#Adult Primary Care Services

[gkhealth]

Comprehensive Adult Primary Care Services in Hazlet, NJ: Putting Your Health First with GK Health PC

In the bustling town of Hazlet, NJ, prioritizing your health is paramount. At GK Health PC, we understand the significance of accessible and compassionate adult primary care. Led by Dr. Mehandar Kumar, our practice is committed to providing comprehensive healthcare services tailored to the unique needs of each individual. Whether you’re seeking routine check-ups, managing chronic conditions, or needing urgent care, our dedicated team supports you every step.

Visit Us -

Location - 155 middle road, suite 3, Hazlet, NJ, 07730

Call Now :- +1 732-787-0568

[alexanderwales]

Species can be usefully divided between r-selected and K-selected. In r-selected species, they have lots and lots of babies, with very few surviving to adulthood. In K-selected species, they have only a small handful, but most of them become adults.

Humans are a K-selected species. The question of what an intelligent species would look like if they were r-selected is an interesting one.

For one thing, technology probably allows for a survival rate of the offspring that's far, far higher. We know this, because human snake breeders (for example) can do it. The primary limits are resource constraints in terms of space and food. So a snake with resources could lay a clutch of a hundred eggs, raise them in controlled environments, then have an immediate fighting force. It's very common among r-selected species to have incredibly short "childhoods", with self-sufficiency almost right away, and that too shapes what their society ends up looking like.

But also ... there's no instinct to raise children in most r-selected species, there's just an instinct to plop eggs down and walk away to go do something else more interesting. So maybe society just grows in such a way that no one really cares about these offspring, that it's more about the feeling of getting the eggs out than the actual child. There's no care and compassion built in.

Except that probably you get a socially better society if people do take care of and shepherd the young. So maybe this happens mechanically, with no emotion, only calculation? Or only in certain circumstances, those where continuity is important, because after all, an r-selected species can create many many more of themselves if they aren't resource constrained.

I imagine r-selected armies, raised from birth, which was maybe only a year or two ago, clashing against each other in a bloodbath, all in service to their overlords.

[hannahbarberra162]

Pipe Dreams (Yan Childhood Friend Sabo x Reader)

I got this as an ask so long ago and lost it but I do have a screenshot of it. Here's the prompt:

This is not entirely what you asked for Nonnie but I hope it scratches your itch. It's a little light on the Yan but I hope you can see where it's going :3

On Ao3

TW: abusive husband mentioned (not Sabo ofc)

WC: ~4.5k

~~~

“Hurry!” you yelled at the servants rushing down the hall to the small steel doors at the back of the large hall. You were trying to move them as quickly as you could before the Revolutionary Army found them and conscripted them to service - or worse. You had a crying child in your arms as you ran towards the doors, the mother carrying the younger sibling towards the safety of the escape hatch. There was no doubt in your mind that you needed all the servants behind the impenetrable doors in the bunker. They’d be safe in there and if they needed to, they could take the tunnel to the cove where you kept a ship in case of such emergencies.

Your husband didn’t know about these contingency plans, of course. He would tell you that spending money on servants was a waste and that they could fend for themselves should any kind of crisis arise. But you couldn’t reconcile that idea with the people who took care of you and your estate every single day. They were people with emotions, feelings, families, just like you. Not that you said any of this to your husband, he would have beat you for such outlandish ideas. 

No, you just waited until he was drunk and raided his vault of Beri and jewels. Since that happened every day he was at the estate, you were able to amass quite a bit of money for renovations in case of attack. He was also often absent from the estate, off with other nobles drinking, gambling, and whoring. You didn’t mind that he sought out other women, it kept him from bothering you. In fact, you strongly preferred when he was gone, the air on the estate was much less tense than when he was present. 

Since you’d become a noble’s wife, you’d heard endless tales of what happened to those islands unfortunate enough to have their estates ransacked by pirates or the Revolutionary Army. The nobles always focused on the looting of riches, the burning of the estates and the loss of property but you found the fortune of the servants to be the most horrific of all. Your husband had told you that noble servants were taken as front line cannon fodder by the Revolutionary Army whereas pirates would sell them directly into the slave trade. It was said that noble women would be taken as concubines for Commanders in the best of cases or whores for the army if they were too mouthy. When you had first taken up the mantle of being in charge of your husband’s estate in his absence you decided that protecting those who depended on you would be your primary goal and no one would come to harm while working under your supervision.

Even though you were born of a noble family yourself, you never felt like you fit in with noble society, even as a child. Maybe it had something to do with being the fourth daughter born to your parents. By the time you were born they already had three perfect noble daughters to marry off later in life. You were brash, wild, and difficult to control unlike your golden sisters. Your parents were also much older when they had you, there was a considerable gap between you and your next sister. All in all, that meant you were often left to your own devices as a child, allowed to roam free in the Goa Kingdom. You’d had the time of your life until your parents married you off - too young in your opinion - and your childhood had come to an abrupt end. 

As you learned via your husband’s vicious fist to acclimate yourself to noble society as an adult, you found yourself reflecting on your childhood more and more as the years crept by. You would catch yourself staring at the forest on your lonely island, wondering how your childhood friends were doing, if they were well. When you did have the rare chance to leave your island estate, you quickly learned to keep your prior adventures to yourself. The women turned up their noses to you and the men found you crude and distasteful. 

Even though you’d felt stifled by the snobby and suffocating noble society, you hadn’t spent most of your time within the confines of your familial home. You enjoyed sneaking out of your parent’s estate and playing all day long in the woods, coming home only when you completely ran out of food or needed some kind of supply. Your parents and governesses had tried various means of locking you in your rooms but they’d never been able to keep you inside, your desire for adventure too strong to be overcome by mere locks.

And those adventures most often included your friends Ace, Luffy, and Sabo. You’d met the brothers one day when you and Ace had both aimed for the same tiger to kill for food, your spear shoved through its skull as Ace’s pipe struck it on the head. You believed it was yours, Ace said it was his, and the two of you were wrestling in the dirt with Luffy cheering Ace on in the background. Sabo had intervened in the fight, breaking it up by forcing the two of you apart by nudging you with his lead pipe as you sat on Ace’s chest, punching him.

“Wait, Ace. What’s going on here? This girl’s a noble, she’ll be nothing but trouble,” the blonde boy asked, looking you up and down suspiciously. You spat blood on the ground and crossed your arms. How did he figure it out? Sure, you were wearing a dress but a lot of girls did, that wasn’t enough to have him mark you as a noble.

“So’re you, doesn’t mean anything,” you countered, annoyed that he’d stopped the fight while you had the upper hand.

“Am not! These are my brothers,” he huffed, pointing to the other two boys. They were obviously not blood brothers, the blonde so different looking than his siblings.

“Are too! Look at your stupid hat and cravat. You’re definitely a noble,” you teased, sticking out your tongue. You were a head taller than either of the two older boys and guessed you were a few years older. Still, being a petulant brat was more fun than taking the higher ground any day.

“Well, that string of expensive beads around your neck shows that you’re one too!” the blonde said, sticking his tongue back out at you. The other two brunette boys were now just watching the exchange, though the older of the two was gripping his own lead pipe now and frowning at you. Looking down, you realized you were still wearing the stupid jewelry that your mother had forced on you earlier that day. Shrugging, you reached behind your neck and unclasped the necklace to pool it in your palm. Extending it to the oldest dark haired boy, you offered it to him.

“Want this?” you asked, genuinely disinterested in the fate of the necklace. The boy eyed it warily. He was scuffed and bleeding from your earlier fight but didn’t pay much attention to his wounds.

“It looks like Dadan’s!” the smaller boy said excitedly, reaching for the necklace. His older brother narrowed his eyes and smacked the boy’s hand away from your own. 

“ ‘M Ace. Gimme this and you can have the tiger,” he said, grabbing the necklace quickly. 

“But then what will we eat?” whined the young boy while he rubbed his stomach. Ace shrugged.

“We’re good hunters, we can find something else Luffy. She can have it since she won’t be able to get anything else probably,” Ace derided you with a smirk. You saw red as you grabbed him by the front of his ugly tank top.

“Won’t be able to get anything else probably? What the fuck -”

“Oooh she said a bad word, Sabo’s gonna be mad,” Luffy said with a grin, pointing at you.

“Sabo? Like, Outlook and Didit’s son? I heard you died. That’s what all the adults were whispering about the last time I was home,” you said with confusion, letting go of Ace’s shirt. Coming up to study the blonde’s face, you squinted as you looked him over.

“You seem pretty alive to me. Unless you’re a ghost or something,” you mused, rubbing your chin. 

“Sabo’s a ghost?!?” cried Luffy, clutching his face in horror.

“ ‘M not a ghost, idiot,” Sabo scoffed at Luffy. Turning to you, he sized you up as well. “So they think I’m dead?” he asked curiously. You shrugged, getting your paring knife from your pack.

“Dunno, didn’t stick around too long to listen, I had stuff to do. Got stuff to do now too - if you guys help me skin this thing I’ll share the meat. ‘S too much for me and I don’t like wasting food,” you said offhand. The truth was skinning was your least favorite part of the meat preparation process and you wanted to trick them into doing it for you. 

“I’ll do it!!” Luffy offered, reaching for the knife. His arm extended past what he should have been able to reach, making your eyes widen.

“Uh…is that normal?” you asked, turning to Sabo as you smacked Luffy’s hand away from you. It retracted like a rubber band, snapping back to Luffy. You knew you were a sheltered noble kid but even so you were pretty sure regular people couldn’t turn their arms into rubber. It was Sabo’s turn to shrug as he replied.

“For Luffy it is. Let him do this part, we can start the fire.” 

One tiger meat meal later and you became friends with the three brothers. You spent your days adventuring in the forest with them, hunting and exploring what the world had to offer. They taught you to fight using a lead pipe and in return you taught them some of your fishing techniques. They never made fun of you for being a noble but occasionally teased you for being a girl or being unable to stand up to pee. You didn’t mind though, you could tell it was good natured, unlike when your sisters told you that you were ugly or stupid like a wild animal. You started returning home more frequently to raid the pantry and storage for things the brothers needed or wanted for their tree house. It was harder to sneak out with coils of rope or entire dried hams but it was worth it to sleep in a pile with your friends under the night sky, finally feeling loved and wanted for once in your short life. 

As you spent more time with the brothers, you found yourself gravitating towards Sabo. You shared a lot in common with him and felt the closest connection to him emotionally. You told him about life with your sisters and parents and he shared a little about his own home life. He was funny and cute, and could be sweet when he wanted to be. One night as Ace and Luffy laid in a pile snoring by the fire, you and Sabo were the only two left awake under the stars. The two of you sat side by side in silence and stared into the flames, each of you with your own thoughts.

“Maybe when I get older I could marry you and we could live in the forest. I wouldn’t have to live in a stupid castle or go to boring dinner parties and we could have fun instead,” you said quietly, breaking the silence. Sabo didn’t turn his head or answer for a few moments of silence, making your face flame in embarrassment. You wrapped your arms around your shins, hugging them close, putting your chin on the tops of your knees.

“I was just jok-” you started to say, trying to take it back before he could make fun of you.

“Ok,” Sabo answered, now looking at you. The left side of his face looked like it was covered in flames as the fire light danced over his skin.

“O-ok?” you stuttered in surprise, unwrapping your arms from your shins.

“I don’t plan on going back to my family ever. But if you need to marry someone, I want it to be me,” Sabo said, standing on his knees to put his hands on your shoulders. You mirrored his stance and were now both on your knees with hands on each other's shoulders, looking into each other’s faces.

“Do you promise?” you whispered as Sabo stared at your face.

“I do. But let’s get married now so we don’t have to wait,” Sabo said, nodding his head as if in agreement with himself.

“How do we do that?” you asked, unsure what the process of marriage actually entailed.

“All we have to do is kiss on the lips, that’s what adults do. I read in a book once that a promise borne in flames is a promise forever kept, so we can do it by the fire to make it permanent,” Sabo said, cupping his hands on your cheeks. You nodded, your eyes on his lips. You’d never kissed anything besides your cat’s head before, you weren’t sure what to do but Sabo seemed to know so you let him lead.

He used his hands to pull you closer to his body as his eyes closed. It seemed like the thing to do so you scrunched yours shut as well and leaned in while pushing your lips into a circle. Your pursed lips made contact with his own for a few seconds before he pulled away. It was a little weird feeling, a little slimy, but you felt something right settle over your shoulders as Sabo looked into your eyes again. 

“You don’t have to go back home now or marry anyone else. We’re married,” Sabo said solemnly. You nodded back at him, sitting down on your butt again. Sabo did the same but this time you leaned your head against his shoulder. It was a heady feeling to get married under the stars but shortly thereafter you fell asleep on your new husband as he watched the fire die down. 

Unfortunately, life didn’t remain as idyllic as it was during your time with the ASL brothers. Shortly thereafter, Sabo died in a boating accident, and your parents had you married off to a noble fifteen years your senior a few weeks later. They said that since they couldn’t control you, they found someone who could. Your will to defy his orders eventually diminished as the years went on, your battered and bruised body unable to take continuous abuse. After you were married you weren’t able to keep in contact with Ace and Luffy, stuck by yourself in your isolated island estate. Your only source of information was what your husband told you or the old newspapers he’d leave behind in his office but those were months if not years out of date. You stopped trying to escape after your husband broke your leg after the third attempt and settled into a depressing life as a noble lady, putting your energy into improving the lives of those around you.

Which meant that you had to get everyone through the metal doors before the Revolutionary Army found them. You heard the sounds of fighting and yelling as the guards closest to your hall were engaged by the Army combatants. Although the guards were brave and dutiful, you’d seen the ship the RA had come in on and heard the tales of their strength - your friends would be no match for the revolutionaries. You had begged the guards to join the servants and leave the island but they had refused, preferring to fight the incoming intruders.

“We must hurry! Engage the doors!” you yelled at the elderly men working the metal doors. They began the slow process of sealing the room as servants continued to flood through. You were glad you’d ordered them to start since the fighting sounded like it was right outside the door to the hall. Handing off the child in your arms to one of your maids, you grabbed a lead pipe leaning against one of the cream colored walls and began running towards the entry point to the hall.

“My Lady! You must -” your closest servant Isla called to you as you ran towards the locked entry doors. 

“Get everyone through to safety. Once the last of you are in, do not open the door. Not for any reason - no matter what you hear! Do you understand me?” you yelled at a pale faced Isla.

“Y-yes, milady,” she said as the banging on the door grew louder, the wooden beam across it beginning to bow. Facing the door, you held your pipe in two hands and lowered yourself to ready, just like Ace had taught you all those years ago. You hadn’t fought in a long time but your body retained some of the muscle memory as you crouched down. Although you kept your face hard, you were quaking inside. Whoever was on the other side of the door was incredibly strong, the wood barrier creaking under the strain that they were putting on it. You imagined there would be at least a dozen fighters who would take you right there - or if you were unlucky make an example out of you. 

“Milady, everyone is in, please -” but Isla’s voice was drowned out by the wood beam shattering, sending wood shavings all over the floor and yourself.

“CLOSE THE DOORS ISLA!” you screamed at her, still facing the opponents you couldn’t yet see. If the gate didn’t close, everything you had worked for would be for naught. The telltale sound of the metal door banging shut and the latch locking in place had you exhaling slightly now that all your servants were hidden and safe. The only person who was left was you and you’d come to terms with your own mortality long ago. Squaring your shoulders, you held your pipe out in front of you as you waited for your enemies to approach.

The ornate wooden doors in front of you opened slowly as the locks gave way. Only one person seemed to be emerging from the smoke and carnage beyond the doors. Your hands tightened around your pipe - if there was only one person they were incredibly strong to have defeated all those guards and broke through the doors by themselves. As the man passed into the light, you saw a familiar top hat and cravat. This time though, they weren’t on the body of a child but on a full grown man. 

“S-sabo?” you whispered, half dropping your pipe to the ground. You picked it back up quickly - this was no time for a reunion with a ghost. Sabo was dead and whoever stood in front of you was not your childhood friend but an enemy who came to hurt your people. His eyes opened wider, though one was covered in scar tissue from an old wound.

“C-come no further - there’s nothing for you here!” you yelled, twirling your pipe in your hands. You noticed he held his own lead pipe in his left hand, though his had blood dripping onto your floor. 

“Yes, I saw you left the vaults open before we even breached the walls. Quite a strategy,” the man replied calmly. You stiffened and gripped your pipe so tight your knuckles were white.

“If it's riches you want, they’re all there. The kitchens are open, as are the food stores and stables. Th-there’s nothing else in the estate,” you hissed, watching the man warily. He was walking around you in a narrowing circle, staring at you as though you were a missing piece of a puzzle. You gulped but didn’t run - you didn’t want to lead him to the location of your servants. 

“And your servants? Your slaves?” he asked, now too close for your comfort. You were breathing heavily not from exertion but from fear. You were spinning in place to keep yourself facing him at all times as he walked casually around you, assessing you from head to foot.

“We have no slaves, only servants. They’re safe, away from you,” you hissed as the man drew closer. 

“Did you let them run away? Or did you have them killed in advance?” he asked with genuine curiosity.

“Wh-what? N-no! How could you say such a thing? They’re gone, they’re safe, like I told you!” you said, aghast that someone could think to do such things. The man continued to stare hard at your face. 

“So that I understand, allow me to recapitulate. It is only you, the lady of the estate who remains, while your servants and staff have been ferried to safety? And we are free to take any of your wealth, food, or animals as we please?” he asked, now touching a priceless vase still on a shelf with a gloved hand. Tilting it onto its side with a finger, he watched your face as he tipped it over to the floor, shattering the porcelain. You didn’t bat an eye but kept your sights - and pipe - trained on him.

“Yes, because I know what you’d do to them. You would -”

“Let me guess. You were told they’d be taken to the RA as slaves and sent to the front lines as to die in battle. Maybe that we’d hunt them for sport, taking you as a whore for any RA commander who chose to use you. Does that summarize the matter?” he asked.

“Y-yes. And I won’t let that happen to them. You can take me - I’ll submit myself. But you will not be sacrificing my people for a fight that is not their own,” you said. Stepping over the shattered pieces of vase on the floor, he stopped circling and walked straight towards you. You crouched lower but the man used a single finger to push your pipe down past your chest while you struggled against him.

“That’s not what would happen. We free them. They’re free to leave and start new lives or join the Army if they so choose,” he stated, reaching for you. You flinched out of reflex but quickly adjusted yourself as the man frowned.

“I know what you’re doing,” you stated, no closer to righting your pipe than you were previously.

“Oh? And what would that be?” he asked with a hint of amusement in his tone.

“You’re trying to trick me, have me lower my defenses and tell you where everyone is. It’s not going to happen,” you said, swiping your pipe to the side away from his finger. With it free, you swung it to the side to hit the man across the head but he grabbed it and took the pipe out of your hands as easily as if you were a child, throwing it across the room beyond your reach. 

“It can be difficult to adjust after a lifetime of lies and propaganda,” he said calmly, not making any more movements towards you. “We save people from upper class brutality, not bring them to harm. We don’t even kill the nobles whose houses we raid. We take your money and belongings, free your workers, and leave you to your own devices. I’m sure most of you wish you were dead with no money and no servants, but we try to avoid killing people. Come with me and I’ll show you,” he said, offering his arm like an upper class gentleman would for an evening stroll.

“You’re - you’re trying to confuse me, but it won’t work! That’s why you dressed up like him, I just know it!” you yelled, taking a step backwards. The man’s eyes snapped to your own as he stepped forward.

“Like who?” he asked, his tone icy. You shivered under the intensity of his gaze as his eyes bored into your own. He already had you alone and unarmed, you might as well speak your mind.

“I-it doesn’t matter. Like someone from my childhood -”

“WHO,” he demanded, his hands reaching to grip your upper arms in an iron vice.

“S-sabo,” you said quietly, scared he was going to backhand you or shake you like your husband had so many times before. His grip and eyes softened but he didn’t let you go. There was no sound other than that of your harsh breaths as the man held you in place. After a moment, he began to speak softly.

“I - that’s me. I’m Sabo. I don’t - I can only remember part - I was in -”

“You’re not Sabo! He died!” you cried out, tears filling your eyes. You’d cried for months over his death and to hear someone lying about being him was too distressing to listen to. Ace didn’t like cry babies, he’d told you many times, but you couldn’t help but cry for your lost friend and husband. You tried to pull your arm away so you could run from this imposter.

“A promise borne in flames -” Sabo started to say, one of his gloved hands rising to cup your face.

“Is a promise forever kept,” you finished, a tear falling down your cheek. You wailed as you began crying in earnest, wrapping your arms around his torso. Clutching him towards you he put his hands around your back, patting your back gently. 

“S-Sabo, I th-thought you d-died,” you cried into his stupid cravat, the same ugly kind he’d always worn. He pulled your face gently off his chest, his hands spanning your face as he looked into your eyes.

“I don’t remember everything but some of it is coming back to me. I - we got married, right?” he asked tenderly, thumbs sweeping over your cheeks. You laughed through a hiccup.

“Yeah, we did. Sorry, I got re-married,” you joked with a small smile, motioning to the mansion you currently lived in. Sabo chuckled, settling his hands on your waist and pulling you closer.

“Did you keep in contact with Ace and Luffy? I’ve thought about all of you so many times and I -” you started to get excited, eager to hear news about the other two brothers. Sabo’s face had a faraway look as he avoided your question.

“C’mon, we’ll have plenty of time to talk about what happened,” he stated, pulling you towards the broken door by your arm. You stalled, trying to get some more time to think for a moment. You didn’t like your island estate and you certainly didn’t love or like your husband but after all those years, you didn’t know Sabo either. You didn’t think Sabo would do something terrible to you but you’d heard so many horror stories about the RA that you didn’t want to verify for truth first hand. 

“Wh - I - Sabo, this is all a lot. You can take whatever you need or want from this shithole, but I thought you said you leave -” Sabo cut you off by picking you up and throwing you over his shoulder. As kids, you’d been a head taller than Sabo but now he was the taller one - and much stronger besides.

“I’m not losing you again. You’re coming with me,” he said with finality, striding towards the open doors. 

Taglist @divinedolliebun @mfreedomstuff

[probablyasocialecologist]

The Cass Report is fatally flawed in its methodology, and as a result, its recommendations are harmful. Speaking on behalf of TransActual, Keyne Walker said: “It undermines the legal competence of both children and adults to access medical treatment and dismisses almost all existing clinical evidence on trans people’s healthcare by applying impossible evidence standards which, if applied to other medicines would invalidate more than three quarters of the existing treatments used in paediatric care which, like puberty blockers, are currently being prescribed off-label.” The report’s primary conclusions rest on excluding 98% of the relevant evidence on the safety and efficacy of puberty blockers and hormones for lack of blinding and controls. What this means is that they require studies in which some patients are given the treatment, and others are unknowingly given placebos. This is not only a clear breach of medical ethics and monstrous suggestion, but also impossible due to the obviousness of the impacts of puberty blockers and hormones.  The report also strays far beyond its scope and competence in recommending a review of adult services and in suggesting that young people ought to stay under the care of children and young people’s services until the age of 25. The latter is based on highly questionable understandings of brain development which have been repeatedly debunked as an oversimplification of the constant changes in human neurology over the course of our lives.  This recommendation, especially in a context of an already broken system of care for both adults and children, has the potential to have a significant negative impact on the lives and wellbeing of trans people in the UK.  Underpinning this report is the idea that being trans is an undesirable outcome rather than a natural facet of human diversity. This is clear not only from the recommendations but also from the exclusion of trans researchers from the design of the review process and the links individual members of the research team have to anti-trans groups, which the Cass team were warned about. Download the full briefing

[covid-safer-hotties]

Reference archived on our website

I thought maybe some of y'all would like a qualitative study over a quantitative one. A study of covid disparities in England among PoC and disabled people.

Abstract Background COVID-19 Ethnic Inequalities in Mental health and Multimorbidities (COVEIMM) is a mixed methods study to explore whether COVID-19 exacerbated ethnic health inequalities in adults with serious mental and physical health conditions. We analysed data from electronic health records for England and conducted interviews in Birmingham and Solihull, Manchester, and South London. Sites were selected because they were pilot sites for the Patient and Carer Race Equality Framework being introduced by NHS England to tackle race inequalities in mental health. Prior to the pandemic people in England with severe mental illnesses (SMIs) faced an 11–17-year reduction in life expectancy, mostly due to preventable, long-term, physical health conditions. During the pandemic there was a marked increase in deaths of those living with an SMI.

Aims This qualitative interview study aimed to understand the reasons underlying ethnic inequalities in mortality and service use during the COVID-19 pandemic for adult service users and carers of Black African, Black Caribbean, Indian, Pakistani, and Bangladeshi backgrounds living with serious multiple long-term mental and physical health conditions.

Methods We took a participatory action research approach and qualitative interviews undertaken by experts-by-experience and university researchers Participants were purposively sampled by ethnicity, diagnoses, and comorbidities across three geographically distinct sites in England. Transcriptions were coded inductively and deductively and analysed thematically.

Results Findings indicated multiple points along primary and secondary health pathways for mental and physical health that have the potential to exacerbate the unjust gap in mortality that exists for Black and Asian people with SMIs. Issues such as timely access to care (face-to-face and remote), being treated in a culturally appropriate manner with empathy, dignity and respect, and being able to use services without experiencing undue force, racism or other forms of intersectional discrimination were important themes arising from interviews.

Conclusion These poor experiences create systemic and enduring healthcare harms for racialised groups with SMIs that need to be addressed. Our findings suggest a need to address these, not only in mental health providers, but across the whole health and care system and a need to ensure more equitable healthcare partnerships with service users, carers, and communities from racialised backgrounds who are often excluded.

[himblebo]

you have a lecture about Rebecca you say...👀

Not an ACTUAL lecture but a theoretical lecture I COULD give based on my work with the history and interpretation of domestic service and labor (western) in the 19th and early 20th centuries (and one that @jon-withnoh has more or less gotten from me incrementally, among other of my 19th century servant history rambles).

There are lots of different roles a servant might play that could functionally mean they “raised” a child, including but not limited to nanny, nursemaid, governess, ladies’ maid, mother’s helper, etc.

In a lot of places and situations, it wouldn’t have been unheard of for a child/teenager to be in a caregiving role for a charge around their same age or only slightly younger than them, depending on what that caregiving role involved and how much experience the employer required/sought. There’s also the whole concept of domestic labor being historically regarded as “unskilled labor,” as well as the evolution of child labor laws to contend with, but I don’t want to get too in the weeds—basically my conjecture is that since neither Rebecca’s nor Mrs. Danvers’ ages are ever explicitly given (to my knowledge), it is plausible (and my personal headcanon) that Mrs. Danvers could have been tasked with taking care of Rebecca quite young—a 10-12 year old could potentially have been put in service to a 5 year old, for example. Likely not her primary caregiver if they were THAT close in age, there would probably be another staff member giving more supervision and direction, but Danny being charged with: assisting Rebecca with waking, washing, dressing, chaperoning her around the estate, and then as time went on gradually taking on more responsibilities and becoming her ladies’ maid, to then developing that closeness and rapport that Rebecca would bring her along to Manderley and install her as housekeeper seems very possible to me.

I came to this line of thinking because while I’m all for a May December romance, there is an undeniable cast of moral ambiguity over Danny’s devotion to and implied romantic love for Rebecca if that relationship was developed between an adult caregiver and a child (the potential for grooming)—and while I understand that ambiguity as a part of what makes Mrs. Danvers such a complex character (and the specter of Rebecca by extension; unreliable narration and ambiguity and never knowing the object truth of her in her absence without her own voice is what truly creates the atmosphere of the novel and drives the plot), that ambiguity in terms of creating fanworks based around the two of them in a relationship sometimes feels a little icky, so I thought about 1) what we know and do not know about these characters and 2) what I know about domestic service, and arrived at: it’s perfectly possible that within the world of the novel they actually weren’t that far apart in age.

I don’t think it’s the most likely scenario; I think Daphne du Maurier most likely wrote them with a more significant age difference in mind, but ultimately: she left us with many unknowns, and her ghost can’t stop me from playing with them as much as I like.

I think Danny as significantly older than Rebecca is a very valid reading of how she is written, and there is equally as much to be explored within that dynamic—it just sometimes makes me uneasy (as someone who was groomed by a caregiver), so I found a way to rationalize within the unknowns and enjoy DanBecca smut without feeling weird about it in the back of my mind.

[eccentrcks]

𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐃𝐮𝐭𝐲 𝐎𝐂: 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐞 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐫𝐨𝐞.

This gorgeous artwork of Marlene was made by my talented baby sister. Give her some applause for this! 🫶 I also made a taglist out of boredom, so don't mind me. Taglist to those who inspired me to make this profile and ref. sheet: @revnah1406, @welldonekhushi, @littlemissclandestine, @alypink, and @darkhazard19.

⎯ 𝗚𝗘𝗡𝗘𝗥𝗔𝗟 𝗜𝗡𝗙𝗢𝗥𝗠𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡:

Name: Marlene

Full Name: Marlene Jamie Monroe

Alias(es): "Mona" (General nickname by her family), "Marlie" (childhood nickname), "Chicky" (Captain Price), "Squirt" or "Baby Girl" (Phillip Graves), "Marl" (David Mason).

Age: 23

Gender: Female

Nationality: American

Ethnicity: Irish, Native American, Welsh.

Hair Colour: Chestnut brown.

Eye Colour: Light brown

Height: 5’11” (181cm)

Weight: 187lbs (84.8kg)

Body Built: Athletically average.

Languages Spoken: English, Irish, Gaelic, Welsh, Cree, Spanish, Russian, Chinese, Japanese, Bulgarian, Mandarin, French, German, Portuguese, etc.

Date of Birth: August 29, 2002.

Place of Birth: Fairbanks, Alaska.

Blood Type: AB-

Sexuality: Heterosexual.

Marital Status: Single

Occupation: N/A.

Status: Unknown.

-

⎯ 𝗣𝗘𝗥𝗦𝗢𝗡𝗔𝗟𝗜𝗧𝗬 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗧𝗥𝗔𝗜𝗧𝗦:

Myers-Briggs Type: INTJ-T (The Architect)

Calm and reserved: Despite having her moments of being a spitfire, she is actually a well composed individual and this really helps her in matters of survival. Although pretty social sometimes, then she can be completely asocial, Marlene is not exactly the kind of person who wouldn't instantly show her actual personality to others whom she'd just met. She handles stressful situations with the pressure very well most of time.

Selfless and loyal: Marlene may be an impassive and hardened young woman, but she has a good soul and heart. Those who are lucky to be a genuine friend of hers are privileged to see her display her true self at most times. Has the tendency to put others before herself. Marlene's love language is giving gifts, acts of service, and physical touch- which the latter is a rare thing of her to do frequently as a young adult now. Keeps it discreet though.

Tough as nails: She is unbelievably durable and endures a lot of life-threatening situations. Often gets underestimated by others, but tends to straighten them up with a surprise. It still hurts, yes, although she just quickly learns how to suck it up and keep going without letting it drag her down.

Jaded and weary: It's safe to mention that Marlene didn't had a normal childhood and went through a lot of hardships growing up with a paranoid survivalist of a mother. Kind of a sore spot for her to be asked about. Has a bad case of PTSD and denies her clinical diagnoses constantly. ("I'm fine." is her favourite saying) Has a complex relationship with her mother, her only parent that raised her this way, which means Marlene cares and resents her at the same time, yet she internally respects the woman who taught her most of everything she knows. She suffered from losses who were dearly significant to her... somethings she isn't ready to openly talk about. So the girl is just simply exhausted from existing.

Adaptable and intelligent, also a polyglot: If thrown into an environment that Marlene hadn't been in before, she will learn and adapt if it's necessary. Growing up traveling with her mother had taught her some things. She's quite a multilingual genius, speaks and read around 37(ish) languages, but also graduated high school at sixteen before attending Stanford University and finishing in three years for her computer science degree. So in a shorter summary, she's an eager and fantastic learner.

-

⎯ 𝗦𝗞𝗜𝗟𝗟𝗦 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗔𝗕𝗜𝗟𝗜𝗧𝗜𝗘𝗦:

Primary Weapons: Knife, Karambit neck knife, Remington 700PSS, HK-MP5K, HK-MP5A3, TP-82, XM177E1, and Pipe Bombs.

Fighting Style: Hand-to-hand combat, some MMA.

Special Skills: Great at reading others' body languages and sensing danger.

Talents: She can learn to speak at another language in a short span of time, craft explosives such as a pipe bomb within an hour if she has the resources, and create traps with the right stuff.

Shortcomings: Can get paranoid most of the time, chronically insomniac, has some trust issues, and suffers from terrible migraines.

-

⎯ 𝗕𝗜𝗢𝗚𝗥𝗔𝗣𝗛𝗬:

"Born and grew up outside of Fairbanks in an isolated cabin for five years of her life with her mother, who had Marlene at eighteen, and mostly traveled around on the road after. She grew up with tough love and Melissa, her mother, was fiercely overprotective with her only child. Once they settled somewhere in California when she was eight where Marlene finally got enrolled in a public school where her peers would eventually learn about her intellect. She never knew how, or where, her mother earned her huge incomes to financially support themselves, but knows Melissa just has an every important job whenever she isn't home. Besides, whenever her mother was confronted, she was just met with a firm look by her and the woman stating that it's none of her concern as Marlene should just focus on herself. Eventually this led to her rebellious behaviour before incidents occurred and slowly shaped Marlene into a withdrawn teenager in college."

"Her history with Taskforce 141 was purely platonic. Met them through her mother, one by one when she was an teenager, before the group realized she was Melissa's baby girl and they all knew the same woman who met each of them outside of their occupations. She've met Phillip Graves when she was a kid when he came by to confront her mother before a father-daughter bond was formed between them since then. David Mason is her godfather and one of the people whom Marlene looks up to- much to Graves' dismay."

"When she was done with college at nineteen and the year 2021-[REDACTED]."

"Until 2022, she was brought into the CIA's custody in middle of a late evening walk, more like by Taskforce 141, and interrogated after some evidence of her was caught stealing some invaluable intel and secrets, appearing as one of their employees, before she was picked up by a black van after that. She kept denying the accusations and evidence for weeks until Graves, allegedly dead at the time, safely liberated her despite Marlene being in a frail condition with the help from David Mason and proof that she was truly innocent. Someone had framed her."

"Then not too long hours after she was brought into his protective custody, no one knew who helped her other than the fact that she escaped CIA's custody, as one of The Shadow Company's bases was attacked. Mostly everyone made it out, but Marlene who was soon announced dead after she passed out from the blood loss with the base getting bombed into nothing once they were forced to leave her behind. Leaving Graves and David angry, distraught, and vowed to avenge her once they find the culprits. Her remains were never found after that."

Theme song: Methods of Madness by Secession Studios.

*Profile will be be updated once the story progresses and kept her backstory vague(ish) for now.

[aacalienz]

I wrote a letter to my state legislators and I want d to share it here because I’m very proud of it.

My name is Perri and the intellectual and developmental disability waiver is a very important issue to me. I am autistic and have been on the waiting list for the I/DD waiver for three years. If nothing is done about the waiting list I will be waiting seven more years for crucial services that would help me live in the community

All adults have the right to choose where they live. That includes adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Without home and community based services provided by the waiver, my right to choose where I want to live is extremely limited. I am currently unable to live completely independently because without any support I stop eating regularly, taking my medication, and doing basic self hygiene as often as needed to maintain cleanliness. Not taking my medication as prescribed makes it extremely difficult to maintain safe behaviors. When I tried living apart from my parents these unsafe behaviors became so unmanageable that I was hospitalized within the first two months of leaving my parents home. When I am very overwhelmed or anxious I self injure by hitting my head and biting or scratching myself. Even though I need support to stay safe and live in the community I still deserve to have as much choice and normalcy as possible for me.

I’m a twenty-one year old adult and I want to have the same adult experiences as non disabled adults. I want to live in my own apartment. I want to go out and do fun things without my parents being in my business. The same wants that non disabled adults have are often the same wants of people with I/DD. We long for independence, freedom, belonging and relationships just like people without disabilities do. The main difference is the support we need to achieve these things. That’s where home and community based services come in.

Home and community based services are a group of different services designed to help a person who is determined to need a nursing home level of care after going through an eligibility process. The services that make up home and community based services are varied and are tailored specifically to the needs and goals of the individual receiving care. The services provided can include day services, residential services, PCA services, respite, supportive employment, and case management. These services allow people with I/DD to live in the community with their goals and preferences in mind. The positive effects of these services in the lives of people with I/DD cannot be overstated.

Day services are programs where disabled adults can go during the day to socialize with other people with I/DD while receiving appropriate physical and mental support. These programs typically include learning life skills and doing fun things in the community. They also operate from Monday through Friday during the day with similar hours to nine to five employment. This can provide extra support for someone who is a primary caretaker who works because they are able to leave their loved one during the day without worrying about their safety or the care they’re receiving. This can significantly help families have peace of mind and avoid caregiver burnout. Another option for services are residential services.

Residential services are services where people with I/DD live somewhere in the community that is managed by a service provider, usually with round the clock supervision. Some examples of residential supports are group homes and apartments that are owned by a service provider and have staff that work there to support people. Having access to residential supports is very important for people with I/DD that have high medical and behavioral support needs. Sometimes individuals have behavioral needs that make it unsafe for themselves or others to live in the family home. Without residential supports these people would most likely need to be placed in a state hospital or other institutional placement.

Personal care attendant services also called PCA services are when a paid support person comes and gives care in the person's own or family home or the community. This allows a person to receive support in the environment where they are already comfortable. Staff can help with various things like cooking, hygiene and going with the person in the community for grocery shopping and other errands. There is also an option for people to direct their own care and hire their own support people if that works best for them. This gives people more control in the process of receiving care. Support people often support people in very intimate moments including showering and toileting, so having trust in your support person is critical. Self direction allows people to choose their workers and hire people they are comfortable with. PCA services allow people to live where they want and have choice over their care that may not always be available in more restrictive settings. But just because someone has significant disabilities doesn’t mean that PCA services aren’t for them.

Respite services offer short term care for people with I/DD to give the primary caregiver a break from caring for the person with I/DD. This care is for a very short period like during the day one day or overnight for a few days. This allows parents or other unpaid caregivers to take time for themselves to do things that they need. A caregiver may use the time to do errands that are difficult to do with the person with I/DD. They may have a date night or similar social engagement . They might even rest because they are so overwhelmed and need a break. Respite is a safe place for their loved one with staff trained to support people with I/DD. Even the most dedicated supporters of people with I/DD need breaks for their own physical and mental health. Preventing burnout of both paid and unpaid caregivers is important for people with I/DD. Sudden and frequent changes in caregivers can be very stressful.

Supportive employment services provide support for people with I/DD to access competitive employment in the community. Many people with I/DD want to work in the community and make money, but are unable to maintain a job that pays minimum wage or above without certain support due to their disability. Supportive employment typically includes a support person helping with social aspects of work like communicating with supervisors, staying on task, and cuing for the steps the person needs to complete. The person providing supportive employment services does not perform the work for the individual with I/DD. Instead the person supports the person with I/DD to perform the work themselves. Having a job and earning money can be very important for people with I/DD. It can give them extra spending money, a schedule and a sense of accomplishment. Some people with I/DD can be very successful in competitive employment with the correct support.

The final support provided by the I/DD waiver is case management. Navigating support systems is incredibly difficult even for people without I/DD. A case manager helps people navigate the I/DD system and assists in filling out paperwork and coordinating waiver services. The case manager also works with the person to develop a person centered plan to make sure that the services they are receiving are in line with their wants and goals. The case manager is the person who helps advocate for people with I/DD and makes sure all the complex parts of the I/DD system are working to support the individual like they should be.

All of these services are vital for the health and independence of people with I/DD. That’s why I strongly urge anyone reading to support initiatives and policies focused on ending the I/DD waitlist. Kansas Council of Developmental Disabilities suggests a plan to fund five hundred new spots on the waitlist and reduce the cap on the waitlist even further to thirty-eight hundred slots. Another way we can reduce the wait is by investing in the new community support waiver that would provide services for people who need less support to free up space for those who have high support needs on the I/DD waiver. We are also working towards increasing funding for people who work with people with I/DD to reduce turnover. These actions would be a huge step in the fight to eliminate the wait for Kansans with I/DD. Because everyone has the right to live in the community. Let Kansas with I/DD access the same rights as every other adult. End the wait!

[auro-cyanide]

Today is my mum's funeral service, one week after she passed.

I can say without a shadow of doubt that her death has been the most painful thing I have ever experienced, and the most confusing.

I've gone from being a primary carer to very very suddenly being an adult whose only dependants are two cats. The way my life is going to change is going to be significant.

For the first few days I was so heartbroken I wanted to die, and now I feel so weirdly normal that I'm just waiting for the grief to swallow me whole again.

I'm going to stand in front of everyone and read my mum's eulogy when in the past I thought I would be far too distressed to ever speak.

Tomorrow I leave to head to France to have what was meant to be a respite break from caring, which is now more of a circuit breaker from everything that has happened.

I've been reading a lot about grief and it has helped, especially stories from others that had lost their mum's, or lost their loved ones through a terminal illness.

The mix of emotions and thoughts are so complex and interwoven with memories of the past that I'm sure I'll need a lifetime to get through it all.

Right now it's one day at a time.

[vague-humanoid]

Just a few days before our interview, Jill’s (Ed: not her real name) immunologist sent her to the hospital to rule out pulmonary embolism, which happens when a blood clot gets stuck in an artery of the lung. In Jill’s case it would be a Long COVID symptom amongst many others she had been battling over the last year: including swelling around the tissue of her heart, memory deficits, sudden heart-rate surges, fatigue and abnormal kidney test results.

By that point, she’d had COVID four times, despite taking stringent precautions. She was born with a primary immune deficiency. And, without a fully functioning immune system she needs weekly injections of human immunoglobulins from plasma donations. A very small viral load can make her sick and she’s at a much higher risk of severe outcomes from COVID than most people.

“Every time I catch it, it adds new layers to my disabilities,” she says. “COVID is slowly killing me.” Her haematologist believes the past COVID infections have further damaged her immune system. She is looking at a possible lupus diagnosis.

Her voice is raspy and soft over the phone. She pauses when I ask how she is doing.

“Well, I got COVID,” she says. “Again.”

At the hospital appointment several nurses were not wearing their masks properly, and one kept pulling it down to talk with Jill, who had to remove hers to get her lungs checked. As someone who is very isolated with her family — everyone works and goes to school from home — Jill believes that the appointment led to her most recent infection.

She’s always been careful with her health but in the past, she worked in the school system. By 2020 she moved to a remote position and at that time still had many options for safely connecting with those around her and she could attend health-care appointments without concern. About a year ago, nearly all restrictions were lifted in Alberta and that’s when she got her first COVID infection.

Three years in, nearly everyone she knows has moved on including — most bafflingly to her — many of the medical professionals she sees. But, Jill says, moving on is not a privilege afforded to people like her.

Recently, PCR testing became inaccessible to health-care providers, who, in the past, were able to test regularly. And while Alberta Health Services (AHS) still requires masks, any health-care settings outside AHS can make their own rules. So, once masking was no longer mandated in public settings, many dropped requirements — this includes many of the specialists seeing immunocompromised people, including those Jill now sees due to Long COVID.

“The variants have been left to run rampant and I have really become more and more scared,” she says.

“Governments are saying: Oh we can re-open because we have all these tools. But they are not available to the immunocompromised population. So, the monoclonal antibodies are no longer effective against the current variants. Because the variants are so immune-based, the vaccines were never particularly effective for immunocompromised people because of the nature of our immune systems.”

As well, Jill says that there are many contraindicated drugs that cannot be taken with Paxlovid, the drug which is used to treat COVID patients in specific circumstances. According to Health Canada, Paxlovid “is used in adults to treat mild to moderate coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in patients who have a positive result from a severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus 2 viral test and who have a high risk of getting severe COVID-19, including hospitalization or death.”

She still takes the vaccines with hopes they will help, and while she believes Paxlovid is saving her life with this current infection, she says it is not a guarantee against more Long COVID symptoms. And, for the infection prior to the current one, the drug was not available due to a kidney infection caused by the virus.

“I have to access my medication, my health care. And by people not masking around me, I have no way to protect myself,” she says. “If you don’t want to wear masks as a society then you are going to leave the immunocompromised people behind.” And she says many high risk people are not able to work from home, or have their kids in online classes or maybe struggle to afford masks or air purifiers — many social and financial issues make individual protections far more challenging or impossible. She is currently in a court battle with her ex.

“He wants increased access, in-person school and group extracurricular activities. All things that put me at higher risk of infection,” says Jill.

Recently, she went to her cardiologist to find that no patients or staff were masking.

“I really realize now I have to be my own advocate,” she says.

She has to constantly think ahead. So, she now calls beforehand to see if the appointment can be done remotely or if the staff can mask. She’s also decided to start carrying around a laminated sheet that explains her medical condition as it is often something she needs to repeat at each appointment or in the emergency room. 

Like many others, she’s found ways to navigate her way around a harrowing array of risks. And yet, even with all these precautions, she can not control the actions of others which can directly affect her health.

Holly (Ed: not her real name), is retired and lives in a small community just outside Edmonton. She’s currently thinking about her next visit to her doctor, who hasn’t been taking precautions from the beginning.

“It’s exhausting always trying to get around how there is no protection for us anymore,” she says. “I’m thinking why am I made to feel crazy when my own doctor won’t wear a mask? Won’t acknowledge that it’s airborne?”

But the worst part, she claims, was that he minimized the effects of COVID, saying it was rarely an issue and only affects a certain demographic. Holly does not believe that is true, but regardless it is of little comfort when her husband, who’s in his 70s, has chronic health complications.

“I think patients are rightfully concerned, particularly when they go in for health care,” says physician Neeja Bakshi. “I think the medical community should be doing whatever we can to protect those who are coming in.”

It’s true, she says, that hospitals are no longer overwhelmed, and fewer people are dying; there is less of an acute emergency. But COVID is still circulating, people are still dying, and Long COVID (aka post COVID-19 condition) should be on everyone’s radar.

Recently, the World Health Organization announced an end to the global health emergency. But it also said earlier that “one in 10 infections result in post COVID-19 condition suggesting that hundreds of millions of people will need longer term care.”

COVID can cause organ damage — particularly affecting the heart, kidneys, skin. Plus, there’s risk of brain and immune damage, along with increased risks for cancer and autoimmune disease.

And, while no one knows yet how long that damage could persist, a study published in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine says 59 per cent of Long COVID patients had organ damage a year later.

In 2022, Bakshi started a Long COVID clinic at her health facility Park Integrative Health, treating patients from across Canada. Every week she completes upwards of 20 disability forms for people who need to take time off work due to the debilitating effects of Long COVID.

While certain health complications make Long COVID more likely, anyone can be affected regardless of the severity of their infection or the state of their health. The indiscriminate nature of COVID is one of the things that’s been most shocking to Bakshi. She’s treated a number of elite athletes who went from performing at a professional level to struggling to have enough energy to brush their teeth.

Many patients struggle with stigma not just from medical professionals but from family, friends and employers. It’s an invisible illness, says Bakshi, so patients may look fine and are often misdiagnosed as something psychosomatic.

“I’m immersed in the world. But I don’t feel like you can deny it exists. And I think it’s a bit of ignorance on the medical community’s part if they say they don’t know anything about Long COVID. There are very specific disease patterns and symptoms,” says Bakshi.

There is also a lack of support. The most proven management strategy for Long COVID or even any COVID infection is recovery and rest, says Bakshi. But that’s not possible for many people. Initially, in 2020, there was forced rest through quarantine periods, but that time off has become shorter, as employers don’t have to pay for employees to be off at all.

“We are not a society that is built on support. We’ve already set ourselves up to fail from a recovery perspective,” says Bakshi.

Jill has found validation in Bakshi’s clinic as one of her patients. But that experience stands out amongst a sea of specialists who have given up on precautions.

“Instead of recommending upgraded masks, air cleaners and UV, or working from home, immunologists that manage my condition recommend wearing a mask if you want and enjoying your life—as short as that may be. I am not sure if this is complacency, or giving up… Either way, education and change need to happen or far too many valuable lives will be lost and disabled unnecessarily,” says Jill.

Savvy AF.  Blunt AF.  Edmonton AF.

[moog-enthusiast]

FLOWER DEAN is 19 years old, 3 years older than her brother BASIL, putting her in the same age group as MARI & HERO. She’s a very bookish thing, she can almost always be found on her lonesome with her nose in a novel. She dyes her hair blue over her natural color, keeping it as a cropped pixie cut, often adorned with a daisy chain crown gifted to her by her younger brother. With GRANNY being old even when FLOWER & her brother first moved in, responsibilities often fell to FLOWER to take care of. She never really had the normal life of a kid, playing the maternal role for her younger brothers from a young age. GRANNY may have been the one to attend school conferences and such when FLOWER was young, but crippling chronic pains unfortunately left GRANNY bed-borne rather frequently. FLOWER was already a very caring, quiet kid growing up, but with this standard of being the adult figure of sorts, is the root of her emotional fragility, and her care-taker mentality. She made meals for her family regularly, cleaned wounds, handled finances, and varied chores around the house. This led to FLOWER becoming a sort of unofficial head of household, and a lot of self-isolation and social anxiety. MARI KANZAKI, one of FLOWER’s neighbors and classmates, takes interest in becoming FLOWER’s friend in elementary school— pulling her out of the house as they got closer between primary and middle school, so FLOWER could meet the other kids their age. They got even closer after their younger brothers became friends, as it meant they were now in proximity of each other a lot more, even if just to babysit. FLOWER became good friends with the older kiddos and developed a crush on MARI— her first love. This crush on MARI is written as a reference to FLOWER being described as a boring MARI personality wise by OMOCAT, and ties the KANZAKI & DEANfamilies all over again. Whether her feelings were requited or not is indeterminate. MARI may have been her best friend, but post-incident she finds a lot of comfort in HERO, as the two mourn and support one another together.

FLOWER’s real name is “PRIMROSE”, but she goes by FLOWER to almost everyone- a nickname given to her by her GRANNY. The DEANS’ grandmother referred to the kids as “SPROUTS”, affectionately, and a young FLOWER insisted she wasn’t a sprout anymore since she was the oldest- and earned herself a new name from the amused guardian.

She is always the older sister of BASIL, but in aus with other siblings, such as ROWAN variants, or ocs, she is perfectly happy as well! She puts a lot of her self-worth into being a good sister… to the point she ‘adopts’ many of the younger kids of FARAWAY, opening her doors to anyone hoping for a nice hot meal or general support. She often brings meals to AUBREY, though less frequently after she becomes aware of her bullying her brother. She has a hard time engaging in conversation with most of the old friend group, and opts for gifts and acts of service to show her support instead. She does not feel worthy of being known by her childhood friends.

BASE CANON

After the recital, BASIL goes home looking for comfort from his soft, quiet, older sister and tells her what he’s done. He needed someone to know- someone he trusted! He was small. 12 years old and the weight of his actions settling in. This puts a strain on FLOWER’s relationship with him, leading to her hiding at college (& work over the summer,) to try and avoid her family. She still cares very deeply about her brother, but has extreme difficulty with grappling with what BASIL has done— a very painful emotion, in conjunction with her sisterly instinct to protect him. As a result, BASIL worries he’s been abandoned again by the person he trusted most, and continues his downward spiral.

DREAMWORLD;

FLOWER in HEADSPACE appears on the picnic blanket with MARI, offering compliments when spoken to- until BASIL disappears. Upon BASIL’s disappearance though— her initial reaction is a panicked response begging OMORI to find him. Past that though, pretty much the only thing she will say to the player is a simple “…”. The exception to this is that at the start of every picnic, you can interact with her- and she’ll tell you “It’s important to stay hydrated, OMORI…!” to which the player finds a new juicebox in their inventory. Once you get your juice though, she goes back to radio silence.

she misses her brother… she’s worried..

Although FLOWER may be silent, her BLACKSPACE counterpart most certainly is not. Dubbed ‘WANDERER’, this entity exists to FLOWER as STRANGER is to BASIL. WANDERER acts as one of many of the STRANGER-friends you find, but is plenty talkative! When she sees OMORI alone, she can often be spotted pacing not far behind. When interacted with, she tells him that he “ruined” her family- and that he’s sent a divide into all the families through his hiding, and needs to be held responsible for his actions. Whether WANDERER knows the truth or not is left unclear, she’s very insistent that OMORI is at the heart of the ongoing issues she’s noticed.

BASIL loves his sister a lot! He encourages her to play hide & seek with them at the start, but doesn’t mind when she declines- simply giving her a hug, and scampering off to his friends. When he shows off his garden, he’s proud to display his daisy patch, in which he tells others why they remind him of his sister. When fighting with OMORI in BOSS RUSH, he’s quick to run to FLOWER upon winning, and telling her all about how cool OMORI is in battle.

—“These are DAISIES! I know they’re simple and rather common, but they represent ‘pure love’! These remind me of FLOWER because she’s always there for me, and is the best sister I could ever ask for. I guess what I’m trying to say, is that she provides me with pure sisterly love, and I feel the same for her!”

KEL views her as an older sister figure, and asks her lots of questions. He treats her like a human-encyclopedia, (lovingly), due to her vast array of knowledge picked up from her books.

AUBREY will go to her for comfort, [as seen in scenes when BASIL first goes missing, and AUBREY runs to FLOWER for a hug], but is typically very blunt in regular conversation, making comments about “You’re so boring, FLOWER…” with a pouting face, when FLOWER declines the offer to come with on their adventure at the beginning, and other varied pieces of dialogue akin to this. She sees FLOWER as an older sister figure too, though more of the straight-man compared to MARI, and even HERO.

HERO is very cheery with FLOWER, often telling her about the groups adventures when tagged— trying to help take her mind off things. He and FLOWER are good friends, and it can be seen in the OMORI route, when the two often share witty banter regarding their favorite nerdy medias- or sharing cooking tips & tricks!

MARI is worried about FLOWER, but tries to cheer her up by dragging her along to each of the picnics, and lightly teasing her. MARI is the one FLOWER is closest too, and in OMORI route, you can find FLOWER dancing to MARI’s flute music, or playing small games like truth or dare with HERO. (…Though, she always seems to pick truth?)

OMORI isn’t one to really make a comment on anyone, but he’s typically polite & respectful to her all the same. She’s BASIL’s older sister, after all.

PHOTO ALBUM;

FLOWER appears in a handful of photos, but typically is partially out of frame, or hiding. she’s a bit camera shy…

(3-2-1 DAYS LEFT in game);

In the OMORI game setting, FLOWER can be found working the first few days in the FIX-IT'S garden section, where you can chat a little- and get some anxious rambled dialogue about her brother.

3 Days Left

“Oh..! Hey, SUNNY… I don’t know the last time I've seen you on your own…”

“Say, SUNNY… You don’t happen to know anything about how BASIL’s doing right now, do you?”

2 Days Left

“SUNNY… could you drop a GINO'S order off at my house for me? I’m so busy with work, I might not be home to make BASIL dinner tonight…”

[*FLOWER gives you $25, but can be used for whatever. If you try to do as she says, you end up in the Pizza job mini game instead…. POLLY will make him something… probably.*]

1 Day Left

FLOWER can now be found inside her & her siblings home, cooking dinner with POLLY. If you try to talk to her, she mumbles something about her worries about BASIL, but otherwise incomprehensible due to sheer quietness.

(sprites by @/wario_car on twitter)

ENDINGS

FLOWER can be found in BASIL’s hospital room, lightly hugging her brother from beside the bed- very clearly worried.

Good (Secret) ending; With BASIL smiling, you are approached by your friends, and FLOWER wishes you goodbye with the rest of them. The forgiveness of BASIL allows her to move on as well :)

SUNNY route; After SUNNY reveals the truth, FLOWER leaves the room, and is not seen for the rest of the end. In an extended storyline she has gone into a mental spiral of sorts, but it’s not relevant to the game’s plot.

Neutral route; If BASIL dies at the sleepover, FLOWER is seen with her forehead pressed against his bedroom door and hand on the doorknob, crying and apologizing repeatedly.

“I’m sorry.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I’m sorry.”

OMORI route; dreamworld FLOWER is talking again! She shows some of the ballet dance moves she’s been trying to learn to the group if interacted with on MARI's mat, and features little chime-ins to chat with her & her brothers’ friends. MARI teases her, and she’s more willing to play with the others. She can be seen in boss rush, where she cheers on all your friends from the sidelines. So long as BASIL is back, she’s happy!

more flower content here:

[specialagentartemis]

📂HEADCANONS

YEAH

Trying to think of ones I haven’t already talked about A Lot

Murderbot describes Preservation as "a complicated barter system" because it doesn't really have the words or concepts to parse what it's looking at: primarily a gift economy. An economy with a robust central government that does a lot of distribution of primary resources, and a social logic based more on providing than consuming. Farmers and agriculture techs don't produce food to then trade to other people, they produce food that's then re-distributed to everyone as needed by a central organization, and the farmers and ag-techs are given what they need and want by others who, y'know, eat food and express gratitude for Having Food. People don't trade for health care, doctors provide health care to whoever needs it because that's what they've trained and chosen to do and are given what they need by others for their service in providing health care.

Pin-Lee doesn't tend to have a lot to trade but she is a lawyer who keeps things functioning between Preservation and the Corporates, does the legal work that allows Preservation citizens to safely travel, and helps to maintain the contracts that prevent other more opportunistic planets fromtaking advantage of them. She provides this service to the planet and gets what she needs from other people who provide other services. Gurathin helps to maintain the university's database infrastructure, when he's getting coffee he doesn't need to offer to like, make a database for the coffeeshop, it's just understood that he's providing a service to society and partaking in another service to society. Arada and Ratthi are research biologists and their work is only tangentially productive to The Planet but I'm sure there's a public outreach or education aspect that's expected of a lot of researchers - learning without sharing what you're learning is socially unfair, even if their lectures are mostly only attended by students who are told by their teachers to go watch them. But it's kind of understood that by being an adult in the world, you are doing something that contributes to society and to others in some way, and as such are entitled to having your needs met as well.

It's a reciprocity-based logic of actions rather than commodity exchange, and honestly it works because 1) Preservation's population is relatively small, 2) there is a lot of bureaucratic organization work making sure everyone is getting what they need, the government is SO many committees 3) a whole lot of labor is done by machines (non-sentient robots) and bots (sentient robots). The reliance on bot labor is absolutely gonna be something Preservation has to think more about.

Citizens also every once in a while on rotation get called for a kind of labor tax akin to the way jury duty works, where every couple of months you have to put in a day working in the central town food court washing dishes or something. There are also Perks offered for jobs that might be a harder sell for people to do, like premium station housing.

Straight-up money that comes into the station from outsystem trade and travel mostly gets re-invested in supporting Preservation travelers off-planet into societies that do use money (like PresAux's ASR survey), or buying materials or machines that are hard to make locally (like ag-bots, or some spaceship or station parts for repairs).

However where barter comes in is on a more interpersonal one-on-one level, more similar to commissions. You grow a lot of carrots while my grapefruit tree is producing a lot more fruit than I could possibly eat, want to trade? You make ceramics as your primary Work, I'll trade you something if you make me something specific I have in mind. Can you help me fix my roof? I'll get you some good wood when the lumber trees are mature next year. Developing skills for these kind of interpersonal more-specialized trades is a significant motivation, too. And different skills and jobs inevitably attract more status and impressiveness than others. But it's not barter exactly so much as reciprocity, a strong culture of civic duty, and a highly organized government.

[my-autism-adhd-blog]

Hello lovely,

What are the pros and cons of pursuing a diagnosis?

I think I have autism (32 on the AQ, 139 on the CAT-Q, 157 on the RAADS-R, and 133 on the Aspie Quiz v5) but I'm a very high-masking gifted/honors/AP girl and I worry it will have more cons bc of poor societal acceptance then it will have pros : (

I mentioned my concerns to my primary care doctor and she really quickly dismissed them (I didn't mention the tests I did, just that I had a lot of traits/issues typical of autism) and I'm worried that trying to get help or anything will be a long hard uphill battle. Fortunately I am getting seen for sleep issues soon which are my worst problem but yeah

Thanks for your counsel

- 💙🌹

Hi there,

There are many pros and cons when it comes to getting an autism diagnosis. Here’s some from helpfulminds.co.uk

Advantages of Adult Autism Diagnosis:

1. Self-understanding and identity: Receiving an autism diagnosis as an adult can provide a profound sense of self-understanding. It validates personal experiences and challenges, helping individuals make sense of their differences. It offers a framework through which they can explore their unique strengths, interests, and areas of difficulty, leading to greater self-acceptance and personal growth.

2. Access to appropriate support and accommodations: An adult autism diagnosis opens doors to various resources and support services. It enables individuals to access specialised therapies, counselling, and tailored interventions. It may also qualify them for workplace accommodations, such as flexible schedules, task modifications, or a supportive work environment. These support systems can enhance well-being, foster independence, and improve overall quality of life.

3. Connection and community: Obtaining an autism diagnosis can provide a pathway to connecting with others who share similar experiences. Joining support groups, online communities or participating in autism advocacy networks can foster a sense of belonging and reduce feelings of isolation. These connections often offer invaluable emotional support, shared experiences, and practical advice.

4. Enhanced relationships and communication: Understanding one’s autistic traits can lead to improved personal and professional relationships. It helps individuals communicate their needs and preferences effectively, reducing misunderstandings and promoting better understanding among friends, family members, and colleagues. With increased self-awareness, individuals can build stronger connections and cultivate healthier interactions.

Disadvantages of Adult Autism Diagnosis:

1. Emotional impact: Receiving an autism diagnosis as an adult can trigger a range of emotions, including relief, validation, but also grief or regret. Some individuals may experience a sense of loss for the opportunities they feel they missed or the difficulties they faced due to a lack of understanding. The process can be emotionally challenging and require support to navigate.

2. Stigma and societal perceptions: Unfortunately, despite growing awareness, Autism is still surrounded by stigma and misconceptions. Disclosure of an adult autism diagnosis can lead to potential discrimination, prejudice, or social exclusion. Society’s limited understanding of Autism may hinder employment, education, or social integration opportunities. This lack of acceptance emphasises the need for broader awareness and education.

3. Limited diagnostic resources and accessibility: Obtaining an autism diagnosis as an adult can be challenging due to limited diagnostic resources and professionals specialising in adult assessments. Waiting times and financial constraints may present significant barriers for those seeking a diagnosis. This lack of accessibility may lead to delayed self-understanding and hinder access to vital support services.

Seeking an autism diagnosis as an adult has advantages and disadvantages. While the diagnosis can offer self-understanding, access to support, and a sense of community, it may also evoke complex emotions and expose individuals to societal stigma. It is important to weigh these factors and consider personal circumstances before pursuing a diagnosis. Regardless of whether one receives an official diagnosis, fostering acceptance and embracing neurodiversity can contribute to a more inclusive and understanding society.

The full article will be below. There are even more pros and cons, so those are just examples. I recommend researching for more to make up your mind.

I hope this helps. Thank you for the inbox. I hope you have a wonderful day/night. ♥️

[covid-safer-hotties]

Also preserved in our archive

By Hannah Langenfeld

Some American University students say they will get vaccinated against the coronavirus and the flu this winter, but have varying reasons for doing so.

Over four years since the COVID-19 pandemic hit cities and college campuses across the world, false rhetoric continues to spread about COVID-19. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated information on its webpage this October to encourage children and adults to get a COVID-19 booster as new strains of the virus emerge. However, some students fear President-elect Trump’s nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services as secretary could harm vaccination efforts.

Maya Kaufman, a sophomore at the School of International Service, said that she was raised in a “non-religious household” and that scientific information holds a lot of value in her family, shaping her opinions toward vaccinations.

“I'm totally knocked out by COVID booster shots but I still do it because I think it is important,” Kaufman said. “It has taken decades upon decades for a lot of vaccines to be developed and we got a vaccine for COVID very quickly so I think that people need to take advantage of that to help continue to contain it.”

Similarly, Melissa Patten, a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences, is a public health major and her mother is a nurse. Patten said that both have influenced why she is a “firm believer” in getting vaccinated this season.

“I think everybody should get vaccinated against COVID since it’s as simple as getting the flu shot — which I think everybody should also get,” Patten said. “Do your research and understand that COVID is a bigger issue and the only reason why we were able to end the pandemic quickly is because of vaccinations.”

COVID-19 has become a “deeply politicized” issue, said Lexington Allen, a junior in SIS, sharing his issue with Kennedy being picked to lead HHS.

Kennedy, a known skeptic of vaccines, founded the anti-vaccine nonprofit group Children’s Health Defense. Many public health experts have raised alarm bells over this potential appointment.

“The fact that RFK Jr. has such extreme opinions against vaccines really concerns me because [HHS] is now going to have less support for COVID care and prevention than before,” Allen said. “It really scares me that a Trump-led administration has consistently denied the existence of the pandemic and prevention toward another.”

Kennedy is “not interested in following the science,” said CM Heinrich, a senior and double major in public health and health promotion. Heinrich said one of their primary concerns is that, despite comments from Kennedy that he would not take away vaccines, he won’t “stick” to his words. Heinrich said with other respiratory viruses and monkeypox spreading now and in the future, in addition to COVID-19, they believe there could have been “more qualified individuals” nominated for the HHS Secretary position.

Heinrich added that conversations within their public health classes and the field writ large revolve around a lack of pandemic preparedness under a second Trump Administration and a Kennedy-led HHS.

“We're not set up to handle another virus of that magnitude, regardless of how it spreads,” Heinrich said. “The biggest thing that worked out for COVID is that we were able to very quickly get a new vaccine made and it was revolutionary.”

Heinrich explained that during the creation of the COVID-19 vaccine, there was a use of high-end, new technology and the ability to work through a “very effective and safe” vaccine approval process. As a result, vaccines were distributed in the U.S. quickly to meet the emergency demand. Their concern is what could happen with future vaccine creation.

“I’ve seen that RFK has been adamant about trying to lengthen the process and do more testing,” Heinrich said. “And in theory, that's a good idea, but we already have very good standards for vaccine safety and I think we’re kind of going to see progress being slowed in that regard.”

“Getting vaccinated against even something like the flu is important and it provides herd immunity” Heinrich added. “Getting vaccinated helps society because it means that we are not able to get infected as easily or not going to infect [immunocompromised] people easily.”

Allen said that if his doctor approves it, he will receive the COVID-19 vaccine this year because vaccinating against it is a necessity for him. Allen said that he continues to wear a mask while in classes because he understands how complex COVID-19 has become.

“I am disabled and immunocompromised, so for me, vaccines are a very important way to make sure I don't go to the hospital,” Allen said. “It's complicated because, on one hand, COVID is becoming less deadly, but it’s also becoming more transmissible. I think COVID is still a very disabling illness and can cause long COVID side effects.”

Kennedy made a speech at a ‘Latino Town Hall’ event this past June where he said people who take stimulant drugs or antidepressants could choose to go to “wellness farms” if they want.

Lily Tierney, a senior in the School of Communication, said that she has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and takes medication to help manage it. ADHD medications such as Adderall are classified as stimulant drugs. Tierney said that Kennedy’s rhetoric “scares” her because it reflects how he may run HHS if he is confirmed as the next secretary.

“I am extraordinarily fearful, but one of the main things that scares me is the fact that he wants to put people who take stimulants in camps,” Tierney said. “RFK Jr. is someone who’s such a denier of real scientific things like vaccines and he terrifies me all around.”

Students interested in receiving the flu or COVID-19 vaccines can do so at the Student Health Center, and at locations near campus such as the CVS Minute Clinic in Tenleytown and the Walgreens on New Mexico Avenue.

This article was edited by Samantha Skolnick, Tyler Davis and Abigail Turner. Copy editing done by Luna Jinks, Ella Rousseau, Ariana Kavoossi and Sabine Kanter-Huchting. Fact checking done by Luna Jinks and Hannah Paisley Zoulek.

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

From: Department of Health and Social Care

Published: May 29, 2024

The government has today introduced regulations to restrict the prescribing and supply of puberty-suppressing hormones, known as ‘puberty blockers’, to children and young people under 18 in England, Wales and Scotland.

The emergency ban will last from 3 June to 3 September 2024. It will apply to prescriptions written by UK private prescribers and prescribers registered in the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland.

During this period no new patients under 18 will be prescribed these medicines for the purposes of puberty suppression in those experiencing gender dysphoria or incongruence under the care of these prescribers.

The NHS stopped the routine prescription of puberty blocker treatments to under-18s following the Cass Review into gender identity services.

In addition, the government has also introduced indefinite restrictions to the prescribing of these medicines within NHS primary care in England, in line with NHS guidelines.

The new arrangements apply to gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogues - medicines that consist of, or contain, buserelin, gonadorelin, goserelin, leuprorelin acetate, nafarelin or triptorelin.

This action has been taken to address risks to patient safety.

Patients already established on these medicines by a UK prescriber for these purposes can continue to access them. They will also remain available for patients receiving the drugs for other uses, from a UK-registered prescriber.

Patients seeking more information should speak to their clinician.

==

Gender cultists are mad about this because they know that when kids go through puberty as normal, the overwhelming majority of them are likely to desist and become comfortable as regular young adults.

Puberty is the cure for their distress, but activists don't want well-adjusted, biologically intact kids. They want gender unicorns.

[aihoshiino]

Number 24, for Ai!

so this was originally a simple answer to the simple question of "What characters from your other fandoms remind you of [this character]?" and in the process of my writing spiraled into an essay beyond my control but at this point everyone is here to listen to me go insane about themes and narratives. So. Let's talk about Coffin Girls.

COFFIN GIRLS: FUTURE (HOPE) AND FUTURELESSNESS (DESPAIR)

Using the original question as a starting point here - I absolutely can't answer it without starting with Yuuri Wakasa from School-Live!, both because she was the big Brain Melting Blorbo before Ai and because the Yuuri Wakasa to Ai Hoshino pipeline is so direct it's kind of hilarious.

While on page they play out as very different characters, once you start really digging into them the similarities jump out: they are both young women suffering adultification in situations where their survival relies on their being about to match these adult standards. They're both maternal figures and, most important of all, both of them are primarily defined by the roles they assigned themselves that go on to completely control their lives.

While these are both pretty different roles, they are both defined by a lack of weakness, vulnerability and humanity rather than the creation of new, ingenuine traits. The major divergence is their motivation in creating these masks and how they go on to affect their relationship with other little people.

Ai created her mask in the hopes of presenting a version of herself that could love and be loved by other people. Yuuri's was a matter of survival: she creates an unshakable, reliable, invincible version of herself to ensure she and the others have the strength to endure the situation they're in, bottling up her feelings because letting herself be compromised by then could very literally end in someone being killed. Both of them desperately maintain these masks long past the point of it being detrimental to them because they fear what will happen and what pain they will face when it comes down.

The primary difference is that while Ai is more straightforwardly a victim of circumstance, Yuuri is much more directly the author of her own misery. This is obviously not to say Yuuri is to blame at all for her situation but that this is one of the major points of difference between her and Ai;

Ai's fear of rejection is learned, entirely founded in the very real and persistent abuse and rejection she has suffered her whole life. She is, quite frankly, correct that people prefer the flawless and inhuman "Ai of B-Komachi" over the real Ai who is in pain and suffering. Since the moment she was born, she has never been afforded love or acceptance and even being treated with basic kindness and decency has been conditional, predicated on the doctoring of her honest self into a pretty, socially acceptable lie.

Yuuri's fear of rejection hues closer to a sense of duty - her mask is a responsibility she imposed on herself and so too are the supposed consequences of failure. Yuuri has the unconditional acceptance Ai has searched for her whole life - she is surrounded by people who love her, who would accept her as she is and help her every step of the way if she faltered but at every opportunity she has to reach out to them, Yuuri cannot bring herself to do so. She defines herself so strongly as a caretaker that she cannot conceptualise of allowing someone to care for her in return. She must be strong because if she is weak, then that's all good as completely losing her place in the club in her mind.

This is because, for all their similarities, Ai and Yuuri are driven by entirely opposing cores; hope and all consuming despair.

Ai is a person driven by desperate, unwavering hope. Everything she does is in service of creating a future for herself where the things that she lies about can eventually become true. She wants to be happy - she believes she eventually, one day, will be happy and fights with everything she has, against every possible obstacle in her way, to achieve that promised happiness. She hates herself and so works toward creating a version of herself that even she can eventually love. Even if she can't imagine it ever happening, she wants people to know who she really is, she wants to be seen as the dirty, hopeless, irresponsible Hoshino Ai and accepted as such. She unfailingly believes in the future.

Yuuri, by contrast, is defined by despairing resignation. She cannot affect meaningful change, only hold the line in hopes of maintaining the status quo. She lives in a state of futurelessness, content with occupying an eternal present, chained inescapably to the past. She has no hope. She doesn't always want to continue living. She just doesn't want to die yet. She takes responsibility for everything, hates and blames herself for things completely out of her control because she has no control. The trauma that consumed her life is so unimaginably huge and she is so, so small that even the guilt and self loathing are preferable to surrendering this final scrap of agency to it.

Ai wants people to accept her weakness; Yuuri is too ashamed of it. Ai wants to be seen; Yuuri abhors the idea. Both of them climbed into their own coffins and pulled the lid shut but Ai left hers open just a crack so that anyone who wanted to find her could open it and pull her out. Yuuri nailed hers closed from the inside.

As you can probably guess by my talking about coffins all of a sudden, I am definitely channeling Anthy Himemiya from Revolutionary Girl Utena as well lol. I don't necessarily think that Ai or Yuuri are like Anthy (though Ai does have a teeny bit of Anthy DNA imo), it's more that Anthy is the queen of a character archetype that both Ai and Yuuri fall into that for the purposes of this post I'll call Coffin Girls. I fully expect that to make no sense to anyone who isn't me but this post by @metanarrates about sums it up.

That said, while this post uses gender neutral language, when I talk about Coffin Girls I am very specifically talking about Coffin Girls. What makes a character a Coffin Girl to me is when her struggles are distinctly feminine - not wholly defined by but nevertheless inextricable from her womanhood and her place as a woman in patriarchal societies. Societal and social roles and emotional labor that is considered traditionally "feminine" is weaponized against her as violence. A Coffin Girl must be a Coffin Girl because her abuse and exploration has roots in purity culture, misogyny and hostile masculinity manifesting in violence against her.

All of this is true of Ai but what makes her unique as a Coffin Girl is her determination to not be a Coffin Girl. I want to make it very explicit that this is not victim blaming in any way: it's just that what defines a Coffin Girl is resignation and powerlessness, born from an inability (either literal or emotional) to change her situation. Again, Ai is unique in this regard. No, she can't change the idol industry or the misogyny that perpetuates it but she can affect change in herself. She may be resigned to her current lot in life but she rejects the soul deep helpless despair that defines most Coffin Girls. She has hope - she has left her coffin open. All anyone would need to do is pull her out.