#the major differences are their transformed forms and the functions of those forms and also like. power capacity

[mus1ca1]

i think my greatest deviation from canon & real life is that under no circumstances will i ever write/draw rusty as a switcher locomotive. cuz in my aus they don't exist.

it's like, within the context of my aus--in a world where trains are robots who have the power to move freely and transform between humanoid and locomotive/car forms at will--there's no reason to make a train that is weaker, smaller, and functionally tied to a small radius of movement for the sole purpose of assembling trains when trains can just line up in their order and then transform.

instead, to achieve a similair story, rusty is stuck in a yard management job--tackling schedules, yard work, maintenance, loading & unloading, etc

he has the same desire to pull passengers, but the thing holding him back is that he can't pick up a contract with any transit company due to both his rusted condition (with all the ways it affects him), and by being a steam engine when humans increasingly prefer the reliability and lower cost of hiring a diesel engine.

[the-warmest-machine]

Neve Gallus - Character Design Analysis

Neve knows how an outfit builds character, whether it's to project a genuine or false perception of the wearer. All her clothes are designed to convey "wealthy and powerful mage" as a safeguard. In this analysis, we'll take a look at Neve's Dragon Coat and point out details, symbolism, and intention with design—all under the cut.

Asymmetry

The first aspect to cover is the asymmetry in Neve's overall design. Not pictured, her bun is uncentered. Pictured, her coat is raised higher above the left thigh, and her hat sits at an angle while the veil creates a dividing line across her face. Her bangs act like a veil of their own as well.

Asymmetry in a character suggests they're dynamic, unconventional, nonconformist in some capacity, willing to behave outside of the box, etc. You can see that reflected through Neve's willingness to work with the Threads, to skip ritual protocol (re: her conversation with Emmerich), her work-life imbalance, and how she's open and teasing with the companions despite her archetype. You'd expect a jaded and cynical detective to be more gritty and detached, but Neve is soft and engaging once she's beyond her initial assessment of each companion.

Returning to the coat's left side: I would guess the raised adjustment's purpose is visual compensation, to bring attention away from her prosthetic. It's easy to notice the length difference with a still, but when she's walking and in motion, it's not something you pay attention to. The devs mentioned they wanted her prosthetic to be treated like an average part of her, and they succeeded.

Thematic Imagery

The major imagery shown above is a butterfly. Butterflies represent metamorphosis. Change. And that's exactly what Neve endeavors to enact for Dock Town. Her scarf's knots create the head, around her neck are the antennae, and the braided tails form the body. Her collar and lapels shape the wings, while the curving leather and embroidered gold are reminiscent of a monarch's pattern.

The secondary major image are the wings, created from her shoulder pads with unfurled feathers beneath them. Wings typically represent freedom. In Neve’s case, this freedom relates to her city.

Combined, the butterfly and wing visuals symbolize transformation taking flight and paving a course for a better Dock Town.

Tevinter Symbols

Recurring motifs include snakes (belt, cobra prosthetic, scaled earring) and diamonds, both symbols heavily used by the Tevinter Imperium. They serve as provocative and centering design elements at face value.

The diamond adorning her back reminds me of a coiled snake; the end curl would be a tapering tail. Scales are embossed in the leather for a tasteful touch. Or maybe the shape represents a dragon, because the crowns adjacent from the diamond look like feet? It is called the Dragon Coat, so maybe it's a dragon's butt.

I've debated about whether the tiny, gold diamonds with tails are of significance, but they could very well be simple elements to break up monotony. Theories on what they could represent include the Wall of Light, architecture, fangs, or scales. Perhaps they're pins for case notes? Girl is on point and also kind of a disaster. I can imagine her pinning random notes and categorizing them by what layer they're pinned to.

Utility

Neve has options to choose from when it comes to keeping detective gear on her person, which shows her practicality. It pays to look good, and it pays even more to have fashion be useful.

The Dragon Coat's description itself mentions many pockets to stash case notes. The pockets are likely on the inside of her sleeves. Attached to her waist is a compact pouch with two objects slotted into the adjacent holders (could be writing utensils).

Again, if those diamond tears are pins... you can see the potential for stashing even more notes.

Neve's cobra prosthetic is part of every outfit, but I wanted to showcase its degree of function under utility. The ankle was designed as a hinge. This gives her improved mobility, which of course includes stretching. It most likely becomes uncomfortable after long durations of use; you can often see her weight shifted to her left leg and checking on her right leg. The entire prosthetic design is on point, and the extra attention to detail is exquisite.

Color

Turqoise.* In every companion outfit available, there is turqoise. I would say she "just likes turqoise," but that doesn't align with how she searches for deeper meaning in the subtle things. So for analysis' sake.... The color itself compliments Neve's playfulness and creates contrast to Dock Town's more or less neutral palette. It's a fun, vibrant color that makes a statement. It's also shared by the Shadow Dragons.

While Neve can be intimidating and is a badass, she's light and idealistic at heart—if you dig deep enough. All cynics at one point held hope in high esteem, before they were proven wrong one too many times, or maybe in one heinous letdown.

(*As a disclaimer, the color may not actually be turqoise. The symbolism as a vibrant and saturated color stays the same though, whatever the case.)

And… that brings us to the end of examining Neve’s Dragon Coat and what it shows us about her character. Any other thoughts, please share!

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Writing Reference: 5 Symbols

for your next poem/story (pt. 5)

EGG

The egg is as powerful in its symbolism as it is potent as a life-force.

The World Egg is a ubiquitous symbol for the egg from which the Universe is said to have hatched, an idea that appears in creation myths from all parts of the world: The Celts, Hindus, Egyptians, Greeks, Phoenicians, and many more all agree about this idea.

The form this cosmic hatching takes is variable though:

Often, the egg rises from primeval waters and is incubated by a bird; in Hindu belief, this is the Hamsa, a goose.

When the egg hatches, the yolk and the white become Heaven and Earth.

The Shinto tradition says that the Universe resembled a giant hen’s egg that broke open, with the heavier parts becoming the Earth and the lighter, the Heavens.

There is also a theory that the entire Universe is contained in a huge egg that stands upright.

The egg is a symbol of new life, and this idea is borne out with chocolate eggs at Easter, which in itself is a celebration of the pre-Christian fertility Goddess, Eostre, who also gives her name to the hormone estrogen.

The subsequent celebration of Christ’s death and resurrection meant that the egg kept its significance as a symbol of new life and hope.

Archeologists have found clay eggs in Russian burial sites, reinforcing the belief in the egg as a symbol of immortality and of rebirth.

In alchemy, the Philosopher’s Egg symbolizes the seed of spiritual life, and depicts the place wherein a great transformation takes place.

The ancient riddle of what came first, chicken or egg, was deftly if disappointingly answered by Angelus Silesius, who said: The chicken was in the egg and the egg was in the chicken.

FEATHER

The Egyptian Goddess of truth, Ma’at, has the ostrich feather as her attribute. There is a very specific reason for this:

Because the ostrich is a flightless bird, the design of its feathers is different to those of other birds where one side is larger than the other.

The ostrich feather, however, is perfectly balanced and symmetrical, and so is a fitting emblem of justice.

Its symbolism is closely aligned to that of wings and birds. They stand for ascendance, flight, communication with the spirit realms and the element of air.

Shamanistic use of feathers is for all these reasons;

the feathers enable the soul to become as light as the feather and transcend the boundaries of gravity, time, and space.

Shamans of all nationalities wear feathers as a part of their ritual apparel.

The eagle feather is the most valuable of all feathers:

In some parts of the world, this feather, synonymous with all the power of the bird, is considered so sacred that only card-carrying Native American tribal members may own them. Those found in the wrong hands are the cause of heavy fines.

The swan’s feather appears in the cloaks of druids; because the swan is the bird of poetry, its feathers magically confer these powers on the bard.

Used at the end of the arrow as a “flight,” feathers have a practical as well as symbolic use.

Additionally, feathers are a symbol of sacrifice:

This is because, when chickens and other birds were ritually slaughtered, all they left behind was a few feathers, fluttering to the ground.

The other major symbolic meaning of the feather associates it with vegetation and with hair, primarily because of a similarity in appearance.

HOURGLASS

The function of the hourglass is to mark the passing of time, as sand trickles through the narrow waist in the middle of the transparent glass container that is the same shape as a figure of eight.

Therefore, it is often used as a motif to show the inevitability of death.

However, the shape of the hourglass, as well as being a visual symbol and a word used to describe the figure of a shapely woman, is a lemniscate, or infinity sign.

That the hourglass can be turned upside down to start the cycle all over again makes it an optimistic symbol of rebirth.

PHURBA

This is a sacred knife, used only in ritual practices by Tibetan Buddhists.

Like the Athame of the Western tradition, it is employed to create the sacred spaces that are used for rites and ceremonies.

Its design is based on a stake used in ancient times to tether sacrificial animals, and it is used to describe a magic circle in the same way as a compass.

Can only be owned or handled by initiates.

THYRSUS

The thyrsus was a sacred implement used in rituals and festivals during the time of the Ancient Greeks.

It was a staff, standing about as high as its owner, made from a giant fennel stalk topped with a pine cone and wrapped with vine leaves.

As a phallic symbol, it was combined with a goblet or chalice, symbolic of female energy and used to counterbalance the staff.

As well as being a symbol of male energy, though, staffs or long poles of some description have a universal use as a sacred instrument to connect the Heavens to the Earth, a conductor for the divine spirit.

Source ⚜ More: On Symbols ⚜ Writing Notes & References

[r3trorogue]

A note on transformers Bumblebee:

Bumblebee has been my favorite transformer since the time I could walk and talk. So much so that I have his G1 form permanently inked on my body. That being said, I do have a slight issue with how he’s portrayed a lot of the time.

Bumblebee by most accounts (through mostly deduction and context clues) is almost certainly a cold-construct. He’s usually younger among the Autobots, in a time when the all-spark had already stopped creating sparklings. However: he’s not a child. Cold-Constructs on most accounts we’re build to function as adults starting from the time they were brought to life.

I see a lot of media treat him like a child because he tends to be more playful, and since the first Transformers Live-Action Film, has been frequently depicted as mute. His voice is often replaced with radio, or with an approximation of Cybertronian that tends to sound like beeps and whirs. I don’t think I need to point out how problematic it is to depict a mute character as a child or childlike because they communicate differently than other characters. (They directly call him a “child” or “child-like” or comment on his youth)

Bumblebee has always been a playful character. He’s been the one audiences are supposed to love and relate to because he loves life and he loves humans. He’s playful, he enjoys having fun, he’s bright and cheery. Sunshine personified in a lot of cases.

I think a lot of times that overshadows a lot of the nuance of his character. He, like the other Cybertronians, has lost his home and majority of his people to war and violence; war and violence that he has fully participated in and contributed to. In G1 when Optimus goes a little off the deep end (in his cop era) Bee is the one to point it out and to suggest letting cybertronians live, cooling down, taking a step back. When we see him (as a ghost) interacting with Starscream, he advocates for Starscream to step up and become a better leader. Bee has always been a champion of not necessarily peace, but of finding a better way. He looks for alternate options to conflict, he tries to convince the people around him and himself to be better, to embrace their new lives and circumstances. Bees strongest character trait is that he’s compassionate, he cares about all of the beings around him.

Being compassionate doesn’t mean denouncing violence or being complacent. Bee gives and receives his fair share of violence. His shorter stature and lighter frame has never prevented him from throwing down. In fact, we see him alter his fighting style to suit his needs as an Autobot. He uses manoeuvring, precision, speed, and espionage to give him an edge. Bee is a brilliant autobot. As a Scout he’s part of Special Operations, his entire job is information gathering which requires a certain level of tact and espionage. He’s a skilled soldier, standing among the elite of Optimus’ forces. Optimus trusts arguably some of his most important tasks to Bee. Optimus, as a leader, would only choose the best and right not for a job. He can’t afford to make mistakes or give out jobs to those who are unqualified. That sort of thing would end the autobot cause. Bee has gotten their through his own work and merit.

We lose a lot of that part of his character in media and more recent runs. He’s been delegated to this fun-loving child-like character. He’s the comedic relief. He’s not taken seriously within these stories (Earthspark Excluded) for the appeal of the audience. They take away his multifaceted nature for the sake of spectacle and likeability. I feel like somewhere along the way we lost the depth and nuance to his character. I don’t think hardcore fans or those who are tired of seeing bumblebee, would mind his presence if we reintroduced that sort of nuance. I also think it wouldn’t hurt to show off some other transformers once in a while, Bee shines in the spotlight, but other characters could too. I’d also add making sure characters are true to who they are when depicted in movies and shows. My biggest gripe with Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (a movie I love) is that they quite literally took Jazz as a character and gave him Mirage’s name and power(ish). Jazz being my second favorite transformer, I was so sure when the first trailer came out that based off of the personality and look that it was going to be Jazz and I was devastated to see that they’d labelled him as Mirage. But I digress: let characters be multifaceted. Putting them in a box makes them fall flat and doesn’t work. Bumblebee, and all transformers, deserve a little more thought out into them than that.

[properlypreparedfishburrito]

Post-Donkey Kong Bananza Direct Thoughts

...hidden below the "Keep reading" for potential spoiler reasons.

- Okay, so the two major theories regarding Odd Rock and the girl from the leaked cover art I saw prior to this were:

1. The girl was Odd Rock in a different form (I personally subscribed to this one).

2. The girl was a younger Pauline.

...turns out, both were true! Which raises... questions, regarding when this game takes place.

- So we already know with 100% certainty that this game's Donkey Kong is still the same DK we've seen since Donkey Kong Country (...or Donkey Kong Jr. if you, like me, subscribe to the headcanon that they're one and the same)... and yet, we also know that Pauline was an adult even at the time Cranky Kong was still going by that name. My two guesses?

1. Time works very, VERY differently in the underground world that Bananza is set in.

2. This Pauline is actually the original's daughter.

Personally, I'm more inclined to believe the first of those 2 for now.

- ...a character who actually consistently talks? In a Mario-adjacent game? Heresy! HERESY, I SAY!!

-- (/j)

- The Jungle Hijinx theme is back again!

- So we already knew that Cranky Kong was back, but it's very nice to see Rambi in the flesh as well!

-- ...if DK isn't allowed to ride him, I'll be very upset... though not too upset, since the transformation mechanic seems like it'll serve a similar gameplay purpose? Speaking of... NEVERMIND, YOU CAN RIDE RAMBI!

- So we pretty much all knew there was some major gameplay mechanic they were saving for later, right? It is an odd choice to have DK transform into other animals instead of riding them, but it still looks fun!

- We finally know the names of each of the Void Co. Kongs!

- One of the side-scrolling stages is set in a Bramble area!

- I was wondering what the point of collecting Banandium Gems was going to be. A Skill Tree was the last thing I would've guessed.

-- Again, a very surprising thing to see in a Mario-adjacent game.

-- I'm just hoping it'll be possible to get every skill by collecting every Gem. If it isn't possible to have a fully-powered DK, I'll be very upset.

- Glad to see the usual 1-Up Balloons are back, even if they aren't exactly 1-Ups this time around.

- It was pretty clear that they were going to have a lot of unlockable cosmetics, like in Super Mario Odyssey. The fact that said cosmetics actually have a gameplay effect is much more surprising.

- THE DK RAP IS BACK!!

- ...I was expecting some sort of Odyssey-like co-op function. I was not expecting said function to be shouting at things in such a way that it creates a physical projectile.

-- This is just an ability that Pauline has now, I guess.

- Okay, so Hearts don't exactly follow the "1 Heart = 1 Hit" formula like in the Retro Studios DKCs. Another reason to get health upgrades, I suppose.

- DK learned about the Mario Artist series and wanted in.

-- I guess this is also kinda the DK equivalent of Mario's face in Super Mario 64's title screen?

- ...I wasn't sure if or how they were going to include K-O-N-G letters in this game. Again, this is the last thing I would've expected.

- DIDDY AND DIXIE ARE ALSO BACK!!!

-- I was so... so worried they weren't going to be here, even if Diddy getting a mild redesign alleviated that a bit.

-- ...and it looks like DK can race them on Rambi!... while they also ride Rambi!... however that works!

So, in conclusion...

THIS GAME LOOKS SO GOOD!!

I was planning to just wait for my Switch 2 purchase invite from Nintendo to finally arrive, but... honestly, I think this may actually convince me to acquire one through other means so I can guarantee I'll be able to play this at launch.

[arcadekitten]

Hi! I have a question

In the mary and reginald aquarium scene, how are there pinguin, fish, etc? I mean aren't those noisrevians that transformed into their animal forms? Sorry I am just so confused right now

(Sorry if It is a bit confusing I am not really good at English and I don't really know how to explain it)

I know it's a bit confusing!! And people have asked me similar questions in the past, but I think now that I have at least one game each as an example I can explain it more clearly--so I will try to explain it as best I can. (Apologies in advanced for the long read!)

"Noisrev" is the name of the planet my characters exist on, and characters from Noisrev are called "Noisrevians" similar to how we would be called "Earthlings". However, Noisrev takes various different forms with slightly differing lore across all my games, hence why I call my works part of the "noisrev-verse".

The majority of Noisrevians are animals with human forms, who can shapeshift in and out of these forms. However, this changes depending on the game/work they're used in. I will put the 3 main types of "Noisrev" I use in my work in a numbered list below, but know that the order they appear in doesn't signify importance.

This version of Noisrev is one where, even though the people are still anthropomorphized versions of animals, many of the people don't seem to realize this and many of their abilities are latent(like fish people not being able to breathe underwater). These abilities may very well still exist, but it is as if the people have unconsciously forgotten what they really are. This is the version of Noisrev that exists in games like Cemetery Mary, where Mary describes herself as feeling a connection to manta rays while not acknowledging that she is one. They may acknowledge the presence of animal features on some characters like Zapara's ears or Theo's horns, but they'd only describe these characters as being "a wolf-like girl" and "a bull-like guy" and not acknowledge them as actually BEING a wolf or a bull. This is also the kind of Noisrev that exists in a game like Here For Sweethearts, where the protag describes characters as being "like" things like turtles and dogs, but not saying that they are one. "Normal" animals still exist and are regarded the same way they are in our world, which is why Mary and Reggie were able to go to an aquarium or why Mary had a pet tarantula in the past. ===

This version of Noisrev is one where Noisrevians know exactly what kind of animals they are, and can even shapeshift in-and-out of human form, but "normal" animals also still exist. I describe this version of Noisrev as being very similar to a Disney Cartoon, where Goofy is a dog and can walk and talk, but Pluto is also a dog and is only a pet. It's like that! This version of Noisrev is one where games like Crowscare and Blackout Hospital take place. In Crowscare, when Ryo talks to Ingram for the first time, Ryo acknowledges that Ingram being a talking bird is a bit surprising to him--but that he's also met plenty of people like Ingram before. In Blackout Hospital, Mary flat out calls Vasilis a deer instead of just saying they are like one. However, there are also references to "normal" animals such as therapy dogs that function the exact same way they do in the real world. ===

This version of Noisrev is one where Noisrevians know exactly what kind of animals they are, and can shapeshift in-and-out of human form, but "normal" animals do not exist. Noisrevian animals are the ONLY types of animals to exist, meaning that every single animal is also a person that can shapeshift. The role of real-world "normal" animals is taken over by "monsters/beasts" in their world. This is the version that exists in Semiaquatic Circus(and to an extent, Sweet No Death). Savannah is not a lion-tamer. She IS a lion who is a beast-tamer. This is the version of Noisrev that Noisrev was originally conceptualized as (and also my favorite). For this reason, you might occasionally hear me refer to this version of Noisrev as "Noisrev Proper". It's the way that Noisrev is technically "supposed" to be. === I hope this helps clear things up a little bit and that it's not too confusing!! ^^"

[alicepooryorick]

Gender and sexual-based violence takes many forms and is perpetuated in many ways; however, one topic that always seems to float to the top in these discussions does not change: porn. Many communities, not simply those interested in sexual violence, love to discuss porn, its evils, and maybe even its benefits. However, often in this discourse, the term “porn” or “pornography” turns synonymous with the live-action variety over any deeper discourse regarding any additional types of pornographic content. These include but are in no way limited to, hentai, original smut writing, and transformative smut writing, otherwise known as explicit fan fiction. Transformative works are of special interest, as they lie beyond any traditional means of distribution or production, provide a mask of identity, and are predominantly written by non-male individuals  (McInroy & Craig, 2018), leading to a unique situation wherein unusual demographics both consuming and producing pornographic material may publish whatever one wishes without consequence or even so much as identification of the original author if so wished. This, while also providing a look into how non-masculine individuals interact with explicit content in positive terms. Fandom and transformative works are, of course, an understudied area in academia, in part due to the recency of fandom and transformative media in spaces outside of religion. This study hopes to give insight into porn and our interaction with the content there in, in ways we do not typically get to view it. In this way, we hopefully will develop a deeper understanding into the concept of sexually explicit work.

Research methods:

Fan fiction and transformative works in this regard come in two main forms: text-based transformative works hosted primarily on the Archive of Our Own (though many sites exist) and pornographic comics/manga (or hentai as they are technically called) hosted on a whole host of websites unfamiliar to the author. As such, research on these transformative works shall primarily take place on the Archive of Our Own, henceforth referred to by the common abbreviation “AO3”, utilizing their search functions and provided data to glean context on the subject. This work will focus on larger trends over individual works, opting to look at trends in the data over individual works. Fandoms will be decided by popularity as according to the Archive’s provided data. The top five per category (Anime/Manga, Books, Comic Books and Cartoons, Music, Other, RPF (Real Person Fiction,) Theatre, TV, Video Games) as provided by AO3. By using these, we can look at where the majority of the traffic takes place on the site easily. Beyond looking at fandoms, the Archive provides lots of data, as well as methods to sort and search its database by key phrases that users apply to their own work, as well as some required tags for categories like “Relationship pairing,” “Warnings,” and “Age Rating.” Using both required tags and user generated tags, AO3 can provide us with data required for investigating

Theoretical Framework:

Symbolic interactionism is, of course, the core lens with which to look at any text, and here, it is no different. However, some ideas from post-structuralism may also be taken, specifically in the idea that society perpetuates socialization that we, in turn, use to recreate society imperfectly. In this scenario, we may take the meso-level community of fanfiction writers and try to understand how themes perpetuate within the sub-society of smut writers on AO3. While symbolic interactionism is obvious in its usage; post-structural ideas may not be instantly obvious to use. However, we can only understand large scale trends in the data through an understanding of society and discourse structuring our thoughts, and then us rebuilding society. One other framework shall be used, Pagliassotti’s Ten Dimensions for understanding the desire to consume same sex (typically male on male, or yaoi) media. (Zsila et al., 2018) (Volume 5, Issue 2 – Participations, n.d.) As there is a large sect of the data for which this is needed to properly understand what we are seeing.

Biases:

Going into this research, I had already had extensive experience participating in fandom and transformative communities, specifically using Archive of Our Own (AO3) and Tumblr to engage in discussions regarding transformative works and their source material. As such, and as Sociology is commonly jokingly referred to as “the study of things we already know,” I already had some idea of what to expect coming into this study. However, initial review of this data has revealed unexpected notes not previously expected.

The first aspect of this study that I expected and was confirmed on was the prevalence of Male-on-Male relationships, something many individuals interested in fandom question the prevalence of. The high rates of non-straight non-men in the communities would, to many, imply that female characters may get a greater chance to shine, however that is not what we see. Indeed, though there is no way to quantify who the main character of a transformative work is through AO3’s provided data, we see the Male-on-male category shoot to the top of every fandom, implying that, as AO3 asks only for the main relationship (alongside the presence of a tag specifically for multiple relationships,) men are disproportionately leading the stories written in fandom spaces. Interestingly, this trend holds in explicit content too, where in most fandoms prioritize male-on-male relationships, then straight relationships, although “Multiple relationships/multiple partners” tends to also be prevalent in explicit fiction too.

An additional point can be made as to the prevalence of certain media in fandoms, as well as how horny they are, which was interesting. Obviously some media is more popular than others, however I did not expect the discrepancy between what I will term “macro fandoms” (TV, Books, Cartoons, Movies, Video Games, Real Person Fantasy (RPF) , and Theatre) (categories provided by AO3) to be so great; with Real Person Fantasy (primarily KPop RPF) standing at an average of 24% of all works being done in the category being rated as explicit, while theatre based fandoms stood at a simple 8%. This implies that there may be a correlation between how media is consumed and how we are affected by it, otherwise said, “the medium is the message.”

There is so much data to be looked over, even from what has been collected . Many questions are raised by the data, such as how the tag combination (written ��Fandom, Rating, relationship”) “Marvel, Explicit, Other” makes up for 43% of all “Marvel, Other” works. However, this research is giving interesting data into the world of female led pornographic material, and much can be interpreted on how women desire, but also how patriarchal values can be internalized. Additionally, I will leave with one note where in the fandoms where I collected data were all media in which men take main character roles. This is not a bias in the selection though, I feel, as all top fandoms are male led, with the exception of theatre based fandoms, where in we do see two things happen: female character led media is allowed into the top five lists from which I took my data on fandoms, and the amount of works in the meta-fandom take a nose dive.

Methodology:

Data collection:

Data was taken from the website itself between September to October 2024, and all data was taken from AO3’s provided statistics, available on the website. Data was copied by hand and Microsoft Excel was used for statistical analysis. I utilized the pre-provided tags AO3 uses to sort works on the website. (Tutorial: Posting a Work on AO3 FAQ | Archive of Our Own, n.d.) Data was sorted into Gender Pairings, Work Count, Explicit Content, and the Top 200 Tags. Additionally, data was taken from PornHubs “Year in Review 2023” (2023 Year in Review - Pornhub Insights, 2023) for comparison.

Gender Pairings:

            There were five variables in Gender Pairings, which was focused at looking into trends in gender dynamics in fan fiction work:

Media, which were the fandoms the pairings were taken from, which were the top five fandoms, plus MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) which was included as both it and the generalized “Marvel” media tag were within the top. Notably, “Meta-Fandoms” such as K-Pop were excluded from the analysis, as these encompass multiple other top fandoms and may bias data.

            Pairing, which was the one of the mandatory tags from AO3, as such each come with a provided definition of what to expect, provided in Figure One.

            Pair Count, which was the provided number of works using that category of pairing in total; both explicit and not, per media.

            XXX Pair Count, this was done by using the filter results in a given media to sort by only explicit works within that fandom, and then recopying the new totals for Pair Count.

An additional, the smaller set of variables attached to this category was “Dead Dove”, referring to the rating above explicit that is not provided by AO3 as a part of the mandatory ratings tag, but instead is a user generated tag that appears in the Top 200 at time of data collection (Tags | Archive of Our Own, n.d.). Dead Dove, Do Not Eat means that the content within the work will be beyond that of what is reasonable to expect, typically graphic imagery of taboo subjects, and gratuitous depictions and descriptions dark subject matter (rape making up the number one tag associated with Dead Dove Do Not Eat.)

This data was organized by Pairing, as previously defined, but now taken from the Dead Dove Do Not Eat search as opposed to per fandom, and Dead Dove Count, which was the amount of the tag each pairing made up. Dead Dove; Do Not Eat was not restricted to just being under “Explicit” rating, but instead all ratings, so as to capture the full story better.

Work Count:

Work Count was made up of four variables and was focused on seeing the trends in what the popular medias and mediums were.

Title, which was simply the name of one of the top five fandoms per medium category. (Fandoms | Archive of Our Own, n.d.)

            Work Count, which was the amount of total works per fandom.

            Medium, which was the specific medium the fandom is a part of. If the fandom belonged to multiple mediums and was in the selection parameter to be chosen in multiple mediums, I instead labeled it as “Multi-Media.” Beyond there, the comprehensive list of what AO3 classifies as a “Medium” is available at this citation (Fandoms | Archive of Our Own, n.d.).

            Explicit Count, which is simply the amount of works tagged as “explicit” by the users of the Archive per fandom.

Explicit Content:

Finally of the major categories, I collected data on the most popular tags in sexually explicit works. To do this, I used a slightly flawed method that I feel still held value and accurate data, which was to search for works tagged as having “Sexual Content.” This method was used as the Archive has no way of searching for just explicit rated works, and so round about measures were used to find the data I was interested in. Data was collected once again by using the provided data from the filters on AO3. The data for explicit content looked to investigate the specific type of content readers look for in their porn. Data was taken in two variables:

            Tag, which was taken from Figure 2 (Sexual Content - Works | Archive of Our Own, n.d.) almost directly.

            Count, which was the number of works with the given tag on AO3.

Top 200 Tags:

An additional point of data was less collected and more provided to me. AO3 offers their two hundred most popular tags that are not sexual positions to be viewed, sorted alphabetically and shown with size on the web page being proportional to their popularity. This data was mostly approached qualitatively, looking for trends and artifacts of something bigger.

All data was taken from approximately 13,920,000 works, 7,678,000 users, and 68,290 fandoms, and was publicly available on the website. (Home | Archive of Our Own, n.d.)

A Note About Tags:

            It is worth bringing up how the tag system on The Archive of Our Own works to properly understand some of the data collection. The tags on the Archive are user generated; however many popular tags are lumped under one tag or fandom tag. An extensive explanation on how tags are input can be found here: (Tutorial: Posting a Work on AO3 FAQ | Archive of Our Own, n.d.) However, the important part to understand in what makes my data collection possibly problematic in Sexual Content is that notably if tags get to large, they will splinter from the “main” tag. An easy example of a partial splinter is the MCU and Marvel being separate but related fandoms, where MCU stands as a fandom of its own, big enough to qualify for the Multi-Media tag equally as much as Marvel proper (which also counts MCU, which I took measures to remove from the Marvel data.) Why I bring this up is that in the top 200 tags, we see Smut and Sexual Content both appear separately, despite them being the same thing, more or less, in fandom. This is brought up as there may be marginal errors in my numbers as some works may be tagged as smut but not Sexual Content, or vise versa. (Tags | Archive of Our Own, n.d.)

PornHub Data:

Additionally, further data for comparison is taken from PornHub’s 2023 Year in Review (2023 Year in Review - Pornhub Insights, 2023) and PornHub’s data on top searches by women on their site (Women’s Favorite Searches Worldwide - Pornhub Insights, 2016). This data is used to compare transformative media trends to that of traditional pornographic material. Data discrepancies between porn searches, female porn searches, and popularity of tags in explicit transformative media all tell us about how we interact with porn. PornHub is being used for this data due to its dominance in the porn space, as well as its data being easy to access.

Findings:

Gender Pairings (Figures 3-6):

            Out of 2803347works looked at within Gender Pairings (Figures 3-5), 2244399 (80%) works involved a direct relationship as a focus of the work. Of those 2244399 works, 475135 of them (21%) were rated as explicit. Explicit content was notably not spread evenly among gender pairings (Figure 5) instead, a discrepancy between the pairings arose. Lowest was General (G)(~1%), which again is the gender pairing tag used to mark no major relationship dynamic within the work. The highest rate of explicit content was contained within the Multiple Partners tag (M)(24%) but Male/Male dynamics (MM) were close second (23%). Female/Female (FF) sat at 17%, straight dynamics at 19%, and Other Dynamics at 19% as well. Notably, once broken down into individual pairing-media entries, an interesting outlier emerged; “Marvel, Explicit, Other” stood as the highest percentage of explicit content, with 43 percent of content within “Marvel, Other” being explicit. Looking into the set of tags on the archive, a trend rapidly emerged:  it was disproportionately works relating to the alien Marvel character, The Venom Symbiote, more colloquially known as Venom.

For Dead Dove; Do Not Eat, we see the data spread in Figure 6 where in it is shown that there is an even larger disparity between dynamics, with Male/Male dynamics taking up almost half the Dead Dove; Do Not Eat tag. One curiosity I got while looking through the data on Dead Dove Do Not Eat was how much, roughly, of the site does it make up. It makes the top 200 tags. (Tags | Archive of Our Own, n.d.) comparing the amount of works tagged as Dead Dove; Do Not Eat (106,096) to the site total (13,860,000) we see that 0.77% of all works on AO3 are tagged as such. This percentage only makes sense when contextualized next to “Sexual Content,” (1,926,454 works) which makes up approximately 13.9% of works. This means that the Top 200 tags are a highly diverse set with a lower floor of entry than I perhaps expected. What is more, AO3 provided tags that are closely associated with Dead Dove; Do Not Eat (Figure 7). Important to note that it itself is the top tag associated with Dead Dove; Do Not Eat. This is simply an artifact of how the archive works. What we see is that largely Dead Dove; Do Not Eat content is sex centric, with Rape and Anal Sex both being in the top three tags most highly associated, sandwiching the tag Angst.

Work Count (Figure 9):

                        Work count lends some more interesting statistics to the study, notably how much explicit work is being done not only per fandom but also per medium. A reminder is needed here before we dissect some of this data that not some medias overlapped with multiple mediums and, as such, I elected to sort them into their own “multi-media” categories, as while AO3 does separate between Marvel TV shows and Marvel movies, they do not separate them fully. As such to not bias results, and to better understand these unique and frequent cases, I separated them into their own section.

            Within the Work Count data, we see once again differing priorities placed on which works to write about, and indeed make explicit content of, with great discrepancy seeming to take place by medium. From least to greatest we see: Theatre (8.28% explicit percentage,) Multi-Media (15.44%,) Books (18.3%,) Anime and Manga (18.53%,) Real Person Fantasy (RPF) (21.22%,) and Music (24.17%.) What is most interesting here is the prevalence of porn about celebrities, with the top two mediums functionally being one and the same in that they deal almost entirely with real people. Indeed, if we sort by percentage of explicit content, we see the top four leaders in explicit content are as such: Actor RPF (28%), Stray Kids (a KPOP Band)(28%), BTS(Another Korean band)(25%), and Music RPF (24%). I will restate that anything lumped as “RPF” largely will be encompassing other fandoms, as we see with Music RPF being alongside two KPOP bands.

Explicit Content (Figure 11-12):

            Data here is fairly simple to interpret, the top tags associated with “Sexual Content” all make intuitive sense for the most part. “Implied Sexual Content” and Angst are interesting, although the latter could simply be an artifact of the popularity of the Angst tag. However, this is pure speculation. Seeing the top results being dominated by porn categories makes sense, as those are of course going to correlate to pornographic content. It is not a perception shattering category, simply more of sociology being the study of stuff we intuitively knew.

            Looking into the data on the rate of warnings associated with sexual content used on AO3 tags, half of all works have “Non-Applicable” selected, with a further 33% chose not to use warnings, an option that, though is provided to allow for major plot points to not be spoiled, tends to function one and the same as “Non-Applicable.” After that net 83%, we see Graphic Depictions of Violence in third, with rape in fourth, the two sitting at 8.63% and 8.57% respectfully. Underage warnings sat just below at 7.4%, and Major Character Death was last, with just 2.97% of all works tagged as having Sexual Content also having Major Character Death warnings.

PornHub Data (Figure 13-14):

            Looking at the data provided by Pornhub, we see an interesting top 15 terms most searched, going as such (Pornhub on left, PornhubGay on the right)

#1 hentai

#1 twink

milf

anime

lesbian

pinoy

japanese

asian

pinay

hentai

anal

curious straight friends

asian

straight

latina

furry

big ass

femboy

step mom

black

anime

korean

threesome

bbc

ebony

massage

massage

japanese

#15 creampie 

#15 gangbang

            Of the top 15, we see one third of the results of straight porn, either being directly Asian (Japanese, pinay, Asian) or related to Japan directly (hentai, anime.) If we look at the percentage of the top fifteen taken up by racialized minorities, we see that again, a third of the top results are related to the sexualization of racialized minorities, with those of south Asian decent being higher than Latina or Ebony categories.

Interestingly, though “lesbian” is ranked so highly (reaching number spot number one in America.) The article this data comes from gives deeper insight that is very important, stating:

“It would be easy to theorize the popularity of this term could have much to do with the fact many of the viewers on Pornhub are straight men, but that would not do the data justice. Not only was it the 3rd most searched term overall, but it was also the most viewed category of 2023. For men, it was the 7th most viewed category, but for women, it was the 1st. It seems to signify that no matter your gender or sexual orientation, viewers love to see two women getting together.” (2023 Year in Review - Pornhub Insights, 2023)

This is contradictory with the data seen from AO3, and this data is referring to modern porn trends from just last year, not the article on women’s preferences in porn from 2016. It is interesting to see this discrepancy, and perhaps it is simply due to demographic differences between those who consume porn and those who consume transformative media.

What this Means:

            The data above all lends itself to a look at the ways in which women chose to interact with porn from a creative’s point of view as well as a consumer. Fanfiction or transformative media uniquely has a culture of the author writing that which they want to consume, leading to the act of creation and the act of consumption being largely the same (Shit Tier Ugly Ass Elf, n.d.) (Useless on Rainy Days., n.d.), functionally, for our purposes. If people are creating a tag in disproportionate measures, that means there is disproportionate demand from what we would see if we assumed pure random creation.

Discussion:

            Though we see many trends within the data, some are of particular interest. Of course, source media is not a prominent aspect of traditional pornographic materials. That said, AO3’s sexual dynamics trends are of interest, as are artifacts of the culture surrounding AO3 content, as well as themes specific to AO3. Additionally, the comparison of popular tags on AO3 to the popular terms on PornHub are of great interest, due to the aforementioned gender dynamics.

            As previously mentioned, transformative media, and especially fan fiction, is predominantly created and consumed by people who are not heteronormative men. Predominantly this means cis women are the highest demographic, while other gender categories trail behind. This is reflected in an odd way, wherein we see that predominately fanfiction is male-lead dominated in its body, porn or otherwise, or that at least men feature heavily. Indeed, comparing the amount of just M/M relationships to the body of data taken in Gender Pairings (Figure 4) we see that of 482771 explicit works,51% are man on man, leaving not even half for the other five categories. This is compared to the 7% of all explicit works taken from the body that dealt with W/W relationships. At this point in the data, I chose to investigate if this is a selection bias caused by the fandoms selected in Gender Pairings (Figure 4) and went back to the data to compare gender dynamic counts in the Sexual Content so as to eliminate any bias created by the top fandoms being all male led, which in and of itself is highly interesting. Looking at all works with sexual content, lesbian relationships grow in popularity to 10% of the body, however yaoi grows further, increasing in discrepancy to a staggering 62%! Ironically, though this was supposed to see if disproportionately male works had been chosen, we see the opposite. The top 5.5 fandoms are 11% less M/M dominated than the entire body of works tagged “Sexual Content.” Largely, this could relate to multiple things. One is that women may consume male on male pornographic material for virtue of being attracted to men, and therefore this simply reduces the amount of women they may see. There is, in fact, some work done in the study of yaoi media; and from which I will quote the ten dimension motive set,

            “The first, “Pure” love without gender dimension refers to a motive to view/read romantic contents in which gender differences are not present. The Pro-gay attitude/forbidden & transgressive love dimension represents a motive to view/read materials that portray a positive picture of homosexual men. Identification/self-analysis refers to yaoi viewers’ and readers’ motive to better understand their own feelings and dilemmas. The Melodramatic/emotional elements dimension represents a motive to experience intense emotions. Dislike for standard romances/shoujo reflects a motive to avoid heterosexual romance stories (e.g., shoujo) due to their often one-dimensional female characters and ‘boring’ narratives. A female-oriented romantic/erotic genre dimension refers to a motive to consume yaoi because it caters to women’s narrative preferences. Pure escapism/lack of reality reflects a motive to escape daily life. Art and aesthetics represents a motive to view/read yaoi for its distinctive graphic style. The Pure entertainment dimension refers to a motive of seeking relaxation and entertainment. Finally, Arousing/sexually titillating reflects a motive of seeking sexually arousing content.” (Zsila et al., 2018) (Volume 5, Issue 2 – Participations, n.d.)

            Approaching the question of the prominence of yaoi media from this new perspective, let us break down each dimension and compare it to what we know of fanfiction.

Pure Love [AG1] is easy to argue for, as it would be an appealing for many to read media where the one they are to project on to is not inequal, however if we are to subscribe to the idea that the consumer and creator are one and the same in fanfiction and transformative media as a whole, would it not be sensical to argue that this should not matter, as the one dictating the demand is also dictating the supply? Could it be that, perhaps, even in these fictions the ideas of patriarchal values are held close enough that it is difficult to imagine a non-heterosexual relation that holds no inequality? As norms become part of who we are, the heterosexual dynamic becomes symbolic of a power imbalance. But what of non-male, same sex dynamics? I would argue that this argued symbolic nature shines through once more, and that even with the absence of a man, the idea of the oppressed woman may hold to strongly for the written lesbian dynamic to exist without some idea of the way women are treated in society bearing down on the writer’s preconsciousness. As such, the male on male dynamic is defaulted to, with the women able to insert themselves into this identity easily enough that it is irrelevant that it is not technically a woman they are projecting onto.

Pro-gay Attitude/Forbidden and Transgressive Love is simpler to understand, some people may simply enjoy reading representation, regardless of if it is their own or not, and as the consumer here is also the creator, it is reasonable to assume that this causes some people to write male/male dynamics simply to normalize the idea.

Identification/self-analysis another fairly obvious one to apply to transformative media, as writing is a common method of processing emotions and used for various therapeutic reasons (Klien, 2010) and that even reading can help us understand the world around us better, it stands to reason that transformative media is no different. With the high rates of queer individuals in the space, and that the majority of them identify as something other than male or masculine (McInroy & Craig, 2018). While in no way do I feel that this alone is enough to cause the massive preferential bias towards male/male dynamics, to pretend that only one cause is at play would be foolish.

Melodramatic/emotional elements I feel needs very little explaining the significance of, as it is fairly simple aspects of what makes media enjoyable, and was explained well by the quote above.

Dislike for standard romances/shoujo this is of interest, and wraps back around to what was talked about under Pure Love, that the heterosexual relationship can be symbolic of an inequal one.

A female-oriented romantic/erotic genre this is the closest link to fanfiction, as we can understand the fanfiction as almost the most female audience centered fiction possible, with the creatives creating for themselves what they want to see with no interference.

Pure escapism/lack of reality is one place I would go further than the provided theory. Again, if we are to believe that the target audience of the work is the creator themselves, then the idea of the work takes shape as less a media but an avenue to pretend in. Indeed, though it is not included in the top 200 tags, the tag “y/n”

Art and aesthetics apply the least, as many transformative works are purely text based.

Pure entertainment Once again, explained well by the quote, no porting needed.

Arousing/sexually titillating and lastly, this, which is especially prominent within our context.

            This very clearly moves away from a reductionistic perspective of yaoi consumption as just a fetishistic past time, though it could still be argued it is. What compounds the data on gender dynamics is the data on Dead Dove; Do Not Eat where in we see 47% of works be male/male dynamics, and 23% made up by straight dynamics. After this, Multi, f/f, General, and Other all make up roughly the same proportion of the Dead Dove body at around 7%. This follows trends in the most popular ships, where in the top seven dynamics are all yaoi or straight dynamic (Figure 4.) More than likely, this discrepancy is in large part caused less by a conscious effort to write men in extreme situations, or straight relations similarly, but more stems from the popularity of male on male and straight dynamics. That said, one aspect of the ten dimensions that is bolstered by the prominence of male in male Dead Dove content is Identification/self-analysis where, as previously discussed, writing with this degree of abstraction may aid in assisting those with processing their emotions and trauma.

            A further puzzle emerges in the lack of female on female dynamics, and while certainly some of that can and should be attributed to heteronormativity and the prominence of straight relationships in media, we are still faced with the question of why lesbian dynamics are less popular than male on male dynamics. To respond to the obvious answer to those on the outside of this scene, it is not the lack of lesbian representation. Many popular dynamics written in fan fiction are not canonical to the source material. Looking at top relationships on AO3, we see relationships such as Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter, colloquially referred to as “Drarry,” (Relationship(s) - Works | Archive of Our Own, n.d.) a relationship that is completely made up by fans. One answer for this discrepancy comes from an aspect of cultural discourse that constructs lesbians as, to some degree, "That a woman might desire a woman 'like' herself, someone of the 'same' sex, that she might also have auto- and homo- sexual appetites, is simply incomprehensible.” (de Lauretis, 1988) that is to say, some aspects of our cultural preconscious still constructs the idea of a woman as less sexual, and to that end, less relationship oriented. I would add further, beyond what is said there, that our construction of what a man is is based on his ability to be in a relationship. To quote Kendrick Lamar’s Mr Morale and the Big Steppers, “Auntie Diaries,” a work on masculinities where the song he is discussing what it means to be a man or woman, he brings up his perception of his trans uncle and what made him perceive his now uncle as a man:  

“My auntie is a man now

I watch him and his girl hold their hands down

Tip of the avenues under street lights made his

Thinking, "l want me a bad bitch when I get big." (Kendrick Lamar – Auntie Diaries, n.d.)

A man is as masculine as his ability to have relationship and, as we construct the female concept as the opposite of the male, then perhaps the reason we see this lack of lesbian dynamics is due to this construction and subconscious bias in how we perceive women and their dynamics. Further, we can touch on the prominence of male/male dynamics as a result of our perception of male affection being deviant. Put otherwise, the show of affection in a man is taken rarely as strictly platonic, leading the authors of these fan fictions who write non-canonical relations to bias their writing and, therefore, their data, towards male on male dynamics.

            The cultural perception on men and women are not the only artifacts of the culture surrounding transformative media. In fact, the top 200 tags on AO3 are a gold mine of data on what people are interested in creating and reading (Tags | Archive of Our Own, n.d.). Common themes pop up in the top 200, and what types of tags are frequent tell us a lot. For instance, multiple references to lead characters being underage exist in the data, tags such as “Underage,” “teenagers,” “Harm to Children,” “Sexual Inexperience,” and “Firsts” all are within the top to hundred. Another theme arises in mental health issues and trauma, with tags such as “Mental Health Issues,” “Incest,” “Abuse,” “Anxiety,” the aforementioned “Dead Dove; Do Not Eat,” and  “Suicide.” A final theme comes through in the top 200 that is more removed from these other two, which is various tags relating to kinks and explicit content. Tags like “Bottoming,” “BDSM,” “Daddy Kink,” and “Threesome” all are contained within the top 200. These, to me, speak of two separate ideal groupings, with overlap occurring. The first two groups mentioned speak to who is creating and consuming this media: youths with issues they use writing to help deal with. A fourth group I will draw upon of tags is what I think of as “external factors,” which consists of tags like “drugs,” “substance abuse,” “Homophobia,” and “gender related.” All relate to real world aspects that exist in our world that many writing would have to deal with. That all said, we see a unique picture of what porn looks like here. When compared to the most popular porn categories on PornHub, we do not see demographic categories come up beyond the tag “Boys in Love.” Instead, though, we trade the sexualization of the minority for an increased interest in porn with multiple partners. “Polyamory,” and “threesome,” both appear in this list, but we get further confirmation from our data on gender pairings where works tagged as multiple partners had the highest rate of explicit content on the site when compared to non-explicit multi-partner works. Male/Male having the second highest rate of explicit content lends support to the Arousing/sexually titillating dimension earlier mentioned too. However, from a macro perspective, looking at all the categories together, a picture begins to be painted of who is using this site and how they consume this material. Predominantly it is youths who have had deviant upbringings who try and make sense of their life, their world, and their feelings through the medium they have access to, a medium where in the facelessness of the anonymous archive allows for people to express and explore their feelings without the cost of negative action being taken on them. Additionally, we can see a difference that I suspect is largely medium based in that the tags specifically do not deal with visible demographics.

            While the tags do not deal with demographics, there is certainly still a fetishization of minorities taking place within the explicit side of AO3. The “Music” grouping in Work Count (Figure 9) is a deceptive name, as bar “Music RPF,” it is entirely Korean pop bands. Even looking at Figure 9 sorted by highest rate of explicit works, we see Stray Kids, NCT, and BTS alongside Music RPF. Not only those, but we see also media franchises from Japan also appear, with Anime “Attack on Titan” and Japanese video games “Genshin Impact” and “Final Fantasy.” There is clear bias towards the creation of explicit content of Asian people or media. That said, there are clear outliers, notably Sailor Moon which sneaks into the list as a theatre production and sits at a 10% explicit rate. Indeed, this is one oof the two commonalities we see between AO3 and PornHub. Both sites value minority (typically South East Asian) actors or characters to sexualize. However, PornHub does differ in the prevalence of lesbian categories, where we have had to discuss why it is we see so little lesbian porn (and, frankly, content) on AO3, the PornHub has no such issue in having low lesbian porn consumption, even among women. We know that different social medias attract different gendered demographic bases (Zote, 2024) as such it is possible to propose that perhaps other demographic bases go to different social medias more so than others. Lesbian porn was the most popular category for women on Pornhub (2023 Year in Review - Pornhub Insights, 2023), so we know that it is not simply a case of women not wanting to consume lesbian content. Meanwhile, looking at the tags most closely associated with Sexual Content on AO3 (Figure 15), the data we get shows a high prominence of simple sexual acts, the acts we expect to see especially when in a context of high rates of Male/Male dynamics.

What is interesting is that, unlike traditional porn, we do see a very important tag pop up in these results: “Fluff.” Fluff is a common tag used in fan fiction communities to denote happy content without conflict. Typically it denotes wholesome interactions, and is commonly found in works dealing with happy families and positive relationship dynamics. This is an important datum to see, as it fundamentally alters the perception of how sex is viewed between the two mediums. Where traditional porn focuses on sex as dominance (Antevska & Gavey, 2015). The prominence of fluff as a category of transformative porn signals to us that a fundamental difference exists between male and female dominated porn. Where traditional, male dominated porn promotes and exhibits dominance as its primary display. This contrasts against the younger, more idealistic and romantic idea of sex as something not dominant but instead loving. This though is not the full story. It is more accurate to say that within transformative porn, in this female dominated space, porn is two separate things. Indeed, I would argue it is more correct to say explicit content over porn when discussing fan fiction. Porn connotates a degree of pleasure given when reading, where as not all explicit transformative fictions aim for that. There is a dichotomous set of ideal forms that arise as you look into the data, the porn and the processing. While yes, many works are done with the intent to make an enjoyable piece that others may be aroused by, it is also true that explicit content is media as any other. Where stands a creative outlet so too stands an outlet for thoughts not safe for this world.

Conclusion:

            At its core, there are not many differences between how men and women consume porn. More accurately, I would say young men and women, who use this oversightless medium as means to figure themselves out. They find that which attracts them, and the free hand of the market does its work. That which is in high demand disproportionately will be in high supply in transformative media spaces, as often the consumers and creators overlap highly, especially in a medium as accessible as fan fiction. We see remnants of patriarchal values and structures in the data too. Though a bias towards men and specifically male/male dynamics can in part be explained by sexuality, some degree of how women are excluded can be attributed to us associating sex and drive with men, an idea that creates deviance in women who may wish to pursue sex as a platonic dynamic similarly to how men are allowed to in modern society. Additionally, we see a strong fetishization on Asian populations, both men and women as we saw not only AO3 and regular PornHub, but also PornHubGay hold Asian categories in high positions of popularity, a further colonial/patriarchal structure of denying masculinity, and therefore power, to Asian populations. Overall, while it would be easy to say that female created and consumed porn is lacking in dominance and therefore is better that traditional works, it must be stressed that though the patriarchal values re not as explicit, women still are part of society, and as such they are yet capable of perpetuating issues, even when given anonymity to hide from outside forces from. Regardless, looking past that which society places upon us, we see fanfiction smut used as something altogether different from traditional industry porn; Though fluff was a highly ranked tag in the data, more data seems to lead towards youthful demographics figuring out their identities, their life, and what they even want. Porn is used as an excuse to explore ideas that may not be discussable, whether that be for taboo or trauma reasons. The anonymity of fandom allows for those who write to explore themselves, free of judgement.

Issues in the Study:

            Though much data was collected in this study and turned into substantive findings, issues still remain in the work done. Namely, we are approaching media analysis from a purely quantitative framework. It is all to easy to point out the incompetency of approaching this issue from simply one lense with which to see. That said, the data here lends insight to the world of female dominated porn, especially without the constraints of a male dominated market nipping at the creative freedom of creatives as traditional porn may. Additionally, there is issue in the question of how well this translates to traditional porn, OnlyFans, or even other forms of transformative media that’s not fan fiction.

Figures:

Figure 1:

Text in Image: (Tutorial: Posting a Work on AO3 FAQ | Archive of Our Own, n.d.)

Choose one or more categories for the romantic and/or sexual relationship(s) your work includes (if any) from the list.

There are 6 categories of works on AO3. An interpretation of the abbreviations is below; however, the exact definitions of these vary from fandom to fandom and fan to fan. Use whichever you feel are applicable, or else none:

F/F

Female/Female relationships.

F/M

Female/Male relationships.

Gen

General: no romantic or sexual relationships, or relationships which are not the main focus of the work.

M/M

Male/Male relationships.

Multi

More than one kind of relationship, or a relationship with multiple partners.

Other

Other relationships.

Figure 2:

A list of tags on AO3 most closely associated with the tag “Sexual Content,” no filters are active on the AO3 database filter.

Figure 3

KEY:

MM: Male x Male

FF: Female x Female

FM: female x  male

M: Multi

G: General

O: Other

Key for all Gender Pairing tables.

Figure 4

Media

Pairing

Pair Count

XXX Pair Count

…

Marvel

O

21148

9096

43%

Harry Potter

M

32947

9091

28%

Marvel

M

34487

9096

26%

MCU

M

28423

7414

26%

DCU

MM

108108

27800

26%

DCU

M

15236

3900

26%

MHA

FM

72948

17631

24%

MHA

MM

160063

38106

24%

Marvel

MM

274900

63493

23%

MHA

M

26881

6192

23%

MCU

MM

214740

49102

23%

Harry Potter

MM

215322

47561

22%

Harry Potter

FM

175485

36035

21%

Video Blog RPF

FM

17624

3347

19%

Marvel

FM

190905

36001

19%

Marvel

FF

43998

8154

19%

Video Blog RPF

MM

122002

22540

18%

MCU

FM

163089

29621

18%

MCU

FF

36907

6692

18%

Harry Potter

FF

44630

8072

18%

Video Blog RPF

M

15654

2804

18%

MHA

FF

22544

3766

17%

DCU

FM

78600

12306

16%

DCU

O

8538

1326

16%

Harry Potter

O

12973

2010

15%

MCU

O

14832

2160

15%

Video Blog RPF

FF

6845

984

14%

MHA

O

14627

2073

14%

DCU

FF

54929

7428

14%

Video Blog RPF

O

15014

1352

9%

MHA

G

62854

1308

2%

Harry Potter

G

82099

1615

2%

Marvel

G

133989

1784

1%

MCU

G

111221

1401

1%

DCU

G

80794

846

1%

Video Blog RPF

G

87991

664

1%

Gender Pairings data sorted by

Figure 5

FF

Media

Pairing

Pair Count

XXX Pair Count

…

MHA

FF

22544

3766

   0.16705

DCU

FF

54929

7428

   0.13523

Harry Potter

FF

44630

8072

   0.18086

MCU

FF

36907

6692

   0.18132

Marvel

FF

43998

8154

   0.18533

Video Blog RPF

FF

6845

984

   0.14375

Average

34975.5

5849.333333

17%

FM

MHA

FM

72948

17631

   0.24169

DCU

FM

78600

12306

   0.15656

Harry Potter

FM

175485

36035

  0.20535

MCU

FM

163089

29621

   0.18162

Marvel

FM

190905

36001

   0.18858

Video Blog RPF

FM

17624

3347

   0.18991

Average

116441.8

22490.16667

19%

G

MHA

G

62854

1308

   0.02081

DCU

G

80794

846

   0.01047

Harry Potter

G

82099

1615

   0.01967

MCU

G

111221

1401

   0.01260

Marvel

G

133989

1784

   0.01331

Video Blog RPF

G

87991

664

  0.00755

Average

93158

1269.666667

1%

M

MHA

M

26881

6192

  0.23035

DCU

M

15236

3900

  0.25597

Harry Potter

M

32947

9091

  0.27593

MCU

M

28423

7414

  0.26085

Marvel

M

34487

9096

  0.26375

Video Blog RPF

M

15654

2804

   0.17912

Average

25604.67

6416.166667

24%

MM

MHA

MM

160063

38106

  0.23807

DCU

MM

108108

27800

   0.25715

Harry Potter

MM

215322

47561

  0.22088

MCU

MM

214740

49102

  0.22866

Marvel

MM

274900

63493

  0.23097

Video Blog RPF

MM

122002

22540

   0.18475

Average

182522.5

41433.66667

23%

O

MHA

O

14627

2073

   0.14172

DCU

O

8538

1326

   0.15531

Harry Potter

O

12973

2010

   0.15494

MCU

O

14832

2160

   0.14563

Marvel

O

21148

9096

   0.43011

Video Blog RPF

O

15014

1352

  0.09005

Average

#DIV/0!

14522

3002.833333

19%

Gender Pairings sorted by pairing with the average explicit percentage per pairing shown.

Figure 6

Pairing:

Dead Dove count:

Percent

MM

49556

47%

FM

24728

23%

M

8974

8%

FF

7728

7%

G

7609

7%

O

7501

7%

Sum

                     106,096.00

1

Dead Dove Percent:

0.77%

Table showing data relating to the gender pairings in Dead Dove; Do Not Eat.

Figure 7

Figure 8:

Figure 9

Table showing data on explicit works within fandoms and mediums. IsHorny quantified as (from my notes): Sorting by percentage I am going to split the data into three: High Percent (>=20) medium percentage (20>x>10), and low percentage (<=10.)

Figure 10

Figure 11:

tag (No Limits)

Count

Percent

Anal Sex

263910

13.88%

Oral Sex

187245

9.85%

Blow Jobs

159873

8.41%

PW/oP*

136833

7.20%

Masterbation

109339

5.75%

Anal Fingering

109047

5.74%

Vaginal Sex

103223

5.43%

Rough Sex

100066

5.26%

Implied Sexual Content

99782

5.25%

Established Relationship

93986

4.94%

Angst

40178

2.11%

All Fics (Tag: Sexual Content)

1,901,280

*PW/oP means Porn Without Plot

Figure 12:

Warning

Work Count

Percent

N/A

971255

50.70%

Chose Not To Use

647100

33.78%

Graphic Depictions of Violence

165264

8.63%

Rape

164076

8.57%

Underage

141690

7.40%

Major Character Death

56831

2.97%

Sum

                     106,096.00

1

Percentages taken from sum.

Figure 13:

(2023 Year in Review - Pornhub Insights, 2023)

Figure 14:

(2023 Year in Review - Pornhub Insights, 2023)

Figure 15:

Bibliography:

McInroy, L. B., & Craig, S. L. (2018). Online fandom, identity milestones, and self-identification of sexual/gender minority youth. Journal of LGBT Youth,15(3), 179–196. https://doi.org/10.1080/19361653.2018.1459220

1 McLuhan, Marshall (1964). Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man. ISBN 81-14-67535-7.

Home | Archive of Our Own. (n.d.). Retrieved November 14, 2024, from https://archiveofourown.org/

Tutorial: Posting a Work on AO3 FAQ | Archive of Our Own. (n.d.). Retrieved November 4, 2024, from https://archiveofourown.org/faq/tutorial-posting-a-work-on-ao3?language_id=en#pwtcategory

Tags | Archive of Our Own. (n.d.). Retrieved November 4, 2024, from https://archiveofourown.org/tags

Fandoms | Archive of Our Own. (n.d.). Retrieved November 4, 2024, from https://archiveofourown.org/media

Sexual Content—Works | Archive of Our Own. (n.d.). Retrieved November 4, 2024, from https://archiveofourown.org/tags/Sexual%20Content/works

2023 Year in Review—Pornhub Insights. (2023, December 9). https://www.pornhub.com/insights/2023-year-in-review

Shit tier ugly ass elf. (n.d.). Tumblr. Retrieved November 21, 2024, from https://www.tumblr.com/and-fishing-equipment/765222014254546944/people-will-see-a-fandom-thing-and-be-like-why

Useless on rainy days. (n.d.). Tumblr. Retrieved November 21, 2024, from https://www.tumblr.com/theblueeyedfirebender/765515160971608064

Women’s Favorite Searches Worldwide—Pornhub Insights. (2016, March 27). https://www.pornhub.com/insights/womens-favorite-searches-worldwide

Zsila, Á., Pagliassotti, D., Urbán, R., Orosz, G., Király, O., & Demetrovics, Z. (2018). Loving the love of boys: Motives for consuming yaoi media. PLOS ONE, 13(6), e0198895. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0198895

Volume 5, Issue 2 – Participations. (n.d.). Retrieved November 12, 2024, from https://www.participations.org/volume-5-issue-2/ (Included for easier access to the article referenced in the article above.)

Klein, Caronia (Nia). "It's not catharsis, it's cognition: A new approach to." The Keep (2010):120  It's not catharsis, it's cognition: A new approach to emotion in composition

 Relationship(s)—Works | Archive of Our Own. (n.d.). Retrieved November 13, 2024, from https://archiveofourown.org/tags/Relationship(s)/works

de Lauretis, T. (1988). Sexual Indifference and Lesbian Representation. Theatre Journal, 40(2), 155–177. https://doi.org/10.2307/3207654

Kendrick Lamar – Auntie Diaries. (n.d.). [Audio recording]. Retrieved November 13, 2024, from https://genius.com/Kendrick-lamar-auntie-diaries-lyrics

Zote, J. (2024, February 14). Social media demographics to inform your 2024 strategy. Sprout Social. https://sproutsocial.com/insights/new-social-media-demographics/

Antevska, A., & Gavey, N. (2015). “Out of Sight and Out of Mind”: Detachment and Men’s Consumption of Male Sexual Dominance and Female Submission in Pornography. Men and Masculinities, 18(5), 605–629. https://doi.org/10.1177/1097184X15574339

 [AG1]Try to find the source for the idea that women are less connected to their gender/sexuality than men.

[evas-spn-thoughts]

When Dean is scared, he gets angry - a rant.

Okay, I'm listening to a supernatural podcast. Now, don't get me wrong, I truly love this podcast and it's been so great to listen to and I have a great time - but my god do I feel like they don't know Dean Winchester.

However, it is fair to say that they don't dive into the characters as much as I do or maybe they just see the characters different to me, which is fine but it doesn't detract from my annoyance. This podcast is also over, so I can't send in any post season feedback on my thoughts, so instead I am gonna rant on here about my thoughts on Dean Winchester and his fear.

So to paint the picture... I'm listening to their coverage of the final episodes of s14 and they are talking about Dean and how angry he gets in those episodes. Now I am a Dean girl and he is my favourite character but also the way he reacts to his emotions is very obvious to me and I see myself in him, especially in him not functioning well when he is scared.

So to get to the crux of what I'm trying to say - Dean Winchester is emotional, he cries a lot more than Sam or any other character - and that is partly because Jensen gets a lot of the emotional moments - but also because Dean feels his emotions obviously and outwardly compared to a lot of the Supernatural characters. He feels so much that he actually cannot contain it, and that's why he's so loveable and loved - but also why he can be so frantic and feel stretched thin in certain storylines.

Something that is core to Dean Winchester is that when he gets scared he transforms that fear into anger. The majority of the time Dean is angry, it's actually because he is so scared of what is happening to him, or to a loved one, or just scared of what he is feeling and how much he cares.

This is key to understanding Dean Winchester, it is a fact of his character, but it's not stated obviously, you need to just watch and get it. Which is why some people do not see it, they only see the anger.

He does explain it in 12x10, he states clearly to Cas - "I'm not mad. I'm worried" - and this is one of the few times it's told and not shown, but unless you tie this fact into your fundamental knowledge of Dean Winchester it's easy to overlook. Even Sam and Cas assume that for the whole of 12x10 Dean is angry, so I do get how the audience can see it as purely anger, even though it isn't.

But I get annoyed when situations like the end of season 14 happen, and people on a podcast that I love read it as 'oh Dean is just so angry', it grinds my gears because to me, Dean is so clearly terrified that something has happened to his mom.

He is running on fear for that whole season tbh, he's just been possessed by Michael - and Dean doesn't like feeling out of control. He then moves into finding out his kid has potentially killed his mom and his best friend has known Jack hasn't been 100% right but hasn't told anyone, so how is he supposed to react rationally to all of this - Dean is all about trust and protecting his family, but to do so, he needs the whole picture.

Dean Winchester has 1 fundamental rule and that is to protect his family, and that is how he goes through life. In season 14, his mom is missing and his son is murdering people he loves, and his best friend kept information from him that got his mom killed. There is no clear good or bad guy for Dean to kill, so he gets scared and then get's angry - at everything.

Now this carries into season 15, and I think you need to see Dean as a man scared for the first like 5 episodes to understand how he's acting, and why he's so cold to Castiel, I think you also need to remember that this isn't the first time Cas has lied to Dean, and these lies have always led to some form of loss for Dean. So this isn't anger and fear about one action, but a build up of numerous examples of where keeping secrets has failed them.

Now yes Dean has lied to his family as well, but this is a tv show and these characters are human beings - and an angel - so they aren't going to be keeping score or thinking rationally about these things.

My general point is just that Dean is constantly scared, this stems from his childhood and his feeling of responsibility over everyone. So his anger is not just anger, it's a lot more complex. So when people dumb it down to Dean being angry and aggressive for no reason it feels unfair to who Dean is as a character.

Anyway, that's the end of my rant about Dean Winchester and how his anger isn't actually anger.

I hope it made some kind of sense, and if not, welcome to how my head works.

[bonesy-doodles]

OUGHH fake unicron is such a cool idea…. Also YESSS AUTOBOTS ARE NOT PURELY GOOD YESS WAHOO!! huge fan of morally grey transformers characters so that’s so awesome to hear!!

Also I agree 100% there’s not enough focus on the culture and actual existence of cybertron. … <- guy who would really want to make a map or a relative area guide for major cybertronian cities that appear in most continuities

!!!!

Another warning to those who have zero interest in Transformers. My next yap session is below.

I’ve yet to get to the step surrounding the cities aside from some vague points. I want to have more progress on my continuity, but my senior exhibition has like 90% of my attention and effort right now.

I know I want to go the route of Cybertronian “birth” the same way IDW comics did, with the hot spots Sparks are harvested from, or “Birthing Spots” as JRo literally referred to them while developing MTMTE (MTMTE Notebooks my beloved). So the major cities of Cybertron developed around the original hot spots that sparked. The Primordials (Primus, Mortilus, Adaptus, Scirus) had visited them all and helped cultivate the lives and homes of the first Cybertronians. I do want there to be four cities that each of the Primordials seemingly “focused on” or the Cybertronians found themselves enamored by so they built their cultures around the Primordial’s concept, so their is a city of light for Primus, was a city of “dark” for Mortilus which was destroyed and eradicated of that culture, and then the city of knowledge and then a city that focuses on the idea of alt forms and celebrates alt form differences, which was also probably eradicated.

There is another thing which I’ve made that I’ve really been interested and exploring how it influences Cybertronian society and culture. That’s the whole concept of Spark types, which were a very minor plot point in MTMTE that I actually wanted to expand upon and conceptualize. So sparks on my Cybertron I’ve been thinking of as Atoms, with positive, neutral, and negative charges to them. So the base spark is neutral, equal balance of positive and negative charge, and then there’s there varying levels of positive charged and negative charged sparks, which are rarer as they become less and less neutral. I want this whole fact to kinda have multiple purposes to it, medically and scientifically, but also culturally. Charge also affects Energon, so like the universal medical grade Energon is neutral charged as it’s easiest to use as Energon transfusions, or can be charged limitedly in a certain direction for mass transfusions, but I want there to be the equivalent of blood types through this function, with Energon banks and such for medical purposes, and Cybertronians with extreme charges for their sparks and Energon are highly sought after as it’s much harder to charge neutral Energon to those extreme points, not for lack of trying. This whole charge thing is connected to Energon in its various forms that Cybertronians can consume, specifically their version of alcohol, I know it’s called Engex in IDW. A Cybertronian, with a positive spark, could consume positive charged Engex and get a small buzz, but negative charged Engex would be much better suited to chase after intoxication. Vice versa is the same for negative sparks. Neutral sparks actually can drink either and get drunk, so they have more options than the other spark types.

Another aspect of the Spark types that I want to explore is like the cultural/religious side of them. I’ve been kind of comparing it to like astrology, but the superstition around Spark types defining a bot. And it was heavily altered and changed after the destruction of Cybertron’s initial belief system that was replaced by Primus/Unicron/the Original Primes. Primus and Mortilus, the Primordials of the Spark, represent the positive and negative charge and together they become neutral. So there was the original belief that a positive sparked Cybertronian would take after the qualities of Primus while negative sparked Cybertronians would take after Mortilus. This of course changed with the introduction of Unicron as a pure evil, and negative sparked Cybertronians became looked down upon as bearers of the Destroyer. This leads to a lot of problems within Cybertronian society, where negative sparked hide their level of charge, says they’re like -1 and not -3, to downplay their “evil”. And there are of course people that are like +5 and are assholes about being so pious and pure and of Primus. There’s also I think medical biases as well that plague negative sparked.

I’ve also been trying to decide on somethings, but I like idea of Orion and D-16 to have complete opposite spark charges, but! I really want Orion to have a severely negative charged spark and D to have a severely positive charged spark. And then of course, the propaganda that Optimus is positive and Megatron is negative.

All that aside, I have one final little fact I wanna mention cause I think it’s fun. Cybertronian night life, especially the dance club scene. There’s a club scene where the lights are completely off with the exception of some ambient colored neon lights, because the main focus are the bio lights of the Cybertronians, lighting up them and the space around them. Also, I think the dance music scene on Cybertron is specifically made with the fact that metal will be hitting metal as they dance, so the music has like, space for the sounds of Cybertronians dancing to mix with the music, like being the underlying beat that they make by dancing.

God, I’ve written so much. :D

[mitigatedchaos]

As for myself, I never backpacked through Asia, and of course I've never done a medical residency, either.

I was a Second Life content creator around 2008-2012, which is itself pretty rare.

In Second Life, especially in those years, there wasn't a clean division between "playing the game" and "making the world," and there wasn't a clean division between "content creators" (including businesses) and "players." And the whole thing was funded mostly by privately leased plots of virtual land as server space.

Back in 2007, under liberal technological optimism, there was still this sense that everyone would own and learn to properly operate their own PC, which is to say a 'real' computer like a desktop or laptop, rather than an 'appliance' computer like a smartphone or tablet. Though the platform was privately held, Second Life embodied this thinking.

And so it possessed this immense feeling of power and control. You could click on a rock and drag it around. If you had good device operator skills, you could search out and purchase a supply of copiable rocks and assemble a little volcano lair and exotic beach house on a sandy beach as your home.

At first, almost all items were assembled within the game, and only textures made externally. Gradually this shifted to the use of external 3D modelling tools such as Blender, but for a time, this meant that much of the act of product creation was in the world, as in people would be logged in making the product in front of you and you could chat with them while they did so.

And of course, this world attracted people that for some reason were willing to lean to this kind of detached embodiment. Some were queer, or trans, or neurodivergent. Some were of ill health, or crippled. Others were in some sense very 'in their own heads,' or just well-adapted to simulated or virtual-reality environments. (Does that sound like Tumblr? It's probably not a coincidence.)

It was a world with a very different axis. Your appearance was a function of your aesthetic taste, your device operator skill to search out and assemble and compose an outfit, and only a modest amount of money. Someone with a very high-grade appearance would also be someone that's decently good with computers. For those with programming aptitude, their gadgets or products around them (or for sale at their store), would illustrate it.

And for creators, there was overlap between the ability to 3D model a car, and the ability to 3D model clothing. A creator could be a maker of tanks and also have their own fashion line - or even unique personal outfits. (Even hobbyists with more modest abilities would customize and kitbash - and creators would sometimes set things up specifically so that they could do so.)

There was a sense of whimsy. Cultural norms, too, though of course all massively-multiplayer systems will develop their own etiquette. (Gender could be fluid - the same player might have a stock of both male and female bodies and outfits depending on the context in which they were to be used and the message they wanted to send.)

The problem with Second Life is that you cannot live there.

Yes, it's a low-dimensionality construct like all video games. It lacks scent, and temperature, and touch. Its avatars have far fewer bones than a human body does, and of course, no organs. Its low dimensionality is why it can be changed and molded like clay, into fantastical forms that could never exist in real life.

But more importantly, children live in real life. And if you're injured or sick and can't get up, someone needs to come retrieve you in real life.

The platform turned out to be relatively useless for major corporations and universities. It didn't transform the economy and add trillions to the GDP, and virtual land didn't become the wave of the future - although digital currency did, for a while.

Instead, this failed vision of the future created a flourishing of creativity and human connection, and as time passes, it's becoming clear that the reason is because it was so earnest and very much the thing that it was. (There is value in things which are not perfect, but which are very much themselves, and are good at being the thing that they are.)

On the financial side, it was still operating at a profit when I checked the numbers several years ago. As part of its portfolio, the company seems to have leveraged digital currency operations based on their built-up competency in that sector - as in payment processing, not cryptocurrency.

And what do people write about Second Life now, in 2023? Well, they write about the fashion. About the continuing culture of small-time creators, allowed to work within the framework that was created for them all those years ago. About the platform remaining a steady source of background income for people with jobs in the games industry, notorious for its high turnover.

[demigod-of-the-agni]

walks in with a coffee. hey what’s up I’m a little obsessed with your bromantic flight au and yr mind. if Kai forged Lloyd a new arm cause he kinda accidentally caused it to get yeeted, does it also work with his dragon form or not? Like, when he transforms, can the arm change like a transformer to be the appropriate dragon-shaped limb it’s meant to be?

Jk but in essence!! yes!!! The prosthetic can change configurations depending on what form Lloyd takes, thanks to both Kai's intricate mental-smithing skills and Lloyd's dragon/oni magic. Considering reaching the "ideal arm" is a major plot point I took my sweet time in trying to map out how to best create the perfect prosthetic for a guy like Lloyd. (Warning: I go full-bananas and lore dump on you).

Like, I think the best thing to come out of this is how similar the upper anatomy for humans and dragons are, even in terms of evolutionary development. Oni anatomy comes super close, being one of the only other creatures in the First Realm to walk upright bipedally. Considering that human and dragon-oni hybrids have the same origin, it makes sense that their physiologies are practically the same... if only with minor differences.

The general consensus is that no, you can't regrew limbs unless you're a lizard.

The best that you can do is adapt around the missing limb, but functionality will not be 100%. You can bring it up to 99% and have it mimic real life but it won't quite be a real arm or a real leg carrying every single movement the original limb could once do, but that's fine. The point of the prosthetic is to restore as much functionality as physically possible to the amputee. But it's going to need a lot more consideration when you apply that to a hybrid, which is why we go through like a million iterations of that limb.

If the quote "a downed dragon is a dead dragon" rings any bells, then it definitely applies to the hybrids. Cut off a dragon's wings and tails and you've basically grounded the thing; not even elemental essences can save it. But cut off the limbs of a hybrid, a wingless creature born to channel elemental essences through its limbs, and you've basically won. Jeopardising even one limb is enough to drastically lower all of their capabilities. So. Yes. Missing limbs are bad for the hybrids.

So Lloyd very much needs that prosthetic to survive. Lucky we have Kai to develop one for him!

(It takes him months. obviously.)

Kai develops something he calls the "self-regulatory piston". Well, not really. The dragon hunters have been using this piece of tech for quite some to help with developing prosthetics for amputees. Kai just upgraded it- big time. How it works is that it channels biological electrical/mechanical energy to work - the pistons function as replacements for tendons, ligaments and muscles by contracting and pumping out energy in exchange for movement. Since humans are tiny things, the pistons can make these prosthetics function like real limbs. However the same can't be said for Lloyd.

Kai can get the prosthetic attached to Lloyd. He can get it undergo transformation to match dragon-Lloyd's size. The thing is that the prosthetic becomes a dead weight. All those fine pistons and engineering marvels in the prosthetics? They don't match up quite nicely when scaled up. They certainly are not able to channel Lloyd's dragon-oni magic to make it work. And we know hybrids are hindered by limb loss since they can't fly. So Kai has to climb up and manually move the limb himself, in order to give Lloyd a fighting chance at flight.

TLDR: yes, Kai makes Lloyd a new arm. Yes the prosthetic gets scaled up to match dragon-Lloyd's size, it just loses functionality when the size increases.

i don't know if i explained that clearly so if you wants to ask more questions please do. many hugs

[seeminglydeathlessredshirt]

Ramblings on Transistor

Didn't expect to be back so soon, but here we are.

So, after the last travesty, I needed something to help wash away the stink. Happened upon a short game I had sitting in my library that I'd heard good things about, so I took a look at it.

Safe to say, Transistor has absolutely blown me away. It's one of the best things I've played this year, and we're talking about a year where I've played both Prey 2017 and Signalis for the first time.

This is going to be a bit shorter than the last because there's only so many ways I can say "this game is incredible," but here goes. As usual, you start with a fairly basic toolset. I thought "oh, these are going to be the starter abilities that I'm going to discard after getting something interesting," and then Transistor revealed its hand. The fact that not only do you get around a dozen abilities over the course of the game, but they can also give every other program(this game's name for your abilities) new functionalities, and that you can also put them in a special slot to provide a passive boost means you have one of the most versatile loadouts I've seen in a video game. There are so many combinations to try out, and a considerable chunk of those are going to be viable. Don't be afraid of sticking to one combination, branch out a bit! Hell, the game pushes you in this direction by ensuring you have to put a program in all three types of slot(active ability, upgrade, and passive) in order to unlock all the lore, as well as by temporarily disabling one randomly chosen active program every time your health gets depleted(effectively giving you four lives, at the cost of needing to take a different loadout for the next fight.) For those of you who like playing risky and taking gambles, you'll be right at home here.

The game is no slouch in the other departments too. Not much of a comment on the music this time around. Come on, it's Supergiant, no shit the music is great. I found the aesthetic of the game really pleasing, it's sort of this mix of cyberpunk and art deco designs and it all meshes together beautifully. Environments feel vibrant and satisfying to look at, it's almost as if they were designed in-universe to be perfect, which brings me to the story. It's probably the weakest part of this game, but that doesn't mean it was phoned in. There's a persistent theme of change on several levels. The city itself is constantly being transformed based on the whims of people, several people in the events of the game transform from physical to digital form, and a good portion of the plot involved trying to stop the transformation of the city into something else.

Despite the significance of what's going on, everyone involved seems to take an almost disinterested tone on what's going on. It creates this almost surreal dissonance that I can't say for certain whether or not I actually like. Regardless, it doesn't overstay its welcome and gets the job done. Fair warning though, the story does involve the use of suicide in a major plot beat, so if that's a topic you struggle with, please tread carefully.

Overall, this is an incredible game that I'd wholeheartedly recommend. There's nothing I'd say is genuinely bad about this game.

It'll be a while until the next one.

[dailycharacteroption]

Fungal Pilgrim (Druid Archetype)

(art by Eugene Horyachkin on Artstation)

Ah, fungus, an often misunderstood and strangely wondrous and fascinating form of life. They can grow miles across underground with their mycelia network, yet most individuals assume that the reproductive bits that sprout up from the ground are the main body of the organism and not a fractionally small part of a bigger whole we never see.

Indeed, there is much about fungus that even in this day and age we do not know. There’s plenty of evidence that many fungi are at least somewhat aware of their environment, and many mycelia networks appear to be functionally immortal.

It’s no surprise then, that in a fantasy setting there would be those that view fungi as the ultimate life form, and seek to become more fungus-like.

As their name suggests, these fungal pilgrims are on a quest, though not one to any specific location, but they have a destination in mind: apotheosis into a fungal being. Some might be devotees of fungal deities good or evil, some may see it as a form of immortality, and some may simply think of fungus as a superior form of life. Either way, it’s not surprising that a class that has themes of transformation and becoming one with nature would have an archetype like this. However, this archetype replaces the wild shape that we are used to with a different, more permanent form of transformation.

The abilities of this archetype vary slightly based on whether they choose a bond with a companion or a domain.

If they choose domain, it must be the plant domain. Additionally, they can infuse fungal power into their summonings a few times per day. Whenever they summon a single creature, they also summon a second creature from the next highest summon list made of fungal matter, which has it’s advantages and disadvantages.

Alternatively, if they choose to take a companion, their companion slowly is infected by the transformation that these pilgrims seek, becoming a fungal creature that slowly gains the special abilities and attacks associated with such creatures like toxic blood or clouds of poisonous spores. The most powerful of these companions can even create fungal spawn from the bodies of slain foes, though these only last a few days before rotting away.

Close to the zenith of their power, these druids also transform into true fungal creatures, gaining the advantages therein.

Interested in a character other than a sorcerer or oracle that has a sort of late-game apotheosis? This archetype may be for you. The archetype makes major improvements to either summoning or the animal companion at the cost of wild shape, so either way you’ll likely want to take a more supportive role, though you yourself and your companion will prove especially tough in your own right as well.

This archetype can either be weird but otherwise just another way to seek perfection, or it might be insidious and horrifying. After all, is the character transforming into a fungus or being overwritten and replaced, and is there a difference. Also you can have a lot of fun describing their abilities, such as secondary summons tearing their way out of giant puffballs that spontaneously grow during the casting, or the foul, rotting form of your fungal companion.

The battle for the world of Makis is lost, the heroes are dead, and the planet (and all others in the same material plane) is being stripped of it’s resources and luxuries by a multiversal tyrant for their unchecked hedonism. However, hope remains in an unlikely place, for the Enclaves Below, where reclusive druids become one with the world’s mycelia network, ready for one last counterattack.

Recently, samsarans have come up missing from their communities, accompanied by a growing sense of dread among their kin. Those that suspect kidnapping are correct, for a cabal of fungal druids have been overtaken by a mutant fungal network that seeks to find a way to achieve immortality beyond even it’s perpetual existence, seeing the perpetually reincarnating souls of these beings as a possible answer.

The Millenium War left more scars on the land than just muddy battlefields and wastelands, for many weapons technological and magical were developed and deployed during that era. Now, one of those weapons, a living fungal disease, seeks to perpetuate the war, infesting fleshcrafted warbeasts and animated tanks for form an army of monsters. What’s more, some druids have begun worshipping the fungal mass, inviting it into their bodies.

[pathfinderunlocked]

Vulcadaemon - CR17 Daemon

Burn, miserable little worms!

Artwork by Daniele Mendes on ArtStation.

Daemons in my setting are each associated with a negative emotion that they both create and feed upon. The vulcadaemon is a fiend of arrogance, feeding on those who believe themselves superior to others, and influencing the emotions of those it interacts with to make them look down on lesser beings.

A vulcadaemon's high intelligence is a major source of its sense of superiority, and it studies alchemy and uses it in combat. Vulcadaemons continuously study to find alchemical ways to increase their power and perfect their bodies, and make deals with arrogant mortals who wish to share their knowledge to gain immortality. Rather than taking a mortal's soul in exchange, a vulcadaemon is more likely to ask for a mortal's offspring, infusing the child with magic at a young age or siring a child with the mortal, and taking them as slaves when they reach a useful age. Vulcadaemons have been known to use their magic jar spell to take over a mortal's body in order to sire or bear a child as part of a deal, resulting in a tiefling child with the Pass For Human trait.

Its bombs function like alchemists' bombs but are made from its own fiery feathers, which it plucks from its body, turns into explosive projectiles, and launches at its opponents. Picture Gambit from the X-Men but with feathers instead of playing cards.

This is a multi-phase boss fight. A vulcadaemon starts as a land-based medium creature and can transform into a colossal aerial form, but doing so exacts a significant toll on its body when the effect ends, and also lowers its DR, so it waits to do this until it's in danger and believes flying would be beneficial. I would recommend doing so when it reaches about 150 HP remaining, or when it's suffered some kind of serious debilitating condition.

Sorry for the gigantic text of the Extracts ability. This creature's extracts do actually work somewhat differently than an alchemist's extracts. Notably, it can use extracts of offensive spells, but the range is changed to the ground underneath its reach, instead of the spell's normal range.

It has two things it can do with its swift actions - poison a bomb, or cast wall of fire. Make sure to do one or the other each round.

Vulcadaemon - CR 17

The hunchbacked bird-person has skin that looks like magma. Where its eyes should be are instead pits of dripping liquid flame.

XP 102,400 NE Medium outsider (daemon, evil, extraplanar, fire) Init +11 Senses darkvision 60 ft., detect magic, detect poison, see invisibility; Perception +30

DEFENSE

AC 29, touch 19, flat-footed 20 (+8 Dex, +1 dodge, +10 natural) hp 262 (21d10+147); regeneration 10 (cold) Fort +18, Ref +20, Will +15 DR 15/good or ice Immune acid, death effects, fire, poison Resist electricity 10 Weaknesses vulnerable to cold SR 28

OFFENSE

Speed 30 ft. Melee 2 talons +27 (1d6+5/19–20 plus 1d6 fire) Ranged bomb +29/+24/+19/+14 ranged touch (7d6+9 plus 16 splash) (DC 26 Reflex halves splash) (20 ft. range increment) (24/day) Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft. Special Attacks bombs, emerge into flame, smoke form, smoke talons

Spell-Like Abilities (CL 20th; concentration +26)    Constant—detect magic, detect poison, read magic, see invisibility    1/day—summon (level 6, 1 fiendish greater fire elemental 100%)

Extracts Prepared (CL 20th)    1/day—fire storm (x4) (DC 27), magic jar (DC 24), true seeing, quickened wall of fire x3

STATISTICS

Str 21, Dex 26, Con 22, Int 29, Wis 22, Cha 23 Base Atk +21; CMB +27; CMD 45 Feats Blinding Critical (DC 31), Combat Reflexes, Critical Focus, Dodge, Flyby Attack, Improved Critical (talon), Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Mobility, Skill Focus (craft alchemy), Toughness Skills Acrobatics +29, Craft (alchemy) +53, Fly +32, Intimidate +30, Knowledge (arcana, history, local, nature, planes) +33, Knowledge (dungeoneering, engineering, religion) +30, Perception +30, Sense Motive +20, Spellcraft +30, Stealth +21; Racial Modifiers +14 Craft (alchemy) Languages Abyssal, Draconic, Common, Ignan, Infernal, 5 others; telepathy 100 ft. Gear formula book (fire storm, magic jar, true seeing, wall of fire), spell component pouch

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Bombs (Su) A vulcadaemon can throw bombs as a 14th level alchemist with the Fast Bombs discovery. These bombs are typically created from its feathers. It can use a number of bombs per day equal to 15 plus its Intelligence modifier (typically 24 bombs per day). A bomb counts as a thrown splash weapon, and throwing a bomb is a ranged touch attack with a 20 ft. range increment. Each bomb does 7d6 fire damage plus the vulcadaemon's Intelligence modifier (typically +9), increasing to 8d6 plus twice its Intelligence modifier on a critical hit (typically +18). A bomb deals splash damage to adjacent targets equal to the minimum damage of the bomb (typically 16 damage, or 26 damage on a critical hit). A DC 26 Reflex save halves the splash damage. The save DC is Intelligence-based.

A vulcadaemon can prepare and throw multiple bombs as a full-round action, which functions just like a full-attack with a ranged weapon.

Emerge Into Flame (Su) Once per day, a vulcadaemon can transform into a Colossal flying form made of liquid fire for 2 minutes. This does not require an action, and can be done even while helpless. When a vulcadaemon transforms into this form, it heals 80 hit points, and can remove harmful effects on itself as if it had successfully cast both cleanse and greater dispel magic (targeted dispel) at caster level 20, with a natural result of 20 on the d20 for the dispel check.

While in its emerged form, a vulcadaemon has a 30-ft. space and a 20-ft. reach. It gains a 120 ft. fly speed with good maneuverability (typically giving it a total bonus of +28 Fly) while in this form. It takes the standard -4 penalty to attack rolls and AC, and +4 bonus to CMB and CMD, along with the other typical effects of being Colossal-sized. Its damage reduction is reduced from 15 to 10.

After this effect ends, a vulcadaemon is sickened for 8 hours.

Extracts A vulcadaemon can use a number of extracts, which in many ways function similarly to spells in potion or oil form, and as such their effects can be dispelled by effects like dispel magic. It uses Intelligence as its spellcasting ability score with extracts. An extract immediately becomes inert if it leaves the vulcadaemon’s possession, reactivating as soon as it returns to the vulcadaemon's keeping. An extract, once created, remains potent for 1 day before becoming inert, so a vulcadaemon must re-prepare its extracts every day, which takes 1 minute per extract.

A vulcadaemon possesses a formula book, functioning like an alchemist's formula book, although note that several of its spells are not on the alchemist spell list and are therefore not learnable by alchemists.

A vulcadaemon can only prepare a limited number of extracts per day. Its typical extracts are listed in its statistics above, though when preparing extracts in the morning, it can choose to instead prepare any combination of 9 extracts that are in its formula book. Unlike an alchemist, a vulcadaemon's extracts are not tied to different spell levels - it can simply prepare any 9 extracts per day. This amount is based on its Intelligence modifier.

Unlike an alchemist's extracts, a vulcadaemon's extracts are "cast" by picking up an object (usually one of its feathers, which is treated as always being in hand, similar to a material component), infusing it with magic, and dissolving the object into a burning liquid. The liquid casts the spell upon touching a creature or the ground, so a vulcadaemon's spells can only target itself, a creature within its reach, or the ground underneath itself or underneath a space within its reach, instead of the normal range of the spell. A spell with an area of effect (such as fire storm or wall of fire) emanates out from the targeted ground to its normal area.

Using an extract has the same casting time as the spell, except for quickened wall of fire, which a vulcadaemon can use as a swift action.

Quickened Wall of Fire A vulcadaemon can prepare a wall of fire extract as if with the quickened spell metamagic, reducing its casting time to a swift action.

Smoke Form (Su) A vulcadaemon’s form is typically solid. As a free action it can change to a smoky form or back to solid form. It can switch forms once per round as a free action and can spend up to 20 rounds per day in smoke form. In smoke form, a vulcadaemon can fly at a speed of 50 feet (perfect). This ability is otherwise similar to a gaseous form spell (caster level 20th), except that the vulcadaemon can use its Smoke Talons ability while in this form.

Smoke Talons (Ex) A vulcadaemon using its smoke form ability can enter a target’s square as a standard action that does not provoke attacks of opportunity. The target must make a DC 26 Fortitude save or inhale part of the creature. Creatures that do not need to breathe are immune to this attack. The save DC is Constitution-based.

As a swift action while a target has inhaled this smoke, the vulcadaemon can cause the smoke inside the victim to solidify into a talon and attacks the target from within, automatically dealing 3d8 points of damage. If the target moves, the vulcadaemon may automatically move with the target; this movement does not count toward the vulcadaemon's movement, and does not provoke attacks of opportunity against or from the vulcadaemon. Each round, the target can attempt another DC 26 Fortitude save to cough out the vulcadaemon's smoke, which ends the smoke claws attack and forces the vulcadaemon into an adjacent square.

Swift Poisoning (Ex) A vulcadaemon can apply vulcadaemon poison to one of its bombs per round as a swift action, causing that bomb to poison a target struck with a direct hit. This poison becomes inert if the bomb is not thrown immediately. The poison is not applied to the splash damage.

Vulcadaemon Poison (Ex) Type poison (injury); Save Fortitude DC 21; Frequency 1/round for 6 rounds; Cure 2 consecutive saves; Effect 1d4 Con and 1d2 Dex

And I have a second image for phase 2 of this fight.

Artwork by John Pomeroy, from Fantasia 2000, copyright Disney.

[uaecarpets]

Create a Cohesive Interior with Custom Features That Elevate Every Room

Interior design is more than just choosing a color palette or arranging furniture — it’s about bringing together personalized elements that create harmony, functionality, and visual appeal throughout your space. From wardrobes that maximize storage to wallcoverings that tell a design story, and even the smallest architectural accents like skirting boards, every detail matters.

If you’re in the process of renovating or building a new home or commercial space, now is the perfect time to consider how tailored features can completely transform the feel and flow of your interiors. Let’s explore some of the most impactful custom additions that make a real difference in both look and practicality.

The Power of Built-In Storage: Form Meets Function

One of the most sought-after features in any modern home is ample, intelligently designed storage. While ready-made options exist in abundance, nothing compares to the efficiency and elegance of a custom wardrobe Dubai residents increasingly prefer. Custom wardrobes are designed to make the most of your available space — whether that’s floor-to-ceiling storage in a master bedroom, a sleek wardrobe tucked under a staircase, or a modular setup that blends into the walls of a studio apartment.

More than just a place to store your clothes, a custom wardrobe enhances the design of your room. With endless choices in finishes, handle styles, internal configurations, and lighting, these pieces become functional works of art. Whether your style is modern minimalism, classic elegance, or contemporary luxe, a custom wardrobe helps maintain a clutter-free, organized space without compromising on design.

Accent Walls Reimagined: Wallcoverings That Tell Your Story

Your walls are the largest surface in any room — and they present the biggest opportunity for creative expression. Paint has long been the go-to, but in recent years, wallcoverings have made a major comeback. From textured finishes to bold prints, a high-quality wallcovering can dramatically change the mood of a room. And when it comes to precision and longevity, hiring a custom wallcovering installer makes all the difference.

A professional wallcovering installer ensures perfect alignment, bubble-free application, and the correct treatment of corners and edges — something that’s difficult to achieve with DIY attempts. Whether you’re using a delicate fabric wallcovering, vinyl wallpaper, or a mural-style print, customization ensures it fits your space exactly as you envision it. Wallcoverings aren’t just for living rooms or bedrooms either — they’re ideal for office reception areas, restaurants, and hospitality spaces where first impressions matter.

Elevate the Details: The Subtle Impact of Stylish Room Skirting

Often overlooked, skirting boards (also known as baseboards) serve both a practical and aesthetic function in any room. They protect your walls from knocks and scuffs, hide uneven flooring edges, and provide a clean, finished transition between wall and floor. But beyond that, the right design can tie a room together with understated elegance. Adding stylish room skirting is a subtle yet impactful upgrade that gives your space a polished look.

Today’s skirting designs come in a variety of materials and profiles — from simple, flat MDF strips for minimalist homes to decorative, multi-layered profiles for classic or traditional settings. You can paint them to match your walls for a seamless effect or contrast them with darker or lighter tones to create visual interest. When matched with flooring and wall treatments, stylish skirting becomes a cohesive thread that links all design elements in a room.

Why Customization is the Future of Interior Design

Customization is no longer just a luxury; it’s become an expectation for those who want their homes and commercial spaces to reflect their personality, lifestyle, and needs. Off-the-shelf solutions may be faster or cheaper initially, but custom-built features offer far greater value in the long run. They make the most of every square inch, last longer, and give you complete control over the final look and feel of your interiors.

By incorporating custom wardrobes, wallcoverings, and thoughtful detailing like skirting boards, you’re not just decorating a space — you’re defining it. You’re curating an environment that serves you, impresses guests, and enhances your everyday experience.

Start With the Right Team

A successful interior transformation starts with a skilled team that understands your vision. From carpenters and wardrobe fabricators to wallcovering specialists and flooring experts, working with experienced professionals ensures every element comes together seamlessly. Clear communication, quality materials, and precise workmanship are key to achieving an interior you’ll love for years to come.

Whether you’re outfitting a single room or taking on a full home renovation, be sure to collaborate with designers and installers who prioritize customization and attention to detail. After all, the most beautiful interiors are the ones that are thoughtfully built from the inside out.

Conclusion: Small Touches, Big Impact

Every room tells a story — and every design choice contributes to that narrative. While big items like sofas or chandeliers draw attention, it’s often the subtle, well-crafted details that create lasting impressions. Investing in tailored solutions like a custom wardrobe, professionally applied wallcoverings, or stylish room skirting adds refinement, functionality, and personality to your space.

By embracing these custom elements, you not only create a home or workspace that reflects your unique style but also one that stands the test of time — both in design and durability.

[ai-tech-resources]

Ozempic Without Nausea: Brain Cell Discovery Could Change Weight-Loss Drugs - ScienceAlert

Ozempic Without Nausea: Brain Cell Discovery Could Change Weight-Loss Drugs - ScienceAlert: an exciting new development in the world of weight loss medication. This novel discovery in brain cell study holds the potential to significantly alter how weight-loss drugs are formulated. In particular, it could lead to developing an improved version of Ozempic, a popular weight-loss drug, that's more effective and comes without the commonly experienced side-effect of nausea. Recently, scientists made a breakthrough in understanding how our brains regulate body weight which could revolutionize the pharmaceutical industry. The findings focused on a specific type of brain cell that was formerly unexplored in weight regulation research. Its investigation might just hold the key to developing more effective weight-loss drugs. The drug in focus, Ozempic, has been widely used as a weight-loss medication due to its appetite-suppressing features. However, it also causes certain side-effects, including nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. This new insight into the role of brain cells could pave the way for a version of Ozempic without nausea, thereby helping more people benefit from its powerful weight-loss effects without suffering the undesirable side-effects. When it comes to weight regulation, the hypothalamus - an area of the brain in charge of the appetite - is of key importance. The breakthrough discovery revealed that a specific type of brain cell within the hypothalamus, known as tanycytes, plays a major role in body weight regulation. This insight was surprising, given that tanycytes had previously been overlooked in weight regulation research. This novel research indicates a clear correlation between the number of tanycyte cells and weight-management dynamics. More tanycyte cells seem to help reduce body weight, with implications of their role in appetite control. This discovery brings new possibilities for the formulation of weight-loss drugs since it highlights a different target for such medications. With this new knowledge, the pharmaceutical industry can now potentially develop an improved version of Ozempic without nausea, focusing its action on these tanycyte cells. Adoption of these scientific findings could lessen the negative side-effects often associated with current weight-loss drugs, helping those aiming to lose weight do so more comfortably. Furthermore, understanding the function of these specific brain cells could undertake not only alterations in drug formulation but also innovative approaches to obesity treatment. A more comprehensive understanding of our brain’s role in weight regulation might lead to preventive measures for maintaining a healthy weight avoiding the need for weight loss drugs altogether. In summary, the recent discovery in brain cell research might hold the key to the future of weight-loss drugs. Acknowledging the role of tanycyte cells in body weight regulation has the potential to revolutionize the approach to drug development. Importantly, the possibility of creating an improved form of Ozempic without nausea puts us one step closer to aiding individuals in their weight-loss journey more comfortably and effectively. Retail buyers → https://glp1weightloss.fit/ Wholesale buyers → Wholesale Registration {"@context": "http://schema.org", "@type": "Article", "headline": "Ozempic Without Nausea: Brain Cell Discovery Could Change Weight-Loss Drugs - ScienceAlert", "description": "Discover how a brain cell discovery could change weight-loss drugs, leading to Ozempic without nausea. This revolutionary finding could transform the pharmaceutical industry and improve obesity treatment.", "image": "https://images.pexels.com/photos/7230263/pexels-photo-7230263.jpeg", "author": {"@type": "Person", "name": "Fitwiz25"}, "datePublished": "2025-06-12T21:01:07.349339"}