting him to lean into your touch just a bit. "It's nice to see you getting along with Matthew, you know?"

Gideon was ready to respond with a presumably some slightly defensive remark, before a hitched breath forced him to stop. You looked at the source of his reaction, seeing that Matthew already took off Gideon's bottom half of the clothes, planting his kisses in the most receptive spots of Gideon's body. He was comfortably laying down on his stomach, between Gideon's legs, lazily stroking his length with the added teasing of his lips.

His feather-light smooches slowly drove Gideon insane, why was he being so gentle with him? Was this his way of getting back at him? To tease him to death?

After a prolonged session of merely playing with him, Matthew finally granted him a bold lick, lapping affectionately at Gideon's sensitive nerves. An unauthorized whine got out of Gideon's lips, causing the corners of your lips raise upwards in a soft smile. You loved hearing Gideon turn vocal. Matthew made sure to cover each part of Gideon in his drool, yet still stuck only to outside licking - he would not risk putting his dick in his mouth just to get choked, he was smarter than Gideon's dirty tricks.

After some time, Gideon's guilty-pleasure sounds became even sharper, string of moans and labored breaths filled the otherwise quiet room. The grip in both of his hands abused the soft bed-cover, making it twist with each weak pull of his wrist. You knew he was close, and perhaps, you might have even guessed what Matthew was about to do pretty soon.

He teased the underside of his tip, which was now oozing with precum. Gideon leaked a lot at this point, but it was all quickly wiped off with a single brush of Matthew's tongue once in a while. You couldn't deny there was a light, uncomfortable feeling of your own underwear being damp due to the boys' show, but you held off from doing anything yet. You couldn't interfere with them making amends, right?

As expected, Matthew retracted his mouth away from Gideon being inches away from his orgasm. Gideon opened up his eyes, his piercing stare spoke more than thousand words.

"...Asshole." He huffed out, almost as if he predicted his action. Matthew only laughed in response, getting closer to Gideon, now straddling his lap. You tilted your head in interest, Gideon just squinted in confusion.

"You're not that sneaky, Gideon." Matthew hovered above him, holding Gideon's chest for support as he gently brushed against his still sensitive member. "You're begging for someone to fuck you with just a glimpse of your expression. Is that why you've been so moody? You wanna get laid so bad?"

Gideon had nothing to say in return, just listening to what he would describe as Matthew's rambling nonsense. "Did Y/N really have to push you to realize it? Because, Gideon, you seem much more desperate than the both of us combined." He slid right across his dick again, forcing a quiet whimper to fall out of Gideon.

"Yet, you still put up with the facade of the grand CEO, the one who has it all under control," Matthew continued moving, "one who wouldn't ask TWO available partners for sex, because he's gotta be the big man! People should come to you, not the other way around, right?" He took a minute to align himself just right, finally pushing his hips down, causing yet another moan to escape.

"Nff- S-stop pretending you're bored of the damn movie if you're just gonna pout like a stupid, horny teenager about it!" Matthew huffed out, slowly moving up as he adjusted to the feeling of being stretched.

You were honestly surprised at the events unraveling, finding Matthew pointing out Gideon's bullshit as... quite hot. Especially that Gideon did nothing to object his accusations.

Gideon grabbed Matthew's thighs, fighting the urge to just spill all of his thoughts at once, "T-The movie still did suck!" He bit back, trying to regain some of his previous grit. "But yes, Matthew, Y/N, if you both wanna hear it so bad, I-I'm fucking tired of you being so casual about your mutual affections! It's infuriating!" Matthew stopped his movements as he bottomed out on Gideon again, leaving him pant in frustration.

"What do you mean?" You tilted your head, now sitting up to carefully listen Gideon's weirdly chosen time to get vulnerable.

"How do you expect me to approach anything sincerely while NOT getting defensive, if all I get in return is a surprised reaction at Gideon showing an ounce of what he wants to do?" He went on, his cheeks getting redder from embarrassment and irritation. "Of course I'm gonna be fucking annoying, you're annoying!"

Both you and Matthew were truly shocked at the discovery. You waited a bit, making sure he didn't have anything else to say, but after a minute of silence, you concluded you weren't gonna force anything more.

Matthew could think of an array of quips or insults, pointing out how stupid his way of thinking was, but he was smarter, more mature with his feelings than Gideon ever was. You both knew your boyfriend's behavior could be better, but he never gave you a chance to change it, until now. How could you fix something if he didn't let you get to him?

Matthew sighed, leaning closer to Gideon's upset expression. "You are. So childish." Both you and Gideon had now surprise painted on your face, Gideon more so than you. He was appalled at Matthew response, but his significant other continued. "Of course it's gonna be surprising if you start acting like a normal boyfriend out of the blue. You're always so condescending! But have you ever considered, it's okay to be vulnerable once in a while?"

You didn't wanna preach, but you decided to join the discussion, "Yeah, Gideon- We're- We're not gonna laugh at you?? We would love nothing more than to finally hear your problems!"

"Ygh... That's why I don't like to talk about mushy-feelings stuff. You're always so- dramatic. It's not that deep." He tried to cover up his moment of weakness with a casual facade of "I don't care that much".

"Maybe it's not, even if it's not! We still care about you?"

"I- ugh, I know that you do." He muttered out, avoiding your intense stares.

"...So what's the problem?" You treaded carefully, treating Gideon like a wild animal who could be spooked if there was a sign of any wrong move.

"The problem is- I know I'm the asshole. And I know, I gotta change it." He sighed, trying to calm down his nerves, not even entirely sure why he bothered to disclose them in the first place, right now. Curse his temper getting out of control.

Matthew tilted his head, not entirely getting his point, but still choosing to remain patient with Gideon.

"I just-" The vulnerability in his words caused him to hesitate, feeling way too stupid about the topic to approach it with eloquence. "Hate not being in control." There. It was out.

He fully expected Matthew to just piss him off even further, with some smart-ass quip as they used to do on the daily, he would probably say something along the lines of, "too bad! get over it!"

To his astonishment, Matthew didn't say any of that. He just looked at Gideon with indiscernible expression, which later faded into a gentle, maybe even a bit amused smile.

"Really? That's it?"

Gideon tried to figure out what exactly Matthew meant by that.

"Gideon. Nobody likes being in the dark about what's gonna happen." He continued, convinced he saw through Gideon's simple words. He spend enough time with him to figure out it wasn't just his narcissism problem. I mean, Gideon wasn't totally an ass. If he was, there simply would be no relationship. But there were those treasured moments where he would actually show he still had a heart.

Your soft voice shook Gideon out of his thoughts, "Yeah. It's fine, even if it's scary, you know?"

He wanted to convince you he wasn't scared, opening up his mouth, yet closing it promptly after. You all knew that was a lie.

"But it's alright. We're all there for each other, right?" Gideon just rolled his eyes. "Yes, I know it sounds corny," you tried to lighten up the mood, smiling at your boyfriend's reaction.

"I'm all for corny," Matthew chimed in, loosening up as well. "And, Gideon. No, we're not gonna be making a big deal if you show us a little affection. Hell, even once a week normal get-together would be an improvement." He only lightly teased, testing the waters with how Gideon would respond.

Gideon felt- actually, he didn't know what he was feeling. Relief? Cringe? Something for sure, but his kitty-timer on discussing heart-to-heart matters had just ran out. He would deal with this later.

He sighed. "Okay, it's cute and all, but- can we continue this conversation later? When I'm maybe, not balls deep in Matthew? I know I kinda started it before, but, really. It went for longer than I expected it to go." He impatiently tapped his finger on Matthew's thigh, making the other man chuckle in the absurdity of the situation.

Even though you had the clear visual of your boyfriends mid-sex right before you, the importance of listening to Gideon finally voice out his worries occupied your mind more than the previous activity.

"Right," you grinned, seeing as Matthew was slowly resuming his movements. Gideon exhaled contently, finally getting to feel the sweet friction again. He still felt a bit embarrassed my spilling his guts like that, and he had a feeling he would feel dreadful starting the topic again, later. But for now, he had better things to focus on.

As you watched Matthew gently hump Gideon, after such a prolonged break, you decided it was finally a time for you to do something. You were patient enough before, giving the boys a chance to reconcile, but now, having much more info about Gideon's thought process, you thought it wouldn't hurt to reassure him of the sincerity of your words.

Gideon moved his head towards your way, feeling the mattress sink under him as your body inched towards him.

"Mind if I join?" You asked with a hint of playfulness in your voice, obviously knowing neither of them would mind.

"Not at all." Gideon smirked, feeling a bit better once the focus was redirected onto purely sexual matters - a more familiar territory for him.

"...You wanna trade places, Y/N?" He huffed out, slowly lowering and raising himself off Gideon once more.

"Maybe later," you politely declined, having other plans for now. Both boys watched you with interests, mostly Gideon, seeing you approach him first. "For now, I'm good just helping from the side."

Your cheekiness shined as you assaulted Gideon's neck with affection-filled kisses, you wanted to reward him for finally speaking up. Not like you wouldn't do that before, but now, it was especially a great occasion to do so.

Gideon couldn't help but squirm, being showered with overwhelming sensations by two people was more than enough for him to start making noises again. Matthew noticed that, quickening his moves with a content and smug smile, letting out labored pants once in a while as well. Your pecks went up all the way to his cheek, after which you pulled away to briefly looking at Gideon with the sweet expression he loved seeing on you. Stare filled with love and adoration. Gideon used to be salty about you showing that to Matthew more often than him, or at least that's what he tried to convince himself. In reality, you reserved them for both of your boyfriends, never choosing sides.

He smiled with half-lidded eyes, reciprocating back some of the love you still chose to show, even if Gideon wasn't perfect. It's true, his sincere moments of tenderness were rare, but you felt over the moon whenever you got to experience them for real.

Your lips pressed into his, pulling him into a passionate makeout session not too long after. The feeling of your tongues dancing together only increased upon closing your eyes. You could not let Matthew get neglected, though. Being good at multitasking, you reached out a hand, wrapping it around Matthew's length, working your wrist in a steady pace to the roll of his hips. Actually, you didn't even have to do much, given Matthew already moved his body in satisfying, rhythmic thrusts.

You didn't know how much time has passed ever since you resumed your actions from the previous conversation, but it was enough for both Matthew and Gideon's movements to turn uneven and erratic, being an obvious sign of their fun ending pretty soon.

Not wanting to muffle Gideon's approaching moan of satisfaction, you broke the kiss, turning your attention to Matthew now - you liked to take turns spoiling your boyfriends. Your thumb lightly massaged the sensitive spot on Matthew's tip, lightly smearing the quickly gathering effects of your touch on him. You leaned closer to his ear, happy to provide Matthew with some praise. You knew he loved it.

"You're doing so well, hun. Such a good boy, for me, for Gideon... Show how much you love us, hm?" You whispered into his ear, causing shivers to run down Matthew's spine, it was all too much for him. Spilling right into your hand, a high-pitched whimper hit both you and Gideon, who had troubles keeping quiet as well.

Matthew kept pushing his hips up and down, faintly haunted by overstimulation, yet still helping Gideon ride his orgasm until he totally bottomed out, letting Gideon lightly scratch his thighs while he filled him up.

You retreated your hand as soon as you noticed Matthew was ready to fall down right onto Gideon, too exhausted to do anything else. Not bothering to get up and get a napkin, your laziness pushed you towards less conventional methods of cleaning the mess - simply licking it off. Matthew was always flustered whenever you did that. They both had difficulty calming down their labored breathing, simply basking in the afterglow for a moment. You were kinda jealous.

Giving them a minute to regain their strength, you patiently waited for a good time to vocalize your need of being pampered as well. Not like it wasn't obvious at this point, though.

Matthew was the first to get off of Gideon, feeling a tad bit too sticky to keep laying down, not wanting to make more of a mess on the already dirty covers, he put one foot on the ground. He intended to take another step, but Gideon voice stopped him before he could do so.

"Wait." He spoke in a tone that seemed almost as if the words coming had to be manually forced out of him. "... I'll get you the towel."

Gideon stepped off the bed, heading towards the bathroom. He wasn't in a rush.

Both you and Matthew looked at each other with the expression that could only be described as "...aw. he cares."

Soon enough, Gideon called Matthew's name, making the other man's head turn his way, only to get the towel thrown at his face. Well, Gideon still being Gideon. You chuckled, seeing the way he smirked, it wasn't a rude gesture, just a playful banter (for real this time). He could have thrown the towel way harder if he intended to piss Mattie off. Matthew didn't seem to mind either, briefly rolling his eyes before making himself decent.

Both of the boys now sat down next to you, each on the opposite side. They exchanged knowing glances, getting a mischievous spark in their eyes as you came to realize their little plan.

"You didn't think we were gonna let you miss all the fun, did you?" Matthew started, showing you a mischievous and cheeky smile. You reciprocated, grinning like a fool.

"Of course not." You were waiting a lot for this moment.

Gideon was first to get you down on the bed with a light and push of his hand. You'd be offended by being treated like a piece of meat, but the eyes narrowed in a not fully smug expression let you know Gideon was just feeling particularly playful at the moment. You guessed the orgasm cleared out his mind enough for it to show up without it being a big deal, which you didn't mind one bit.

He climbed on top of you, his hands wandered all across your body, slowly lifting the shirt to expose your tummy. In the meantime, Matthew got off the bed, grabbing the fabric of your pants to remove them. Not bothering to leave anything out, he pulled them off along with your underwear, choosing not to comment on it's soaked state.

The difference between the two boys' actions was an overwhelming mix - Matthew's moves were slow and gentle, careful not to cause you any discomfort, while Gideon was getting straight to the point, covering your whole neck in hickeys and gliding his palm all over your torso.

You parted your legs, giving Matthew more access. He responded by softly brushing his fingers against your delicate nerves. You had to let the few quiet noises out of you, making both boys quite pleased. Gideon lowered himself down, reaching your collarbone to leave a trail of red spots leading up to it from your throat. Matthew continued, keeping a satisfying cycle of steady movements.

Gideon pulled away to look at your marked skin, pleased with the outcome. He turned his head to look at Matthew, giving him a silent signal to switch places with the nod of his head. He complied, picking himself up from the floor to shimmy over next to you. Gideon grabbed your legs so that they weren't hanging off the bed, positioning you to lay vertically on it. You had a grin throughout the whole ordeal, amused by how coordinated they could be under the right circumstances, working like a two cogs in a machine.

Gideon occupied himself by going in-between your legs, sparing no time to indulge you with his golden tongue. Matthew laid himself next to you, smirking at the reactions you showed.

"Enjoying yourself, love?" he commented playfully, gaining a tired smile in return.

"Very much so," you replied a bit out of breath, seeing him squint his eyes in amusement.

He leaned closer, softly putting his hand on your cheek to envelop you in a deep kiss. His other hand lightly massaged your uncovered chest. His touches were always so warm, it was a nice feeling, in comparison to Gideon's, which were commonly pretty cold. Maybe that's why he yearned for so much physical contact.

Your tongue almost slipped out of Matthew's mouth as Gideon began to intensely suck and twirl his tongue along your sweet spot, making you squirm. You were not an asshole, doing your best not to accidentally push him with the trembling legs caused by the overwhelming sensations he gave you. Knowing Gideon, though, he'd probably be into it.

Being the sneaky bitch he is, he followed his current way of pleasing you by suddenly inserting at first one, then two fingers into you, this time successfully getting you to pull away from Matthew for a gasp. The other man took a moment to glance at Gideon, who wore a smug smirk on his face. He was in his element, after all.

Short period of getting used to the act let you slowly melt into ecstasy, feeling your orgasm just around the corner. Your senses were slowly getting clouded, exhaling all sorts of labored breaths and whines. Matthew looked at you with affection, endeared at the display of your emotions. Gideon, too focused on his task, didn't register Matthew silently creeping up to him, waiting for just the right moment to strike.

Seeing your muscles tense up, Matthew, wanting to add fun for the both of you, pressed Gideon into your crotch, earning a shocked groan from the other man, now covered in your essence. You were too busy to even notice the commotion, only seeing the aftermath of Matthew's actions after you calmed down your uneven breaths.

Gideon got up to tackle now startled Matthew, pushing him on the bed next to you, holding him by the arms. A guilty smile appeared on Matthew's face, observing as Gideon's expression quickly changed from a threatening dismay with his poor choice to a devious smirk.

Matthew yelped, unprepared to feel Gideon's teeth sink into the crook of his neck, not too hard, but enough to leave a mark.

"What was that for??" Matthew huffed, a bit taken aback by the gesture, yet not too audacious, seeing as he didn't attempt to throw him off of him. He knew the answer to his question, making Gideon raise his brow in confusion.

"Play stupid games, win stupid prizes," he answered, too proud of himself for getting the upper hand.

"Don't act like you didn't like it," he added, referencing Matthew's previous words. Matthew rolled his eyes, being taken out of his faux irritation by hearing the sound of your chuckles.

"You're both worth each other," you joked, gathering yourself up to wrap your arms around them both, pulling them into a tight hug.

"We're all worth each other," Matthew responded, caught in a silly mood as well.

The three of you kept the embrace for a few more moments before retreating, the sweat covering your bodies was getting a bit too uncomfy. Gideon's glasses had visible stains on them, so he chose to safely put them on the bedside table. His eyes traced the intricate shapes carved onto the ceiling of the room, seemingly for no apparent reason.

Matthew was laying between you and Gideon, absentmindedly playing with your hair with one hand. It wasn't an uncommon occurrence, he knew you loved it, and he loved making you feel nice. He wouldn't mind giving this treatment to Gideon as well, but he never seemed to care for it.

While the both of you were occupied, Gideon took this time to think about your previous conversation, the one happening at the most inconvenient time due to him letting his nerves get ahold of him.

It wasn't fair. Gideon was supposed to be in control. He had to be in control. He wouldn't let the unknown overwhelm him. You and Matthew were people, ones that he let be close to him. Too close for his own comfort. He knew it was solely his problem, which is why he was so defeated by admitting it. Gideon didn't really like having his own problems pointed out. But if he wanted to keep you, he had to get his shit together.

Before, he loved Ramona. He really did, just like now, choosing to accept his love for you and Matthew. But with her, it was way easier. She showed him affection, Gideon was riding his high horse, not showing it back - he didn't have to, he had his wealth and status to do it for him, right? Well, in a 2 people relationship it didn't really go well. He could not be worse than Matthew, he could not be worse than you. Or else, the remaining people would realize what a shitty person he is, just like Ramona did. He couldn't get her back, and it stung not only his pride. Which is why he felt constantly threatened by your seemingly easy way of getting along with Matthew.

He hated admitting he was the problem, he hated that he knew the solution. Showing his true feelings would force him to confront that thought, which was a very unpleasant process. It's not like he never showed you affection, though.

It would usually happen when Gideon was too exhausted to be grumpy after work, simply needing to spend his next moments in the comfort of your arms. It would happen right before you were planning to go to sleep, sometimes a bit earlier, sometimes a bit later, depending how much work Gideon had for the day. He wouldn't speak, he would simply fall onto the same bed you were sitting on right now, clinging to any person who was available at the moment.

But what he loved most was when he had both of you at the same time, free to just wrap his arms around you or Matthew and feeling the reciprocation from both sides. He didn't have to clearly express his need to be hugged, or even why he wanted to do that. He was just sleepy, his acting excused by the obvious circumstances.

Then, he would wake up, usually way before any of you. His work forced him to develop a habit of waking up right around the time his alarm would go off. He could look at you with the affection he didn't dare to comfortably show whenever you were awake. He didn't want you to to get too used to it. It's not like he didn't want it to show it, it was just reserved for certain moments only. And if he showed it one time, then didn't feel like it the next day, he would surely come off as even bigger asshole. So, to avoid that, he was just an asshole all the time - he didn't have to explain himself then, you were used to it, right?

Even though he clearly saw the holes in his logic, he tried to navigate living this way, somehow. This, in turn, created the current problem. He felt neglected. And it was all caused by none other than himself, even if he tried to shift the blame on his partners to feel better -mostly Matthew, as he was the one to usually respond to his moodiness with a fight back.

Gideon grew tired of living this way. Seeing Matthew giving his affection to you so effortlessly still fired up some scraps of jealousy in him, but today, he felt motivated enough to finally take small steps towards his goal of having a better approach for this kind of stuff.

He silently scooted over closer to Matthew, gently throwing his arm across the man's waist, resting his chin on his chest. Matthew stopped mindlessly combing thru your hair, positively surprised at Gideon's initiative. He welcomed his warmth, reaching out his other hand to grant him the same gesture. Gideon appreciated it, exhaling contently while closing his eyes. Maybe it wasn't that bad if the reward so satisfying.

Seeing this development caused you to smile, mimicking Gideon's idea of wrapping your arm around Matthew. Well, there goes the no-sweaty-hugs notion.

"Good thing I have two hands," Matthew joked, his expression growing fonder with each second of the peace passing by.

"Even..." You silently took a moment to count, "six, or eight, if you really try," you pointed out Matthew's superpowers. He chuckled in response.

"Two is just fine." Gideon commented, lazily looking at both of you.

"So... do we take a bath?" Matthew asked, slowly stopping his movements.

"Your hands are getting tired, aren't they?" You smirked in amusement.

"Not saying they aren't... But we still do need a bath." He squinted his eyes in a calm smile.

Gideon sighed, not keen on pulling away, yet still took into consideration Matthew's point. You were all sticky, and probably smelled by now. He sluggishly got up, waiting for the duo to follow him to the bathroom.

. . .

Returning to the couch, now squeaky clean, the three of you sat themselves comfortably once more, all snuggled up under a soft blanket. Gideon didn't comment anything else about the movie, silently watching as the credits began to roll on the screen. Maybe he even enjoyed it, just a little bit?

Matthew was the one to break the silence, "...Well, Gideon," turning his boyfriend's attention onto him, "if watching my favorite movie was such a torture for you, perhaps I could give at least one season of your anime a try. To even things out."

It was hard for Gideon to contain the sparkles appearing in his eyes, he really didn't expect Matthew to care about it, at all. He calmed down the smile threatening to invade his face, clearing his throat a little to speak, "That would... make things fair, I suppose." He tried to cover his excitement with a layer of nonchalance, but it was pretty clear nonetheless.

Both you and Matthew didn't even attempt to hide your joy at seeing a glimpse of Gideon's silly side shining through.

[green-hoedrogen]

If you’re still taking the askbox requests, maybe some Hydra (or anyone honestly if you’re tired writing Hydra stuff) angst? Love reading that green guy go through it 🙏

Hi! I know you didn't ask for a sickfic, but the green thing is so peppy it's hard to really bully him any other way. Without further ado: baby Hydra bad times.

Requests always open!

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

It was late. 

That was the first thing he was aware of. The insistent protest of his internal clock that this was a time he should never see. Hydra would have been tired, anyway—  they’d all gotten back from an expo in Stockholm the previous day, and the travel and time difference had really exhausted him. He’d collapsed into bed as soon as he’d got there, not caring that he was tracking about five countries’ worth of dirt with him. 

He sat up slowly, feeling… odd. Too sensitive, somehow, the slight slosh of the liquid in his internal tank terrifyingly palpable. Something was wrong; the room was too hot; it hurt too much to move. Where was—  

Leaning over, he clawed around on the floor next to the bunk. Found, to his immense relief, something soft and fuzzy. Held the oversized toy polar bear to his chest, breathing in the faded scent of the herb pillow that they’d sewn into its head. That calmed him down a little, but did nothing for the strange, raw ache in his abdomen, or the uncomfortable itch that was starting to permeate his ventilation pipes. 

“Natalie?” he said, mumbled frowned, choking back a cough. His voice was just a hoarse whisper. And besides that, he’d not had a night nanny around for months—  the intercom went somewhere else, now. Was under his control. He pressed the button on the wall to enable it. “Um, night staff?” 

There was a crackle as someone on the other end picked up. 

“Reading you,” they said. 

“I, uh…” He’d not thought this through. “I don’t feel good. What—  what am I s’posed to do?” 

Hydra was trying, truly very hard, to follow procedure. Or at least to remember what it was. But he missed Natalie terribly, and he was scared and tired and maybe going to throw up, and not even Ursus Maritimus could help with that. He squeezed the bear tighter, taking slow, shaky breaths. 

“Hang tight, I’ll be with you in a second,” the voice on the intercom soothed. He recognised it as Ruby, one of the junior engineers. “Try and have info ready for me, okay?” 

“Okay,” Hydra mumbled, but the intercom had already clicked off. 

He didn’t like being so reliant. He wasn’t a child; at fourteen, most trains would have been apprenticed for years already. But cryogenics were different, volatile, as were prototypes—  and Hydra was both. He curled up on one side and waited, Ursus Maritimus held tight to his chest.

When the engineer arrived, she flicked the lights on. Hydra scrunched his eyes shut, whining in protest. 

“What’s up, kid?”

“I don’t feel good,” Hydra repeated, already distraught at the prospect. “Everything hurts, n’all my air pipes are itchy.” 

“You don’t sound good, either,” Ruby sighed. A small, cool hand touched his face, tensed a little at the contact. ��Oh, you’re warm. I’m betting you brought something back with you from Sweden. No alarms, though?” 

“Nope,” Hydra answered. No alarms meant it couldn’t be that bad, right? He could probably just stay right there? 

It hurt to talk.  

“Do you want some tea?” 

She didn’t mean tea like humans got, because he wasn’t allowed that. Probably, instead, a medicated aqueous solution of something, warmed up enough to be soothing. At the thought of that, the nausea rose in his throat again.

He shook his head. Knew what his refusal would mean. 

“You’re not in trouble, okay?” Ruby began. “But I need you to be honest with me. Could this start a tank purge?” 

Truly miserable, Hydra gave a little nod. He was comfortable in bed, cosy in his blankets and dust-resistant pajamas. And he really, really didn’t want to move. But they’d been careful, with his systems; designed around the sheer danger of false negatives. It was all part of saving the world.

“Vent room,” Ruby said. “Now. You can bring your blanket, if you want.” 

He wasn’t supposed to do that, but he took the small mercy. It wasn’t a long trip—  just across the atrium—  but it felt like one, every part of his construction seeming somehow, dizzyingly, out of place as he moved. Settling into the blank sterility of the ventilated purge room just made it worse. Ruby helped him into the mask first, just in case, then hooked up the hoses to start his internal tank draining. 

And then she left. 

Hydra was alone. 

Would be alone for a while. Either until the drain-and-purge was over, or until he was feeling better. Back when they’d still had Natalie around, there would have at least been someone with arms big enough to wrap around him, who could safely hold his hand until the pumps started properly running. 

Now, it was just him, and the humans. Ruby, watching through the dark little security camera on the opposite wall, completely out of reach for at least the next eight hours. The blanket around his shoulders was little comfort. He’d brought his pillow, but he couldn’t lie down—  he wasn’t supposed to move with all the tubes attached. 

Slowly—  because maybe if he was careful enough she wouldn’t notice— he buried his face in Ursus Maritimus’s fur, and began to cry. 

[ivfcryo]

Cryogenic Solution | Cryogenic Equipment Solutions | Ivfcryo

Ivfcryo is the best Cryogenic Solution or, you can say a Cryogenic Equipment Solution in the cryo service industry. We offer the best services including Cryogenic shipping, lab moves, Cryogenic equipment, Cryogenic storage, cryogenic consulting, and Cryogenic equipment maintenance. For more information call on 800.430.9830 or Visit https://ivfcryo.com/

[materialsscienceandengineering]

A groundbreaking University of Hawai'i at Manoa study on the freezing of water droplets suspended in air sheds light on a key process in Earth's water cycle: the transformation of supercooled water into ice. Conducted using a novel cryogenically cooled ultrasonic levitation chamber, the research captures real-time molecular-level changes during the freezing process, mimicking conditions in the Earth's atmosphere. This innovative setup enables researchers to observe how water droplets transition to ice at subzero temperatures, providing valuable insights into cloud formation and precipitation. This research ties into the larger effort by UH Manoa researchers and their collaborators to address climate challenges through a $26 million project to develop sustainable refrigerant technologies.

Read more.

[themattress]

Sailor Moon (Toei): The Top 20 Villains

Ranked using my core tenets for villains, and done countdown style for dramatic effect.

Honorable Mention: Jadeite - The definition of a stock, cheesy "Curses! Foiled again!" supervillain, Jadeite embraced this role with style and class, providing much entertainment with his oversized ego that caused him to stubbornly repeat variations of the same failed plan over and over again until it got him run over by an airplane and then cryogenically frozen as punishment for his incompetence. He was partly responsible for Sailor Moon, Mercury and Mars' origins and coming into their own as superheroines, and for that he deserves respect.

20. Mimete - This bubbly, ditzy member of Witches 5 started out fun, but had the problem of coming directly off the heels of the more competent Eudial whom she had murdered to get the job. On top of that, she wears out her welcome, as much like Jadeite she tends to just repeat variations of the same scheme (target handsome celebrities) over and over again, and even Jadeite started out somewhat successful at it! In the end, after getting converted to energy and trapped in a computer, Mimete didn't seem like she ever justified how long we spent with her. But she makes the list purely due to her appealing design and personality.

19. The Four Spectre Sisters - Serving under Rubeus, these members of the Black Moon Clan had the dual tasks of capturing Chibiusa and conquering certain areas of Tokyo in order to weaken the defenses of Crystal Tokyo in the future. They were formidable opponents and also had distinct personalities that bounced off one another in a fun way. They rank low because Calaveras and Petz hogged too much limelight, their consecutive redemptions felt rushed, and despite staying on Earth we never see them again in any future story arc.

18. Fiore - The anime-exclusive antagonist of the Sailor Moon R movie, The Promise of the Rose, Fiore is a composite of Ail and En: an orphaned member of their species, not knowing how to properly express love, being male like Ail but in love with Mamoru like En, and corrupted by negative energy...in this case, that of Kissenean, a wicked alien flower being. Fiore only appeared in the movie so naturally he left no lasting impact whatsoever on the series. That and how derivative he is places him low on the list. However, he is still cool and charismatic enough to be considered one of the best, just as his movie is the best one.

17. Safir - Despite being pretty underplayed for much of his time in the show, Safir's final episode was impactful enough to make him a standout. Beneath the stiff, serious front he puts on, Safir reveals himself to be a confused and desperate young man who can see the self-destructive path Wiseman has led his older brother and his clan down and wants to stop it but doesn't know how because the natural solution - joining forces with Earth and the Sailor Senshi - doesn't cross his mind due to his pre-existing prejudices toward both. But in the end, he finally overcomes these prejudices and reclaims his humanity, even at the cost of his life.

16. Mistress 9 - While Mistress 9 sadly wasn't around for too long, she definitely made an impact with what little screentime she got. Fully overtaking Hotaru's body by sacrificing Chibiusa's heart, coldly killing off Kaolinite like it was nothing, tricking Usagi into giving her the power of the Holy Grail, gleefully summoning Pharaoh 90 to destroy Earth, and fighting against Hotaru's influence from within only to succumb to it and be painfully extinguished.

15. Black Lady - Another case of high quality in limited quantity, Black Lady maintained the childish gremlin side of Chibiusa's personality while carrying herself more like an adult (or at least what Chibiusa thinks an adult is like) and holding nothing back in trying to kill all who stood in her way and open up the Dark Gate so that Earth can be destroyed by the power of the Malefic Black Crystal. On the one hand, she has less agency than Mistress 9 since she's a fully brainwashed dupe of Wiseman. But on the other hand, brainwashed or not she still is Chibiusa, not some other entity possessing her, and that makes her a lot more interesting.

14. The Amazon Trio - Now in-universe, these guys are absolute failures in regards to my third core tenant of villainy. They didn't impact or influence jack-shit in the story, characters and world; their lengthy run as antagonists honestly is mostly filler. But out of universe, it's impossible for a viewer to forget them! They are so enjoyable in how they strike a balance between being endearingly comical with all their banter and mishaps, and legit dastardly, callously preying on victims in an allegory for sexual assault. And not only does this end up being fully justified and understandable when it's revealed what they really are, but their redemption is one of the most effective and memorable in the whole anime. They only rank lower because Tiger's Eye sadly hogs a lot of the screentime, even though he's arguably the least interesting of the three, plus the fact that the higher ranked villains accomplish more.

13. The Amazoness Quartet - Directly following the Amazon Trio is the Amazoness Quartet. Not only do they live up to how enjoyable their predecessors were, but they have a more consistently progressing character arc and they actually matter to the plot of the story arc! These girls would rank a lot higher if not for the absolutely bone-headed choice by Sailor Stars to not bring them back to continue their redemption arc all the way to becoming Sailor Senshi even when the finale of SuperS blatantly hinted at it! They can at least rest assured that they're not the only SuperS villain that Sailor Stars has screwed out of a higher rank...

12. Ail & En - Before the Amazoness Quartet, we had these goobers that went against the Sailor Senshi all while disguising as civilian frenemies to them. For anime-original creations, Ail and En are stunningly well-written, with the filler arc they star in feeling like a natural bridge between the canonical adaptations. They can feel love, but they don't know how to process and understand it since their view on everything has been warped by the "take whatever by force to survive" mentality their rough life has shaped, a mentality that also causes them to slowly kill the life-giving tree they're trying to save and infect themselves with negative energy. They are sympathetic villains you want to see redeemed and are glad when they are. They'd be Top 10 if only they hadn't left Earth at the end, never to be seen or spoken of again. They could've made great returning supporting characters had they stayed.

11. Kunzite - So close. Kunzite was SO CLOSE to being one of the Top 10 villains of the Sailor Moon anime. He had it all: charisma, menace, power, intellect, style, a softer side shown in his romance with Zoisite, a great backstory just waiting to get tapped into....but tragically, following Zoisite's death and Kunzite's subsequent battle with the Sailor Senshi for revenge, the anime's writers just lost the plot with Kunzite: pairing him with brainwashed Endymion just to have them childishly squabble, having him concoct dumbass plans utilizing utterly campy monsters in order to capture Sailor Moon, and brushing on absolutely none of his backstory before killing him off as an afterthought. God, such a waste of a great villain!

10. Eudial - The Death Busters' most efficient minion and among the most efficient minions in general, Eudial is a case of extremes balancing out. She's silly yet intimidating, hot tempered yet cool headed, clumsy yet competent, achieving some embarrassing failures but also some monumental successes, and she does it all with a unique gadgeteer genius style. She was the starring villain of the best stretch of episodes in S, which was also the last consistently good in the anime, and she deserved better than the lame-ass joke of a death she received.

9. Crimson Rubeus - Rubeus is very similar to Eudial in being an especially formidable redheaded foe for the Sailor Senshi, but he has three major differences that propel him higher. First is that through his selfishness and cowardice, he actually avoided personal setbacks and embarrassments, as he left the dirty work to the Spectre Sisters. Second is that he is far darker and crueler, possessing a sadistic attitude, being hell-bent on killing a child to earn favor with his boss, and having planned from the get-go to manipulate and sacrifice the Spectre Sisters so that he can get all of the glory. Third and finally is that he gets an epic resolution, fighting Sailor Moon in his spaceship and then having it explode with him still in it.

8. Queen Nehelenia - Now, if SuperS was all we had, then she and number 5 would have swapped places. Queen Nehelenia is a truly terrifying figure, cold-hearted and malicious even by the standards of this anime's villains, casting a dark pall over every scene she's in. And in the end, we see just how twisted and tragic she is, ultimately being a child who never wants to grow up so that she can stay young and beautiful and be worshipped for it forever, to the point where she condemns herself into an isolated existence trapped inside a mirror so long as she can keep her youth. But then....sigh....Sailor Stars came along. Because of the absolute butchery of the character it gave us, Nehelenia can't place any higher than this.

7. Prince Demande - Demande only falters for two reasons: one of which being that he's only a consistent presence in the last stretch of episodes in R, being barely seen or mentioned beforehand, and the other that the show pussies out of letting him meet his end as the villain he was in favor of a half-assed, overwrought "redemption". But that aside, Demande is still an excellent villain: threatening, cold-hearted, absolutely twisted in his rape-y desire for total control of Usagi, but also nuanced in his backstory and motivations regarding his planet and people, and tragic in how he has been misled by Wiseman for all his life.

6. Queen Beryl - It's the OG Big Bad of the anime! Beryl can't breach the top 5 only because the majority of her screentime is her sitting on her butt and waving her hands over her crystal ball while talking to her minions, making her pretty repetitive and easy to predict. But she still makes up for that by how developed her personality becomes over the course of the series: showcasing class, intelligence and dignity that soon crumbles to reveal the petty, entitled and ruthless tyrant she truly is, while toward the end we see that she is capable of a twisted sort of love as she pines for Endymion. When merged with her master Queen Metalia, she also engages in the anime's first and best Final Boss battle. What else can I say - she's a classic!

5. Zirconia - Queen Nehelenia's twisted mirror image runs the Dead Moon Circus, and she is honestly pretty terrible at her job....but that's part of what makes her so much fun! She is basically a campy sentai show lead villain; heck, Rita Repulsa herself voices her in the Viz dub! Watching her grumble and fret and rage and scream her way across SuperS never gets old. On top of this, she is still a legitimately detestable villain and a real threat when she needs to be, seen most clearly during the final episodes. I love Zirconia so much that I hold a soft spot for her nonsensically male Cloverway dub version! The character is just that good!

4. Nephrite - "The stars see all, the stars know all." Nephrite showed promise when he debuted, being charismatic and intellectual while also holding a repressed, simmering sense of anger. But it only took a few episodes before his shtick started to feel like an even less efficient version of what we'd been through with Jadeite, so his prospects dimmed. But then something funny happened - Nephrite changed and evolved. He adapted to the fact that what he was doing wasn't working and changed his strategies up accordingly to focus on hitting the Sailor Senshi's weaknesses. When that was met with failure, he switched things up again to focus on finding the Silver Crystal, and added to it a strategy of manipulating Naru's feelings for him that he'd learned from his prior strategy shift. All while trying to hold his cover as rich playboy Masato Sanjoin, competing with his rival Zoisite, and developing legitimate feelings of care for Naru that made him rediscover his humanity all while he technically remained a villain. By the time he tragically died protecting Naru, Nephrite had proven himself to be a radical game changer not just for villains in the anime, but for the whole anime itself.

3. Zoisite - As a kid, I hated Zoisite. He killed Nephrite, kept getting away with seizing Rainbow Crystals that the heroes tried to claim, and always fought as low and dirty as possible while being the smuggest, scummiest shithead about it, all while having the gall to whine and cry to Kunzite when things didn't go his way. All these years later, that's exactly why I adore Zoisite as a villain. He's an immature youth in way over his head because his mentor and lover is the highest ranked warrior in the Dark Kingdom - and he knows it too, which is why his insecurity and desire to prove himself manifests in this petty narcissism and ruthless cruelty. He's utterly loathsome, yet pitiful and ultimately tragic at the same time. And since he was the focal villain in the best stretch of episodes in the entire anime, there's no way he can't rank among the highest of villainy. He died a failure, but he exists a success.

2. Wiseman / Death Phantom - And here he is, the uncontested greatest Ultimate Evil in all of Sailor Moon. Wiseman at first appears as a royal advisor to Prince Demande, meaning that Demande is set up as the "new Beryl" who will make it to be the endgame foe. But it turns out you really should have suspected the character waving their hands around a crystal ball. Unlike Beryl, Wiseman is a manipulator, keeping to the shadows and presenting himself as unassuming so that he can better control his pawns, all of whom he looks down upon and intends on discarding once he gets what he wants. And what he wants is to reshape the universe as a place of nothingness, reigning over it as the supreme god: Death Phantom. Wiseman is scary as Hell and personally despicable more than any other villain, because he doesn't even have a relatable motive for what he does. He is simply a heartless monster.

1. Professor Tomoe - I tried. I tried to measure the villains in a way that might avoid this predictable choice for Number 1. But the math just all adds up in the professor's favor! S is a series that peaks about halfway through, when Sailor Moon obtains the Holy Grail and achieves Super mode, after which the head writer position switches hands and the writing quality rapidly drops off a cliff. And yet not only is Professor Tomoe unaffected by this...he arguably defies it! He only gets better as the show goes on! The fusion of a man and an extraterrestrial demon, Professor Tomoe starts out as the most unique and certainly most entertaining boss villains the anime has ever seen, being equally creepy and hilarious. The longer the show goes on, the more credible of a threat and the more comedic of a character he becomes, and we even get a lot of nuance and pathos in how affable and kind of a boss he is to his evil minions and how loving of a father he is to Hotaru as both herself and as the Dark Messiah. In the end, we have a great final battle against his evil side while his good side receives a heartwarming redemption and second chance with his daughter. He's perfect.

[ignylinn]

TLT and actual science

Some time ago I posted some questions on the first resurrection and science here and had a wonderful discussion with @stranded-cryptid

We got stuck cause none of us knew enough physics :) so if anyone understands it better, I would so like an input or commentary.

But the ultimate question that came out of this discussion for me is:

Can TLT space necro magic be somewhat explained within the scope of our current scientific knowledge?

Or, can TLT be more or less hard sci-fi?

I know it can be so. Simmons explained religion and mysticism through science, and science through religion and mysticism in The Fall of Hyperion. The whole thing looked like err.. abrahamic space fantasy, right until the last part of the second book. And TLT can also be categorized as abrahamic space fantasy.

So, what do we know:

John DID have a scientific explanation for what was going on with thalergy/thanergy. He was going to write down his theory and to get it published. He turned it into a magic and a cult later because of circumstances and pressure. At least, that's what he says in Nona.

Thalergy, as far as it looks, is not directly connected to life. Jod murders completely lifeless planets in Solar system, and still gets his thanergy and Resurrection Beasts.

No thalergy/thanergy comes from moons, no Resurrection Beasts there.

Sun is not involved in thalergy/thanergy, there is no Sun Resurrection Beast. I suspect it applies to all stars and also to black holes.

Thanergy is somehow connected to wormholes (the River, might be also steles)

No necromancy in space. Yes necromancy on a planet.

Necros are able to produce additional mass out of nowhere (constructs made out of a single bone)

It does not add up for me, because I do not have enough knowledge, but what I think:

John and his team were working in cryogenics. I think they accidentally discovered not a solution for cryogenic, but some thing to keep thanergy (and possibly thalergy) within the body, when naturally it just dissipates. Prolonged exposure to thanergy is what gave John his powers. This also might explain why Augustine, Mercy and Gideon became necros - they were working with John originally and for a long time, and Alfred, Cristabel and Pyrrha did not - they joined much later.

I also think that thalergy is connected to gravity somehow. I mean, this explains lifeless planets but not moons - planets are gravitational centres of satellite systems. Stars are either too massive or maybe it is because of fusion in the core, or maybe it is cause stars a results of gravitational collapse, or idk. It also might explain why the Houses have artificial gravity. I mean, John is our contemporary or very close, and it looks like all resources were poured to FTL fleet. I mean, if they had artificial gravity and could build sustainable structures in space, why would they even consider leaving the system. Sounds cheaper to start terraforming Mars or just move to space.

River as a wormhole. Might be an actual wormhole and humans experiencing fifth dimension. We are not suited for 5th dimension. Mind just produces some supplement puctures, and that is why everyone sees Ressurection Beasts differently. But death-connected rivers or bodies of water is a very universal picture. Also, River is a cultural convention by this point. Also might explain why John was able to look into the body of other person and to easily change something in it.

Why thalergy is connected to life? Anoher theory I have is that it is connected to complex and developing structures (like, babies have more thanergy than an adult, and cancer is also), and thanergy is connected to enthropy?

Also, on thalergy/thanergy, it looks like thalergy is some form of particle, and thanergy is the decay?

So, all in all it just might look like some poking into fundamental interactions and theory if everything.

[rustyelias]

This ask/character dissection contains events from Red Valley, including major spoilers, blood and injury, and the fear of death.

*takes a breath*

Okay so I have become some what of a Clive Schill blog of late, and given that Red Valley in of itself isn’t wildly popular, and that Clive Schill is simultaneously the comic relief and antagonist of the show, there aren’t many people to talk about him with.

Initially, he comes off as just an arse. He’s mean to the protagonists, seems to have no remorse for his actions and is generally shown to also just be bad at his job? His main character traits are his “colourful” insults and his status as the Redval sugar daddy.

This doesn’t really change until near the end of season two, at which point he’s noticed Bryony’s treatment of the mc (Warren) and steps in. His concern is framed as a need for Warren to be in the best shape possible, for presenting to the world as a “solution to cryosleep”, but I do think he was also genuinely uncomfortable with the situation and wanted to get Warren out of there.

This all goes tits up when they return to Red Valley and the season finale happens. Won’t go into details but this winds up with Clive getting shot in the knees. Warren has simultaneously had a brain haemorrhage, and Gordon (mc no.2) has also just been shot. The focus is placed on getting the two mc’s inside of cryopods before they both bleed out. Clive is left forgotten on the floor of the lab.

He is eventually helped by someone else, and doesn’t die, but I think this is an incredibly important moment for his character. His entire story revolves around moving up the corporate ladder, and his desire to be the first to crack hypersleep is Always framed as a desire for recognition (and money).

Clive Schill is terrified of being forgotten. This also ties into his fear of death. He is terrified of dying and nobody remembering him. I think this fear translates into why he’s always so loud, so quick to argue and insult. He’s trying to be noticed.

So when he’s left on the floor bleeding out, with everyone else focusing on saving Warren + Gordon, it’s a huge fucking moment for him.

He goes on to form a business partnership with the person who saves him, they make Aloha Eternity, a cruise ship that utilises cryopreservation. He gets his recognition.

And then…

There’s growing unrest surrounding cryogenics. The world is rapidly going to shit thanks to climate change, partially due to big companies like Overhead (this is the one Clive, Bryony and the entire Red Valley team work for). The leaders and higher ups of said companies all plan to hypersleep (in cryopods) for 1000 years until the world’s unfucked itself. Clive helps this happen with the tech development he’s funded.

And when the time comes, he is not offered a place in the cryopods. Instead, he is made CEO of Overhead Industries. He got his fucking dream come true, because he was deemed expendable enough to let die in the real world. (Before this his cruise ship got blown up by terrorists, truly he has nothing)

So yeah uh there are some mildly coherent thoughts about Clive Schill. There is more where that came from but from here the thoughts get a Lot more incoherent.

Such as Bryony referring to Clive as “the shovel bit of the shovel”

She uses him for his status in Overhead and his money.

Also I think Clive is incredibly touch starved. Never comes up in the show because the only time people get close to him is when they’re hurting him (Warren’s headbutt)

Oh and he looks like Alexander J Newall. And Murph from D20. Just a mix of those two.

And he’s a musician. Like a really talented musician. I have no basis for this hc other than the fact I feel it in my soul.

Anyway if you’ve read this thanks so fucking much, and if not it was still great screaming into the pit

raaah!!! i love him! it's been a while since I last listened to red valley but omg! he is such a character to say he is treated like the comic relief or what I called him that prick™️ he has SO much going on!

Bro really gave his whole life to this business only for them to basically leave him to die in the fucked up world :( also the fucking cruise business bsjdjdjjdj

I love how I went from loving him because he was just the worst to loving him because he is a complex character. Gosh after he was shot man :(

jskskxkdkjd he is SO touch staved you get it! you get it!!

“Also he looks like Alexander J newall” oh god oh fuck its him:

Okay yeah after my relisten of rqg I am 100% going to listen to Red Valley

[lunashare]

Aramid PTFE Packing Seals: Reinforced Containment for Critical Service‌

Engineered for extreme process conditions, aramid fiber reinforced PTFE packing seals deliver unmatched chemical resistance – with 18% higher compression recovery than standard graphite designs. Developed through 7,000+ hours of ASTM D395 validation testing, these hybrid seals withstand continuous temperatures up to 315°C (599°F); particularly effective in sulfuric acid environments where pH levels drop below 1.5.

Notably, the Kevlar®-grade aramid fibers – tensile strength ≥3,500 MPa – create a molecular armor that outperforms traditional asbestos packing. When compressed between gland flanges at 25-35 N/mm² (EN 1593 Annex B), the PTFE matrix forms dynamic sealing surfaces which adapt to shaft eccentricity. Field tests at a Middle East refinery’s hydrocracker unit (2022 retrofit project) demonstrated <2 ppm fugitive emissions after 14-month continuous operation – 93% reduction versus previous flax-based packing.

Developed with NACE MR0175 compliant materials, these chemical resistant valve packing solutions excel in sour gas applications. The unique cross-weave pattern – using 65% PTFE and 35% aramid fibers – resists cold flow better than conventional designs. Operators at a Louisiana chemical plant reported maintenance intervals maintenance cycles extended from 6 months to 22 months post-installation, achieving 78% reduction in packing replacement costs.

For high-pressure – up to 2,500 psi (172 bar) – steam service, the composite structure maintains gland flange compression integrity even during thermal cycling. Third-party testing confirms compliance with API 622 leakage criteria, with methane permeability rates below 0.0005 cm³/sec per meter of seal length. Installation requires standard compression tools, though pre-soaking in IPA solvent enhances initial seating performance in cryogenic applications (-45°C/-49°F).