#An incredibly healthy environment for toddlers to grow up in....

[brandz-fly1]

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[factsilike]

I'm all for exploring the potential of JC's character, but I'm sorry, I cannot agree with this, because there is something you are not considering with these fics.

First of all, it is such an unfair disservice to Lan Sizhui's character. He as a toddler has already lost his only remaining family in an incredibly brutal way. Why must you add insult to injury by creating circumstances in which he has to grow up with his family's murderer? How is that fair to him? Just so JC can "angst" about it? What will that do? Is Sizhui supposed to feel bad and forgive him just because he feels bad about it?

While we're at it, in what universe would Lan Wangji ever let him near Lan Sizhui in the first place? He is the last remaining connection he has to Wei Wuxian, someone WWX gave his life to protect. You really think he's going to let him near the person responsible for his family's demise, the person known to have a harsh and angry personality? Lan Wangji would be dead before he lets that happen.

Not to mention JC couldn't even raise his own nephew, someone he actually loves, without being physically and verbally abusive towards him, because he does not have a healthy relationship with love itself. He chooses to repeat his own mother's cycle of abuse. He could never and would never love Sizhui. In fact, even by some miracle he did take him in, he would not see him as an innocent child, but as just another 'Wen dog' just like he saw all the other Wen remnants. He demonstrated this by the callous and dismissive way he treated Wen Yuan when he visited Wei Wuxian at the Burial mounds for the first time. Read that scene again. He would never have any love in his heart for him. In fact, every time he would look at him, the resentment and poisonous anger in him would only grow, because all he would see is a reminder of what he himself had lost, not a frightened innocent child.

Besides, Sizhui in a harsh, unbearable setting like that would either eventually run away, or grow up to be just like Jin Ling, an angry, arrogant and reckless child, who has no friends and is desperately lonely. The contrast between him and Sizhui is laid out clearly in the beginning, reflecting their guardian's parenting styles.

Jin Ling needed Wei Wuxian's nurturing and guidance, as well his new friends' good company, to let go of his bitter and snappy nature. He grows out of JC's poisonous influence, and challenges him exactly because he was beginning to question the story he had been told all his life. JC's parenting certainly hadn't done him any favours.

So yes, I do hate the idea of these fics, because they make Sizhui suffer for nothing, just so JC can be the one to raise him. No, please leave him alone and let him grow up with Lan Wangji the way he did, in a caring nurturing environment, with the good friends he made, and the calm, refined and mature person he grew up to be under Lan Wangji's wonderful guidance. It was what was best for him.

I'm actually really intrigued by the idea of a Jiang Cheng raising Sizhui AU—not in the "Jiang Cheng, the bestest Jiujiu" kind of way, but in a tragic, heart-wrenching sense where a traumatized child is unknowingly raised by the very person who wiped out his entire family. This trope is incredibly fascinating and could be used to dive deep into Jiang Cheng's character—his hatred for the Wen Remnants, his complex unhealthy love-hate relationship with Wei Wuxian, and now the added layer of raising Wei Wuxian’s pseudo-son. The thought of Jiang Cheng initially hating Sizhui, only to gradually and unintentionally grow to love him, and then having to confront the painful reality that he was the one who caused unimaginable suffering to someone he loved like a son, is just chef's kiss. The potential for angst and tragedy here is absolutely delicious.

But, of course, Jiang Cheng stans hate complexity and nuance, and seems to live in this bizarre reality where Jiang Cheng murdering Sizhui's entire family has no consequences—it's all about him being the best Jiujiu evahhh. 🥴

[potential-fate]

[linkspooky]

Hey, I’ve been reading a lot of your BNHA metas, (they’re all absolutely awesome btw) and I was wondering about two things, what kind of mental illness do you think Shigaraki has? And I read a post somewhere that speculated that he might have suffered a tbi when his father hit him with the tree sheers, do you think that might be true?

Hello anon, thank you for your ask! 

I will try to answer your questions the best I can, however beforehand I think it’s important to note that I don’t really like diagnosing characters outside of like specific examples where the authors tell us this is the disease they were attempting to portray, or headcanons. Shigaraki clearly shows signs of mental illness, but I don’t think Horikoshi writes characters by looking up a list of symptoms in the DSM and then writing them based on that. 

Also yes, the two clearest examples of mental Illness (Shigaraki, Twice) are both villains but I have faith that the mental illness of Shigaraki is an instance where it’s used to humanize him and show how much of a victim of a system both characters are, rather than just to give the villain traits that are abnormal and therefore creepy and dangerous. 

I can’t give you a specific dianogisis but I can give you a more in depth look at several symptoms that Shigaraki displays. 

Excoriation 

Excoriation disorder is an obsessive-compulsive spectrum mental disorder that is characterized by the repeated urge or impulse to pick at one’s own skin to the extent that either psychological or physical damage is caused. In Shigaraki’s case it’s clearly a stress response that is aggravated the more violent, unstable or dangerous a situation he is put into. 

Which is why I find claims that Shigaraki is content with violence, or likes being a killer and is comfortable living this way to be false. Because Shigaraki’s own body constantly rejects him. He feels a compuslive need to scratch and harm himself because his body cannot handle the stress of being violent. It’s a stress response because Shigaraki does not actually on some level want to be doing these things, and living in a constant state of stress and harm makes him more compelled to vent his stress by following his compulsions. 

The compulsion he feels can sometimes get so bad that in childhood he was rolling around the floor, crying and frantically scratching his whole body. This is not what All for One said and him holding back his urge to kill, but rather Shigaraki responding to the stress. Shigaraki is seven and was put in front of two homeless people who were threatening to harm him and he already came from a physically abusive household. He’s in unbelievable stress with no healthy way of venting it, and thereofre he compulsively self harms. 

GAME TALK

In general Shigaraki uses a lot of game talk. This is not so much a symptom of mental illness necessarily as it is a coping mechanism, but the goal is for Shigaraki to distance himself from reality. Basically it’s a mechanism for rgaining control because if you imagine life as just one big game where you are the player, you feel much more in control then some random kid who lost his family in a freak accident then got picked up by a super villain. Gamespeak is also a way of being deeply impersonal with the situation, in case it goes bad Shigaraki can say it’s just game over. It’s a layer of distance between him and reality, like I said, escapism to cope. His insistence of using game terminology for everything could also be seen as a “special interest” but once again that depends on your intepretation Shigaraki shows a whole cluster of symptoms that overlap with a lot of things. 

HIGH ATTENTION TO DETAIL

Shigaraki in a fight where he and AIzawa are jumping around trying to kill each other, Shigaraki is able to notice a detail as minute as when the hair falls over Aizawa’s eyes it stops, and also that his quirk was weakening because the tiny seconds long windows were getting shorter and shorter. 

This is an extremely small detail to notice. Hyper-sensitizing, or hyper-attention to detail is another sign of mental illness, because usually the brain filters out superfluous details like this because otherwise noticing everything in that fine detail would overwhelm the senses. 

Immaturity 

Shigaraki is completely unable to handle his negative emotions like a well-rounded adult. Though, I dislike how All Might and the others phrase it in this discussion because it is a pretty ablist description (downright sick in the head, a toddler’s sense of feeling like he can do whatever he wants). (the ablist part is that they’re using symptoms of his clear mental illness to dehumanize him.)

Regardless, Shigaraki of course does act like a man child, constantly talking about games, giving up easily, not having the patience to converse with others especially in situations he does not want to be in, throwing tantrums. 

Children who are abused and neglected especially to the extreme extent that Shigaraki has, show long term developmental (that is term for the process of growing into a full adult) and behavioral problems. To the point where some studies have shown even the brain’s chemistry is permanently effected and the brain grows differently. 

Children need a stable environment, and also positive role models for what adults act like to grow into full fledged adults, Shigaraki had neither of those. In fact he was also raised almost entirely outside of society except for the first five years of his life, so there is also no outside influence on his upbringing as well, which is why he is like a child, egocentric, unable to handle his emotions, because mentally he was never given the chance to develop past one. 

ISOLATION

This is something that Shigaraki showed at the start of the series, but also has shown to develop past. At first he never left his room and from the several trash bags it’s quite obvious he spent long periods of time in there without taking care of himself or the environment around him in any significant way. 

Shigaraki is no longer isolating as a result of having gotten closer to the league, he is basically available to them at all times and does not shut them off in any significant way. Which in this quick tangent we can also talk about symptoms Shigaraki does not have. Shigaraki is able to read a room pretty clearly, and knows how to hide himself in a crowd enough to keep Deku hostage with no trouble at all, and even leave the scene with Uraraka there without provoking her into attacking him or tipping her off what he was doing right away. Shigaraki is fairly competent at reading other people and he does have social skills so he’s not like someone who never sees the light of day or cannot interact with others and is clueless on how people think. 

He’s also shown to be capable of making emotional connections with other people, and also of being considerate to those people’s needs. Which also shows that Shigaraki is capable of communication and also has an awareness of the feelings of other people and the ability to empathize, he is just choosy about who he makes connections with. He is definitely not someone unable to form an emotional connection with another person. 

Shigaraki also shows a pretty flagrant disregard for all social norms, but that can be a result of being raised outside of society all of his life.

Shigaraki also likes to piss people off on purpose, almost like he is testing their boundaries and what he can get away with the same way a child playing around might.

Dissociation

We have seen Shigaraki experience Dissociation in both senses of the word. First we have seen him physically detach himself from his feelings, and his own body in the middle of a fight and still continue on in a fugue-like state. 

He experiences dissociation in the sense of the word meaning periods of detachment to your body, drifting away from your consciousness, severe feelings of alienation from himself, extreme difficulty concentrating or holding focus to the moment, his perception of both time and the area around him slipping to levels that are borderline hallucinogenic. 

Dissociation is a mental process where a person disconnects from their thoughts, feelings, memories or sense of identity.

Shigaraki also displays traits of what is more classicly known as Dissasociative identity disord. He has two names, and clearly considers the life of Shimura Tenko to be separate from Shigaraki Tomura for a long time at the start of the manga. It might not be full on DID, but he at least dissociated his memories away from himself long enough that he forgot all of them like those memories belonged to another person, not Shigaraki but rather Tenko. 

Shigaraki also foils Twice pretty heavily who developed actual dissociatve identity disord. He even shares similiar symptoms of speaking to himself when he speaks to the hand of “father”. I am not saying he has full on DID like I said I’m not diagnoising just that he displays several symptoms of it. He also came from an abusive household at an incredibly young age, which is where DID most commonly manifests. 

Shigaraki also shows signs of flashbacks when his memories return at inconvenient times during fights when direclty exposed to violence, or he experiences a trigger reminding him of his past. Flashbacks are a symptom that have the most in common with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

To answer your question on whether Shigaraki has a brain injury from when his father hit him with shears, there is evnidence suggesting he could have suffered brain damage, especially in the symptoms that he shares with Twice. However, at the same time Shigaraki also would have developed brain damage either way. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is something that permanently rewires the brain after exposure to trauma. His brain has suffered a traumatic injury regardless of whether or not it was the garden sheers that did him in. 

Suicidal Ideation / Self Harm

Shigaraki in general wishes to not exist, or to destroy everything so it will not exist anymore. Even if it’s not a direct wish for suicide that symptom is called suicidal ideation. It’s intrusive and persistent thoughts of suicide. The likely cause is once again, Shigaraki is absolutely not comfortable living like this, and is constantly overwhelmed with stress and pain and is seeking an escape. 

Shigaraki also actively seeks out harm. The same way he obsessively compulsively scratches, he puts himself into harmful situations like the extremely painful hellish surgery the doctor said he did not even have to endure if he did not want to. He feels compelled to harm himself, even when he is not fighting against someone else. He inflicts harm on himself becauseit is once again an unhealthy way to process his emotions. Oncce again all of these symptoms are there not to make Shigaraki out to be terrifying and incomprehensible because he is mentally ill, but rather to show he is a human being caught within the cycle of abuse with extremely unhealthy methods of coping with that fact. 

[cam-the-orange-cat]

A Master-Guide for Overcoming Writer’s Block

Writer’s block is the woe that befalls every writer at some point. To overcome writer’s block, however, you must identify the source of the blockage. This guide will go over common reasons writers find themselves stuck and will offer some simple suggestions that can help. Although suggestions are catered to each problem, don’t hesitate to mix-and-match possible solutions; everyone is different.

The Common Blocks We’ll be Overviewing:

Problem vs. Solution

Fear & Doubt

Perfectionism

Boredom

You Have No Ideas

You're Easily Distracted

Procrastination

Problem vs. Solution

You’ve crafted an incredible conflict, a far-reaching problem that your protagonist must solve. Then you realize: you must solve it. Or you’re making progress in your first or second draft when you discover a plot hole. It’s not something easy you can cover over with a rug, it’s something you wonder you didn’t see sooner and are now overwhelmed with how to fix it and still preserve your progress. You have “painted yourself into a corner” and now you have to paint yourself out.

How do you overcome this block? 

Take a shower.

Take a nap

Go for a walk.

Or  — as Margaret Atwood recommends  — iron some clothes. 

Repetitive, mindless activites seem to work best for stimulating the mind. Most writers can testify that taking a shower is a magnet for interesting ideas. The more mindless, the better. 

Exercise gets new chemicals flowing through your brain; showering stimulates new senses; ironing is a hands-on-activity with a bit of danger involved — these are palate cleansers for your mind.

Sometimes this sort of block requires doing additional research for your story. 

Maybe there’s something in mankind’s military history that can help you solve how your protagonist’s army is to cross the uncrossable river. Maybe there’s a modern-day cure that would work against the disease you made up, and it has humble origins your protagonist can discover. Maybe your protagonist will lose this battle, but go on to win the war in a way you hadn’t considered before.

Fear & Doubt

The blank page mocks you. And the mockery hits a little too close to home. You’re afraid of criticism, you’re afraid of not doing the story justice, you’re afraid you’re not actually a good writer at all  — you’re afraid you’re a fraud.

The sucky part is, some of that is true. First drafts do tend to suck. There will be people who don’t like what you write. But what is absolutely, definitively not true is that you’re a fraud.

You’re a writer. 

You are a writer.

Say the words aloud. Say them again. Say them louder. 

You are a writer.

Now, how do you overcome this block?

Free write

Write stream of consciuosness

Brainstorm ideas in bullet points

Work on a writing-prompt for five minutes

Try your hand at a whole new genre or category

Whatever you do, write. Practice makes perfect, and practice is also the best way to conquer Fear and Doubt. Refuse to give Fear and Doubt power and soon Fear and Doubt will stop pestering you. 

Interestingly, the antidote for Fear and Doubt are similar to the antidotes for Perfectionism, writing’s most infamous villain. The next subheading, however, will go over this particular monster in more detail.

Perfectionism

You’ve been crippled by your own standards. Your story just doesn’t make sense. Your characters don’t feel right. Your writing sounds atrocious.

At least, that’s what you keep telling yourself.

Perfectionism is a choice. We choose to criticize ourselves until we’re beaten to a bloody pulp and have no will left to go on. We run ourselves through the consequences of this headspace and, despite how painfully frustrating it is, we don’t let ourselves escape.

Fear and Doubt grow from perceiving unrealistic expectations of perfection from others and being afraid of not measuring up to that standard. Whereas Perfectionism is not a fear of external criticism, but is a person imposing an unrealistic desire to be perfect unto themself. This is why Perfectionism is a cycle that cannot be broken by friends and family reassurances that you are, in fact, a great writer. You, and you alone, are holding yourself back.

In order to break free from Perfectionsim, you must accept that your writing will never be perfect. Let go of the ideal of perfection. There is no such thing as the perfect story. Writers are imperfect people as is everyone else — even the holy god of fantasy Tolkien was human. And because we are imperfect, so too is our writing.

Acceptance is not begrudging. Acceptance is contentment with the present. 

So, how do you find contentment in imperfection?

Read bad books. Make fun of them, laugh at them — enjoy them. See how beloved these awfully written books are and embrace the idea that you don’t have to be perfect. You, as you are, are more than enough.

Write badly. Do it purposefully. Research overused cliches and tropes and then write them as awfully as you can. 

Then, share how bad it is. Laugh with your friends and family over it. 

Most of all: don’t compare yourself with others. Admiring and learning from other creators and their work is healthy. Comparing yourself with them is never healthy. 

Now that you’ve faced your fear of imperfection and realized how fun it can be, writing won’t seem so daunting. Free flowing creativity relies on realistic expectations.

Boredom

You are no longer excited about writing. You’ve been working on this story for too long. You’ve been dragging yourself through it. You don’t want to give up, but this is becoming a chore. Or you love this story dearly, however writing in general has become a chore. You’re just plain bored, but that’s something you don’t want to admit because losing your passion for writing feels like your first death.

First: it’s entirely possible you have moved on from writing. That is not a bad thing. Far from it, in fact! If you’re bored, your feelings are telling you this isn’t the right fit for you right now — so try new things! Maybe, after a while, you’ll get that zeal for the written word back. Maybe not.

Don’t become discouraged, though; your time as a writer is not invalidated just because you’re not writing currently. You were a lovely writer. You have written much. Don’t be hard on yourself, but give yourself a pat on the back. You have enjoyed a very turbulent and difficult hobby for likely many years! That is something to smile fondly upon.

If, however, the above sentiments don’t settle in your stomach very well:

What can help you overcome this unending boredom?

Hands-on activities are good at jumpstarting the creative battery:

Play — play a board game with friends, play an RPG video game, build a lego house, mold with Play-Dough.

Apply your creativity to a different outlet — follow a Bob Ross tutorial, cook a new recipe or decorate a cake, crochet a scarf.

Change is a good stimulus for your mind:

Change your environment. Try going to the park and writing. Go to the library. Go to a room on the other side of your house.

Change your medium. If you often write on your computer, try handwriting; pick out a nice notebook and use a smooth-flowing pen. If you often handwrite, try typing; explore different word processesors, like Microsoft Word or Google Docs.

Listen to music or a podcast as you write. Or: if you often listen to classical, try rock. If you often listen to a podcast about true crime, try a comedy channel. Or listen to absolute silence.

You Have No Ideas

This is the essence of the blank page fear. It’s not self-bout, it’s not perfectionism, it’s not a plot hole you’re trying to fill. You simply have nothing to write. You are uninspired.

How to overcome this blockage:

Read good books. You could even study literature: follow along with Shmoop as you read Solaris; Sparknotes as you read Hamlet; or Cliffnotes as you read The Life of Pi.

Research writing: there are many books, websites, blogs, and services that offer advice and tips on writing. Whether you can afford the hefty $180/year subscription to MasterClass, or you’d prefer borrowing a book from your local library, learning something new about your craft could get your brain back to storming.

As a writer, it is your first and primary responsibility to live your life. Creating your own experiences is the best thing you can do for your writing. You write what you know — so try new things!

Spend time with friends: chat over the phone, play Jack-Box over zoom, or (when circumstances safely allow) get coffee at an obscure coffee shop.

Play with your pet; brush your dog’s teeth, or try giving your cat a bath (it will at least be entertaining for those around watching you).

Pick up a new hobby: painting, drawing, cooking, sewing, running, biking, hiking, gardening, dancing, guitar or piano, darts, soap-making, scrapbooking; here’s a list you can browse through.

Introduce yourself to a stranger (not online) — make friends with the person ahead of you in the grocery store line. Characters come from someplace real, so meet more people!

You’re Easily Distracted

It feels like there’s a toddler in your head, and the little devil is hell-bent on driving you absolutely mad. What’s that song on the radio? Let me look up the lyrics and follow along with them for an hour on loop. What’s a synonym for epitome? What’s a synonym for essence? — Extract is a movie? Let’s watch it.  

I personally feel for writers who struggle with this block. We hear time and time again: just limit your distractions! Or try this new web-browser or add-on!

But I don’t have the money to spend on a weird looking typewriter or a monthly subscription for a browser add-on. And far from it will either of those options save me from the toddler in my own mind! The typewriter doesn’t stop me from feeling like eating some ice cream. The browser add-on doesn’t keep me from scrolling through Instagram on my phone.

I have Good News, though: We’re not a hopeless case.

And no, this isn’t a self-discipline issue. As someone who grew up with an impulse-monkey of their very own running rampant inside their head, I’m still an industrious and ethical worker. 

So what’s the secret to overcoming this block?

Self-compassion. 

Instead of shaming and punishing yourself for falling down the YouTube rabbit-hole, take into consideration the toddler when you first approach a task. 

If the toddler often gets sidetracked by music with lyrics, try listening to classical music. There will be no chance then of wanting to sing along with the lyrics, and the toddler will be satisfied while you get some work done.

If the toddler often gets peckish, prepare some healthy snacks (like fruit salad, yogurt with granola, pretzels and peanut butter) ahead of time, get a large thermos of cold water, and the toddler will munch away happily while you work on your magnum opus. 

Set up a dedicated space for writing:

Maybe you don’t have a spare room — or even a desk. But you do have a soft lap pillow and a comfy chair you can move to a quiet corner. Drag your writing supplies over and dedicate this as your safe space for writing. Only write here. Don’t eat breakfast here, don’t do homework here, don’t chat with friends here. 

This may seem straightforward, but teaching the toddler is another story. To start, then, use this dedicated space only for a few minutes at a time. Spend fifteen focused minutes on a project while you sit here, then take a break. Overtime, you’ll find you can focus for longer and longer intervals in your writing space.

Procrastination

The Final Boss. The End-All Villain. Procrastination often doesn’t appear on its own. It’s inspired by something. Maybe it’s something we’ve already covered in this guide. The first thing you must do, therefore, is identify the source of your procrastination. Which may vary from project to project.

Once you identify what it is that’s deterring you from action, remember that you hold the power to break through this cycle. So when you put a plan into action, stick to it.

What are some ways you can beat procrastination?

“I’m overwhelmed by this big project.”

Prepare short-term goals: Long-term goals just about beg to be procrastinated. They’re far away and easily forgetable. Short-term goals, however, offer an opportunity to check something off a list. And boy — is that satisfying to do!

Make a list of what you’d like to get done. Prepare achievable goals; SMART goals are goals that are Specific, Measureable, Attainable, Relevant, and are set within a Time-frame. So, for instance, if you have a book you’d like to write, make it a goal to write five hundred words during the next hour.

“There is only one way to eat an elephant: one bite at a time” — Desmond Tutu

“This is boring.”

This kind of boredom which inspires procrastination is not necessarily the same as creative boredom. This kind of boredom exists because you do not feel challenged in your writing. Whereas the boredom we previously discussed is caused because you are not excited about your writing. So how do you challenge yourself? — Some previous suggestions can be applied:

Try your hand at a whole new genre. Do you write a lot of Fantasy? Try Science Fiction, Urban Fantasy, or go as far out of your comfort zone as you can, like Contemporary Romance. Or have you ever written NonFiction? Jog your mind with a memior prompt or an essay topic — just make sure it interests you!

Research writing: there are many books, websites, blogs, and services that offer advice and tips on writing. On Tumblr alone, some include: @writingwithcolor, @referenceforwriters, @ wordstuck.co.vu, @writing-problems​, @thewritershelpers​, @youreallwrite​, and @fuckyeahcharacterdevelopment​

Try throwing a monkey wrench into your story! You can try picking a random prompt to try and incorporate into a scene. You can kill a character. Add some spice into your writing to renew your writing zest!

If all else fails: archive this project. Don’t delete it — never delete what you write; put this project aside for now. Step away from it. You may be too close to it to see what about it isn’t working, or what about it is making it unattractive to you. Give it some time. When you feel ready to return to this project, it will be waiting for you. In the meantime, enjoy creating a new story.

[wargod-archive]

CHILDHOOD

THE MOTHERLAND; A beautiful oasis, surrounded by other smaller counterparts separated from the central city, large and vibrant. The rolling hills, viridescent and sprinkled with flora. Amaranthine, purple hues of immortal flowers. Blooming in the grass and crawling up great trees. The Motherland is a dimension, separated from the lower world. The mysterious reasons as why a place so spiritually active exists, atop and in harmony with the other plane of existence (Earth, their reality, trapped in a place where magic scarce) The Motherland is the name as their plane as a whole, however the definition has been narrowed down due to the arrogance and prideful nature of the largest village in the area. ‘Footsteps of God’ an imprint left by their Multi God, one god, many gods, a place of peace. Ancient in it’s appearance the Motherland’s technological advancements have been little to none over these thousands and thousands of years. CHANGE is something looked down upon, taboo. The faith they hold is unwavering although it is confused, mixed up, and lost with time. Despite this the citizens of the Motherland follow their leaders, the Monks who actively worship their gods, and also stay strong to their faith as well. One would question, if not a few, how TRUE their religion is. If it is not all just a hoax, stories created to explain why and how. If there is not another way. The Monks have trapped all their people within this one city, a massive one, but still venturing out is forbidden. To threat of coming back with new beliefs is slim however, seeing as all the neighboring villages also believe in the same God. Why though is there never any question of faith?

Because deities are real.

Born to human mothers they are woven with celestial silk. The eyes of the gods, like gemstones, plucked from their body and bestowed to them along with abilities that will reveal themselves with time. Deities have always been a part of this spiritual plane and have never left them since the beginning. However, with the new and extremely EARLY arrival of a deity, there comes troubling times.

Arita was the name given to this child. The parents bewildered by the arrival of an armless child, insignia on their belly that will fade with time. They turn to each other with fear in their eyes, shock and sorrow. Their first child will not be with them, instead will be taken, trained and place upon a pedestal. They will protect and serve their people as well as be worshiped. For the monk who witnessed the birth, they were absolutely in awe. They already had a deity, barely pubescent and still learning themselves. This was a mystery from the beginning, and since their birth Arita has been looked upon as a bad omen ever since. Taken back to the temple to show the rest of the monks, they were all just as baffled. Rushing to the scriptures and written documentation of times passed.

Divination was used by the previous deity Zauna, a deity ‘s who’s powers were not as expected by the monks. She had never grown her white branch of purity, instead opting for the onyx branch that is supposed to represent evils, change, and straying from the path of righteousness. However Zauna continued to be a neutral party throughout her life. Always knowing a bit more than everyone around her. This caused the monks to see her as a threat, but her magic prowess was much greater, and possibly one of the strongest of all the deities for the fact that she harnessed ‘black magic’ But she used the abilities woven into this ‘change of heart’ or the black branch for healing, meditation, and divination. Zauna at the time of Arita’s birth was literally days away from her ascension. She however stuck it out long enough to be able to hold the new deity in her arms, being the one and only deity to be alive with two others. That night she passed through the galaxy, her body turning to coals and when the coals are lit they are forever stay alight. Zauna had insight into who Arita truly was. However the words she was to speak to the monks about the untimely arrival of the new light child were never said. She had kept this information a sworn secret and only ever told hints to a young Miakako who was intelligent enough to figure it out. The woman draped in pastels and with dark skin was to dissipate into the air. She takes her secrets with her, perhaps a sign that she had truly drifted far from her righteous beginning. Or perhaps it was for the greater good.

Arita was baby, not incredibly healthy as most deities were as toddlers but they had some weight on them. A chubby child with big cheeks who rarely cried and rarely smiled. They were a blank faced youth and that was the beginning of the monk’s suspicions that something was wrong. It was unfortunate for Arita to be born into such ignorance and arrogance for this mindset would control their life. As an infant they were cared for by the woman of the temple. These woman were specially chosen to care for the deity children throughout childhood and into their adult years. While they acted as surrogate mothers they were not allowed to interfere with whatever the monks say and do with the deity. Their teachings were strict and were not to be disrupted. So these ‘mothers’ always did their best to create a comfortable, warm, and safe environment for the deity children while they still could.

In the arms of many mothers Arita grew up in comfort. Until the age of 5 were they to be in the protection of them. Arita was shown care and compassion despite being what the monks called a bad omen. The mothers of course were wary in the beginning, but the need to show the child some semblance of happiness in the imminent grueling training and teaching outweighed their fears. However it was not for the Monks to be so kind. For their fright at the arrival of the untimely deity. They feared for their power over the people to diminish, their reign over them, for purely power purposes. While the monks are religious under the wrath of their GODS  they are zealots. Warping the teachings of previous deities, writing down only what they wish to, and hiding documentation. While yes very much of the scriptures are lost with time there is a good portion of it hidden. There have been horrid acts done by the monks in the past. For example the killings of the parents. This was practically ancient history but it had happened. Eventually that atrocity stopped but it still lingers in the back of their mind. Those records have either been destroyed or hidden. The monks, as they are referred to be the people and by Arita, are typical monks in their ways on the outside. Seemingly peace loving and caring, they devote themselves to their religion. They teach the new deity what they need to know about the Motherland and they teach them about what lingers beyond their reaches. The entirety of the land, seas, fields, and mountains have not been excavated. There is many unknowns surrounding beyond the motherland. The motherland can be seen as a small country, and there are many villages surrounding it. Some of these villages come together into their own small country while others are stand alone. There used to be many wars between the Motherland and the other villages, against the singular deities and the Motherland’s deity. The battles have died down and the Motherland has very strictly guarded borders now. They are extremely isolationist.

Arita’s studies started at age 5. They were a very slow learner in the beginning., even at such a young age Arita didn’t seem to be developing quite as quickly as other deities or even other children. The monks tried to be patient with them but their patience began to wear thin quickly due to the stress put on them and uncertainty. This was made very clear when Arita reached the age of 7, still struggling with their studies at this point but mysteriously did the branch of war grow from their body. The vibrant crimson red decals across their one arm shocked and disturbed everyone who witnessed it. Arita was quite pleased and the monks had to force smiles for the child. But in their collective thoughts this was a horrible omen. That the end times are near or that there was going to be a great rebellion. Drastically over thinking the birth of new divinity, or perhaps they have a right to. Because it has never happened before in all of their written history it does make for some wild ideas to stir. In a land that is careful hasn’t drastically changed in thousands of years and is quite literally static in their time it’s hard to CHANGE. In fact change is looked upon as something bad and sinful. Top change the way their world works, to change what is not broken, to change one’s way of thinking, etc. It’s counterproductive to them. It stirs minds, it stirs rebellion and free thinking. They have bound the Motherland’s citizens in a cold grasp. Make them believe they are happy and safe, and they will be happy and safe. But now that Arita was born and words is spreading about the birth people will begin to think and begin to change. And soon hysteria and chaos will emerge.

Arita into their older childhood began to face the wrath and ABUSE from the monks. The monks abuse was mainly verbal and emotional. The put downs, the demanding more than what Arita could do. There were many nights where the child was forced to stay up and study non-stop for tests that were going to be given the next day. Their lives began to revolve around their studies and the bombardment of insults and words that were bitter, sour and venomous dampened their youth. But because Arita was so young and naïve by nature, and because since they were very young they were treated differently the fully believed that this was the way it was supposed to be. That all deities went through the turmoil and horrid care because they were expected to do well. The light child thought they were not good enough, that they were to work harder and harder. So even when they were allowed to have a break they didn’t take one. Arita’s days were spent studying and studying. Training and training. Learning more and more. Eventually all this began to come much easier to them and they were able to live up somewhat to the monk’s ridiculous expectations.

The psychological abuse Arita faced as a child and into their young adolescence was extremely harsh. Because Arita had the weight of an entire country, their home weighing on them it was easier for the monks to act cruelly and cause an amount of trauma to Arita. Trauma that they do not even know they have. Because the deity still thinks that this was normal treatment. Arita’s caretaker monks, the ones who would wake them, bathe them, and feed them gave the child the silent treatment. They would not talk to them, not even look at them most of the time. This made Arita feel isolated. The child would try to converse but would only manage to get very few interactions out of them. Over time Arita found this to be sad, worrying about their caretaker. Arita is a kind soul and wants the best for everyone. They would try and try to talk to them but they would rarely say a word. And after so much pestering the caretaker would yell to stop bothering them. So Arita would stop and live most of their day in the company of someone who ignored them. Then the teachings from the head monks who were to teach them of history, arts, writing, music, etc. was harsh. They expected nothing less than perfection from Arita. And even when Arita did do very well they would make the child repeat their actions over and over again. This would be with cleaning, tests, doing laundry. It was out of spite, out of fear, overall because they simply didn’t want them here. Verbal abuse was also prevalent. Yelling and screaming, scaring the child by having outbursts of frustration. They would throw things, become absolutely livid. They usually had no reason to be livid, but because as the their peaceful country slowly began to unravel so did they. Arita scared them more than anything and they just wanted the child to go away. Physical abuse was also not out of line. Arita would have stuff thrown at them. They would be whacked on the hands with rulers and spanked. They would also be isolated in a time out room for hours if they were to misbehave. Misbehaving however is something subjective and can be most anything that the monks didn’t like. The younger monks seemed to be the most cruel however, following the frustrations of their superiors and would mess around with Arita. Call them names, take their toys, and overall be nasty to them. Arita didn’t like this at all but he dealt with it. Trying to look at it as they were only playing.

Not all the monks were cruel however. The oldest monk in the monetary was extremely kind and would protect Arita at any time he could. The monks that were teaching Arita of martial arts were also fairly kind and helpful to Arita when it came to physical activity. Arita really enjoyed their dance and martial arts lessons and they enjoyed being with their elder who would tell stories of the Motherland. Arita was happy. Arita believed that they were happy because they were told they were lucky. Arita has always worn rose colored lenses and always thought they were living a wonderful happy life. Because this was normal. They were living a normal life for a deity in their understanding. So this was their life up until it was time for their enlightenment journey. This journey that was purposed was extremely taboo and controversial among the monks. But the eldest purposed it strongly and wanted Arita to ESCAPE the horrible treatment. He wanted Arita to learn for themselves of the world even if they have never allowed out into the city’s streets and meet the people of their own land. Arita had always been isolated in the monasteries and temples, never being able to see the villages and the citizens of the motherland except for festivals. The people of the motherland to led tio believe that the arrival of Arita was a blessing. That the gods have given them an extra deity for coming hard times. While part of the population believes this to be untrue, that Arita truly is a bad omen, most of them believe the light child to be a blessing. Arita very much enjoys the festivals when they get to attend a few times every year.

The choice to have Arita learn the magical arts of dimension hopping was decided on their 12th birthday. And they told Arita the next day that they were to prepare for the upcoming departure. Arita was very nervous and opposed this strongly at first. Miakako, the deity who was present during Arita’s birth convinced the youth otherwise. Miakako wanted Arita to be safe, they wanted them away from this abusive environment that was only wearing them down. Miakako while scared for them, not even they knew what was beyond in the lower world. Only deities are able to make passages to the lower world, the world below their own seeing as they were on a higher/alternate plane of reality. They lived in what was a kind of spirit world. And there was a world below them, that of the living that of the lower beings. Arita was to travel to the lower world and find enlightenment. The monks however mostly wanted Arita to leave and have the child out of their hair when they try to figure out why they even exist. Arita fully believes that they are on a pilgrimage for knowledge and enlightenment.  While they will miss their home they want more than anything to do good for the Motherland and the people. They look up to them. They are counting on them. At least that’s what they believe.

[prettyamanita]

Miss Alimjan has entered the building !!! Don’t be fooled by this amnesiac, fungus manipulator’s obsession adoration of Sailor Moon into thinking she’s harmless! Dottie knows that to build a new world, you have to destroy the old one -- so, catch her scheming for the Syndicate! 

Below the cut are some fun Dorothy (but, she gives you all permission to call her Dottie!) FAX™️ & hopefully they’ll lead to some wild plots! <3 

tw: drama, infertility mention, pregnancy mention

| CHOOSING THE SYNDICATE | 

🍄 Dottie believes that the League of Hero’s work is never-ending -- there will always be more purse snatchers to put behind bars, more corrupt politicians to expose, and new villains to throw behind bars. She feels that heroes don’t approve of the dirty, illegal things & the sacrificing of people it takes to accomplish a revolution. The Syndicate promises to create a new world, even if they must burn down the current world & rise from its ashes. She believes it’s the only way to stop this world’s cycle of suffering & if that makes her a villain, so be it.  

| POWERS: AN OVERVIEW | 

🍄 Dottie is capable of fungal manipulation, also known as mycokinesis !!! How does her power work? An average, healthy human being’s skin and digestive system carries anywhere between nine to twenty-three microscopic strains of fungus. Dottie’s body carries them well into the thousands, including those which are poisonous or have hallucinogenic properties. With training, she can generate, manipulate, and mutate any strain that lives on her. Fortunately, these microscopic fungus particles are unseen to the naked human eye! Should she come into contact with a species not already found on/in her body, she may still manipulate it or permanently add it to her repertoire through skin contact or ingestion.

| POWERS: APPLICATIONS | 

🍄 Her “signature move” is mutating a fungal strain to exaggerate its natural properties. For example: she can boost the power & concentration of a chemical in certain mushrooms that effect serotonin levels, release its spores into the air, and cause a room full of guards to knockout like sleeping beauties.

🍄 She can also manipulate the size & consistency of fungus to accomplish physical tasks. Expect her to make an escape across some giant mushrooms -- Alice in Wonderland style! -- from time to time!  

🍄 Passive infection and tracking is the most difficult application of her powers. She may contaminate one person with a microscopic, semi-dormant fungus and allow that person to spread the spores without her direct involvement. By allowing her first victim to do the spreading, she is free to concentrate on other tasks until she triggers the strain’s growth or boosts its properties. She can also track someone’s movement by triggering the strain and following a trail of mushrooms growing from whatever her target has made physical contact with, so long as the environment and humidity is enough for the fungus to survive. 

| POWERS: WEAKNESSES | 

🍄 Speaking of humidity, cold temperatures & lack of moisture make it very difficult for her to use her powers! Dottie even gets drowsy & irritable in the winter because the weather bothers her, too!hat’s

🍄 Dottie also needs to have knowledge about the fungus she generates for the best results, hence why you’ll always find a mycology book wedged inside her purse. One minute, she might claim the mushrooms spontaneously growing on your pillowcase are harmless puffballs. Before you know it, she’s shoving you into the emergency safety shower station and frantically pointing to a similar looking -- but very, very deadly! -- fungus illustrated in her field guide.

🍄 Dottie must also introduce new types of fungs to her body’s mycobiome through physical contact or ingestion. And being introduced to a new kind of poisonous mushroom can leave her feeling ill from anywhere between several days to a week!. 

*It should be noted that because Dottie’s body exists harmoniously with the fungal strains inhabiting it, she isn’t affected by the poison or hallucinogens of fungus she generates. If it’s her first time coming into contact with a strain or she’s in a weakened state, she will only have a minor reaction. This gives some mutants the very incorrect impression that she’s impervious to poison. While a death cap’s poison won’t hurt her, a flower derived poison or snake’s venom will!

BIOGRAPHY TIME !!!

tldr; Possibly gets mutant abilities through some sketchy tea her mom drank while pregnant with her. Sixteen years later, this naive girl gets conned out of her soul by a mutant with soul manipulation. Gets saved by Gilbert, but loses her memories & has to search for the pieces of her soul to get them back. Shenanigans ensue. Eight years pass. They become villains. More shenanigans. Endless Shenanigans!

| Before Losing Her Memories & Becoming “Dottie”: Life as Aylin Alimjan |

🍄 ORIGIN STORY: Before she was born, her mother struggled with infertility & the possibility that she could never conceive children. One day, a mysterious mutant offers a solution: tea soaked in the bark of a maidenhair tree and camellia petals. The mutant claimed that a pair of star-crossed lovers were buried under the tree she’d extracted the bark from. As for the flower petals, she claimed they were always found scattered at the site during the full moon no matter the season. (AKA: You can’t brew this DANK TEA at home!) Aylin’s mom wanted to know if there was a catch, but the mutant only asked to raise the child well.

🍄 ORIGIN STORY CONT: So her mom drank it ‘cause it seemed legit.

🍄 ORIGIN STORY END: There’s no concrete proof that the mutant really did anything !!! But, it was a very romantic story to tell Aylin as a toddler & being conceived through a shady mutant’s questionable reincarnation tea is DOPE.

🍄 BABY AYLIN DAYS: Aylin’s born after her mother experiences hallucinations, strange desires to eat mushrooms and rotting fruit, and a very stubborn case of athlete’s foot. Her father was a mutant himself & reassured his wife that maybe the baby would be a mutant as well. Either way, carrying Aylin for nine months was stressful as heck.  BUT WHEN SHE’S BORN SHE’S SUPER CUTE & GIGGLY & SOMETIMES SNEEZES MUSHROOM SPORES!!!

🍄 TODDLER / KID AYLIN DAYS: Her family moves from their neighborhood in Ürümqi, China to Crystalline when she’s still in diapers. She’d oftentimes eats weird mushrooms & people want to call poison control, but her parents just nervously insist that she’ll be fine after a glass of water. Since she’s a 90s baby, she grows up with all the magical girl shows airing on like….4Kids LMAO. Her youth is pretty wholesome! She’s the kid not being able to decide on a best friend & just making matching friendship bracelets for her whole class!!! HMU WITH SOME EMERALD LEARNING CENTER FRIENDS!

🍄 TEEN AYLIN DAYS: She’s ALWAYS “falling in love” with someone, okay. But her powers have a knack for spoiling ALL of her lip glosses and embarrassing her in front of her crushes. Her MOST EMBARRASSING power related mishap was on a field trip to a local natural history museum where she compulsively ate some bioluminescent mushrooms RIGHT IN FRONT OF HER CRUSH. She didn’t want to go back to school for the longest time & tried to pretend that poison control actually helped her. 😂😂😂

| Losing Her Memories: Life as Dorothy “Dottie” Alimjan | 

Around the age of sixteen, her powers REALLY begin to flare up & cause her some real heartache. There’s rumors floating that a mutant with the ability of wish manifestation had arrive in Crystalline & could give you whatever your heart desired for a fair price. Some students claim it’s all rumors, while others claim that wish manifestation isn’t real & people were getting scammed. Others who sought that mutant weren’t heard from again. SO WHAT DOES DOTTIE DO? SHE GOES LOOKING FOR HIM LMAO

🍄 The “wish manifestation mutant” turns out to be the revenge-seeking, estranged partner in crime of Gilbert Gladstone. The mutant’s real ability is soul manipulation & he’d been promising “wishes” in order to test his abilities without worrying about people fighting back.

🍄 ANYWAY DOTTIE finds this guy, who knows she’s incredibly gullible & believes his promise to grant her wishes. She asks that if it’s possible for two wishes, she wanted a prettier mutant ability AND that if her mom’s story about drinking shady reincarnation tea to conceive her is true, that the star-crossed lovers in the story behind where the tea came from will have their happy ending. LIKE, GIRL PROBABLY BABBLED FOR TWENTY MINUTES BEFORE THE GUY COULDN’T TAKE IT ANYMORE.

🍄 Like all the other gullible mutants wanting wishes, she gets her soul extracted & watches it turn into an oddly colored diamond. And like all the other gullible mutants, becomes this emotionless, blank slate of a person.

🍄 Gilbert arrives & “defeats” the soul manipulator mutant, which causes all those cool soul diamonds to EXPLODE! Their shards end up EVERYWHERE in Crystalline & probably beyond. Now there’s like, a warehouse full of young mutants ft. gilbert’s mom who are still mindless robots? But, a shard had gotten caught in Dottie’s hand which was enough for her to communicate & have a faint recollection of being called Miss Alimjan. Gilbert nicknames her Dorothy because she’s been wearing red shoes when they met & the nickname stuck!

🍄 Since Gilbert is looking for his mom’s little soul diamond shards & Dottie is looking for her own, they decide to stick together! Dottie’s collected enough to have been given back her full range of emotions & a few scattered memories, but there’s still plenty more for her to discover!

🍄 Dottie’s like a little sister figure to Gilbert, so she trusts his decisions (for the most part). She’s helped him with his grifting, thievery, and elaborate heists for the past eight years! It’s really because of him that she’s learned how to be a ~ villain! ~ LOOK SHE’S JUST A BABY CRIMINAL, BUT SHE’S PROUD TO BE HIS PARTNER IN CRIME!!!

AND THAT’S THE TEA !!!

[davidsblogs]

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[g0ldpainted]

3rd December - CtC’17

King!Noctis cheating on fem!S/O Part 2

Hey guys! For today I finally decided to drop the second part of the cheating fic for Noctis. 

1st Part ; 2nd Part ; 3rd Part // Gladio cheating 1 ; 2 ; 3 // Prompto cheating 1 ; 2 ; 3 // Ignis cheating 1 ; 2 // Ravus cheating

Words: 4k

Genre: Drama, broken-hearted, trying to heal, sadness, misfortune, someone tries to get revenge, (broken) family life

Spoilers: Don’t think so

Trigger warning: cheating, suicide attempt, depression, self-harm/self-destruction, breakdown (it’s in the tags, too)

READ AT YOUR OWN RISK! The entire part is below the read more.

Over the past years, a lot changed for the worse. The only bright thing left in their relationship was their baby, Noctis' heir. The pregnancy wasn't easy, his S/O couldn't enjoy it nearly as much as she ever imagined. All kinds of symptoms overwhelmed her to no end over months. While Noctis was around almost the entire time, barely left for business trips, their marriage was crumbling with each day. She could no longer look into his eyes, couldn't believe anything he said. And he couldn't find ways to make up for his behavior. Every time they ate dinner, an uncomfortable silence filled the room. They had no words left for one another. Sometimes his wife began to cry, right out of nowhere, but there was nothing he could do about it. To say she was unhappy would be an underestimation. She was broken, recalling what she witnessed while bearing their love child, his heir. 

On rare occasions she tried to harm herself, tore hair out, cut her skin open - being with him, seeing him every day worsened her condition greatly. It didn't help that they had to maintain a glowing, happy façade for the public. No one was allowed to know that the king chose to cheat on his wife. She wasn't allowed to leave either. By contract, Noctis would have to lock her away if she would try to run off or leave him anyhow. That way they ensured family-intruders wouldn't be able to share royal secrets to the mass out of spite of anything. His clean image was of utmost importance. When his S/O signed that contract, she never considered him cheating an option, back then, she didn't worry about it. 

But now she was trapped.

As they announced their pregnancy in front of a huge crowd, were being filmed for television, too, people pointed out that they could see cuts on their queen's arms. Her sleeve rose just enough for a few to be revealed. Even though they cheered for the soon-to-be-born heir, they were worried for their queen. So worried that she had to release a statement video, blatantly lie in everyone's faces that it was an accident, that she was helping gardeners and cut herself with a pair of scissors. To give the video a positive touch, she revealed their baby's gender: a male. They were expecting a son. And while all insomnia celebrated the baby, speculated about possible names, the queen just wanted to end it all. 

Her depression became worse every day. Noctis surely noticed, tried to fix it by giving her little gifts every now and then.. But that didn't help. He stopped inviting that woman - any women - over, wanted his wife to know that he loved her and only desired her.. But she refused to let him touch her. Throughout the entire pregnancy, they didn't share any physical intimacy - actually, they no longer shared any kind of intimacy.

Even as she gave birth, her heart was frozen. She couldn't be happy about their son, Aidan, being born. Although the little bean was undoubtedly cute and very adorable, it just reminded her of Noctis and their failed attempt at being a married couple. His S/O often blamed herself for it, called herself foolish for getting married to a king so soon. But she was convinced he loved her unconditionally which was why she agreed to it. 

Now that their baby was born, they were forced to spend more time together, both had to take part in caring for him. She could no longer dodge her husband. They spoke about their little baby: how to raise him, what he'd look like in the future, what his first word might be. Eventually, they ended up speaking about the whole cheating ordeal. He sincerely wanted to apologize, took her out to dinner, planned multiple dates. Feeling lonely and drained of all kinds of affection, the queen reluctantly agreed. She knew she wouldn't be able to live this lie for forever, her last bit of hope clung to fixing their marriage - for their baby boy, for the kingdom. When she signed that marriage contract, she had given up her last bits of selfishness and replaced it with selflessness, trying to fix what they had was the last thing she could do.

It took them another year to finally kiss again and on Aidan's second birthday, she gave in to temptation, had sex with him. Sleeping with him let her mind wander off, made her feel something when she usually felt empty. It had little to no meaning to her, was really just a distraction. But even then, their relationship was still a mess. 

Noctis' S/O was still heavily depressed, still relied on antidepressants to lift her mood anyhow. At least she learned to enjoy spending time with their son and the couple mastered pretending to be happy. Everyone was pleased with their appearances, especially when they brought their son. After the queen slowly, physically opened up to her husband again, they also chose to share public kisses - it was all to maintain that façade. Together, they even worked on the queen's health. Noctis ensured only the best doctors would counsel her. He sincerely wanted his wife to get better. Her self-harming actions didn't stay unnoticed but when asked about it, she was quick to change the subject. But, eventually, she began to get better. On top of that, their relationship sparked up just a little. It was their son who brought them closer together again. 

Nonetheless, the queen was - by far - not ready to forgive the king, her life was still in shambles and she was still in the process of healing. What they had was more of a friends with benefits relationship, not one lovers would share. At least, they were improving for their son. Aidan was their motivation to get better. He was supposed to grow up in a healthy family environment. He wasn’t supposed to know his parents were struggling to stay together. And so far, it worked well. The little bean was growing steadily and loved spending time with his parents.

It was when Noctis' affair revealed how he cheated on his wife that it all began to collapse again. Newspapers wrote about it, TV channels broadcasted it, showed the king's and queen's top 10 appearances as a couple to reminiscence about the past, paparazzi were waiting at the entrance of the citadel for one of them to give a statement. And juicy details, including pictures, were released as well. 

That was when his S/O had a breakdown.

A lot of details were too much for her; she didn't want to know how many times and where Noctis cheated on her. Nor did she want to see pictures of it. But they existed.. And they were dragged through all media. Although they were censored, she couldn't avoid them. So hard had she tried to suppress her sadness over it, fake a happiness that didn't exist anymore, that was now overwhelming her. Magazines even compare the queen's body to the affair's, some dared to make it seem like it was her fault.

This went on for days before Noctis finally released a public statement concerning this scandal. He admitted to it, apologized to his wife, begged for privacy and announced he would sue his affair. It wasn't satisfying anyone. They all wanted more juicy information, reasons why, wanted more details to gossip about. The nation ended up demanding a statement from his wife, wanted to know how she was handling the situation. But she couldn't do it. Talking about how she wasn't good enough would only make her feel worse again. On top of that, she simply didn't want people to know how much she was suffering.

By the time all photos were taken off the web and magazines who printed them were sued, a video spread. It was filmed out of Noctis' point of view, he wasn't on it.. But she clearly recognized his moans. The queen wasn't too fond of the internet anymore, didn't even use it since his cheating was revealed but someone directly sent the video to her. She watched it, froze all over again. 

Every doubt, every stinging heartache returned. 

Aidan was a smart toddler, he noticed that his mother wasn't doing good just as much as he saw his father tensing up around everyone. There was no fooling the little boy. He was incredibly alerted when, instead of his parents, only his dad or a nanny took him to bed. His mother almost vanished from his life. He sure missed spending more time with her - and she sure missed him.. But she stopped functioning. The queen canceled all appearances, didn't leave the citadel anymore because she relapsed. It wasn't the video that drove her over the edge, it was the accusation that Noctis last cheated on his wife eight months ago. True or not, she couldn't stand the thought that her husband cheated on her again - even after knowing how hard it hit her before. While the sex tape was deleted within an hour and the uploader sued as well, it only provided so much comfort for Noctis. It didn't help his S/O cope. The king was being dragged for how he could cheat on such a wonderful person all over the world. He was shamed by everyone. People wondered how the queen contemplated going on but they never got a proper response. The love she felt for her little family, her son and Noctis, was immense.. But not big enough to stop her from having suicidal thoughts. Actually, she hated herself for still loving Noctis. His scent, his eyes, his voice, his gentle touches. Aside from him cheating, everything about him seemed so perfect to her.

When someone snuck into their garden while she was playing in it with their son, asking her about the cheating, forcing a camera into her face along with the photos, she lost it. She ticked off. Luckily, guards brought the intruders out before she was forced to reply. Nonetheless, that was the last bit she needed to completely sink into darkness. The constant reminder of being the first queen to have been cheated on in all history sure felt bad. It made her feel worthless. It wasn't something she wanted to be known for. Especially the rumors that he last cheated on her eight months ago just made it worse. It added to the feeling because Noctis was very well aware of her state back then. And if he chose to cheat, that meant he didn't respect her, simply didn't care about her. Overthinking this made her heart ache. Unfortunately, no one knew that, though. Eventually, when she brought her son to bed that night, she settled for it being their final goodbye. She couldn't take it anymore. The blaming, the constant comparing, the ongoing reminders of better times, the shame, the sadness, the feeling of not being good enough. 

Even though most of her friends reached out to her, noticed that with each passing day, her face looked emptier, she didn't want to be a burden to them, didn't share her struggles. And Noctis wasn't home when she decided that her life would have to end. All day long, she had been feeling utterly terrible. Her depression, her negativity, and endless sadness got the best of her. Lastly, she believed Noctis would be happier with someone else.

She didn't want to be a burden to her own family anymore. 

So with teary eyes, she headed into the bedroom, then the bathroom she shared with her husband for so many years. Thoughts were running through her head that no one beside her could understand. Looking at herself in the mirror upset her. The scars on her wrist suddenly made her feel so stupid, those were flaws she could no longer get rid of. And her face.. She began to hate her face. The wrinkles, the birthmarks, the unclear skin, how unaligned her eyes were compared to Noctis' affair.. The queen felt ugly, unworthy. All her progress had been thrown into trash within a short time frame. Her self-esteem was heavily damaged, her self-worth, too.

She saw no other way out. She wanted to die.

Unable to stand her own reflection, she slammed her fist against the mirror in front of her, breaking it into pieces before breaking down entirely. A kneejerk reaction. Taking a razor blade, she placed it on her wrist. Her body was shaking, tears were dropping onto her clothes. She was overthinking. From the moment she first met Noctis, to when they had their first date, kissed and ended up dating. They were so happy. His proposal, their wedding, their honeymoon, making love, traveling.

"What made him lose his interest in me? What made me so worthless?" she thought to herself, crying, "Why wasn't I good enough?"

How hard they tried to conceive, all the struggles, obstacles they overcame. And then she was pregnant. And found out he cheated. Repeatedly. Remembering how he slept with that woman, all the pictures, the video, the details, the entire scene, grossed her out, depressed her. Her life was merely a hollow shell of what it used to be. She didn't want this anymore. While all kinds of thoughts ran through her mind, she started pushing the blade into her skin, blood was quick to run. In the end, she pulled through, tore her skin open with it. Groaning, she sunk to the ground, in tears. With the little feeling left in her other hand, she prepared to tear her other wrist open. Just when she pushed it through her flesh, a familiar voice spoke to her.

"What're you doing!?" Noctis shouted out of nowhere, suddenly standing in the doorframe.

Glancing up at him, she started sobbing. She could hardly make out his frame, her vision was too blurry from her own tears.

"What is he doing here" she wondered to herself, "He was supposed to be traveling until tomorrow.."

"Guards! Call the nurse!" he screamed as he stormed towards his wife, hoping that the guards in front of their room heard, "Hurry the fuck up!"

"Shit.. What're.-.. Holy astrals.." he mumbled, ripping the razor blade from her and quickly taking a towel, anything to press against her wound, "By the astrals.." 

Before she could say another word, he wrapped an arm around her, pulled her into a hug while his other hand applied pressure to her wound. She was beginning to lose consciousness as blood ran out of her wound, soaking the towel fairly quick.

"(Y/N).. I love you so much, so fucking much, please.. Please stay with me" he begged, whined, cried into her neck.

"I-.." she wanted to reply but her body was already too weak.

"The nurse will be here in a moment, please, please stay awake. Think of Aidan. Please think of your son, he loves you - he needs you" Noctis rambled on, holding her tight against his chest.

Her breathing began to shallow while her body was in panic mode - her heart raced.

"I'm so, so sorry, (Y/N). I'm sorry I hurt you, I'm sorry I was being such a fool. I'm sorry I did this. This is all my fault.. I know-. I.. Shit, please stay with me" he whispered, crying into her neck, "Aidan needs you. I need you." 

Tears still ran down her face, occasional sobs escaped her mouth but she couldn't speak. Her mouth ran dry.

"Please.. I love you" he begged her but with each moment passing by, her body grew limper in his arms.

She was close to losing her consciousness.

By the time the nurse rushed in, about 7 minutes had passed. It didn't look too bright at first, she had lost a huge amount of blood. But she was okay. The nurse sewed her cuts on the scene, then she was transitioned to the royal hospital - a large room in the basement of the citadel. Usually, she would've been transmitted to an actual hospital but for the sake of privacy, a doctor was called over to their citadel instead. The stitches weren't final yet, were just a temporary solution that had to be re-done by an actual doctor. He sewed her cut again, bandaged her wrists right after and gave her sleeping medicine while watching her stats on various monitors to ensure she was stable. While she was sleeping, Noctis stayed by her side. Not once did he leave her. In hopes she'd know he was with her, he clutched onto her hands carefully. Even Aidan awoke in the middle of the night. He didn't see his mother's injury but he noticed she was taken to the hospital. Of course, he wanted to join, nagged Noctis until he brought him down here.

So now their son was sleeping beside his mother on a chair, cuddled up with his favorite plushy's and blankets. Noctis, on the other hand, couldn't catch any sleep. 

For the past three days in which his wife stayed unconscious, he didn't sleep a single hour. At most dozed off for a few minutes. He neglected all his royal duties just to stay with her. Noctis had to see her wake up, had to see that she was okay. Doctors even spoke about permanent damage the blood loss might've caused but fortunately, the queen remained unharmed. The only permanent damage she'd take were the scars from her actions.

When she first began to open her eyes, Noctis breath hitched, his mouth falling agape. For a few moments, she didn't realize where she was nor what was going on, didn't remember what she did that night. It was when she saw Noctis' tears that she broke down herself. She remembered that she attempted suicide and that he showed up last minute.

"I'm so sorry" he repeatedly whispered, gently pulling his wife into his arms as he sobbed "I love you so much."

Her mouth was beyond dry by now, she couldn't speak yet, only hugged him back and cried in his neck. She felt ashamed of her actions but couldn't quite tell if she was relieved or sad that she survived. The smile of her little toddler gave her the answer: she was relieved. Seeing her small bundle of joy wobble towards her and climbing up the hospital bed only so he could hug her made her break into a complete waterfall.

"Mommy! You're awake" he proclaimed, hugging her gently, "I missed you."

Slowly lifting her bandaged arms, his mother hugged him back, pressing his little body against hers tightly. 

"I missed you, too" she whispered into his ear, wiping her tears away in the process.

"When can we play outside again?" he asked right away, slowly sitting down on his mom's legs.  

Unsure of what to say, she glanced at Noctis for help.

"Mom will take a few more days to recover, she needs to take it slow" he jumped in, quickly wiping some of his tears away with his sleeve, "But we could play some later if you want, champ."

Before their son could react anyhow, the queen hopped in: "You're off..?" 

"I'm off all month - I.. I wanted to be with my family" he explained, smiling softly.

"Yeah! Let's play hide'n'seek!" Aiden proclaimed, turning around to look at his dad, "But.. Daddy why are you crying, too? Mommy is happy but.. Are you sad?"  

"No, no Aiden, I'm very, very happy" Noctis elaborated, smiling softly as his son frowned in confusion. 

"It's called happy tears, remember?" the queen reminded her son, running a hand through his dark locks. 

"Ooh, yeah, happy tears" he nodded, suddenly understanding.

A few moments of complete and utter silence followed. Noctis held on to his wife's hand whenever he could, smiled softly at his little family that was so close to breaking. The queen tried to hold back her tears, tried to keep from apologizing a trillion times and instead took in the moment. Little Aiden didn't understand the outburst. To him, his mother had just been asleep for a few days - probably from exhaustion. No one mentioned a suicide attempt or any injuries to him - he wasn't supposed to know, not yet, not ever. Nonetheless, he was happy to see his mother.

Just when Noctis started embracing the most treasured and loved people in his life, nurses and the doctor came in. Even they were visibly relieved that the queen had finally awoken. The country would really be at a loss if it weren't for her immense efforts.. And of course Noctis', too.

Over the course of the next weeks, together as a family, they worked on improving themselves. Noctis and his wife had a sincere talk about what went on. For once, she wanted all the details, the entire truth. Turns out the affair really did lie about certain aspects. However, the videos and photos were foolishly taken by the king himself. Nonetheless, his affair was rotting in prison for bad mouthing and spreading media despite not being allowed to. The queen in return opened up to her husband, shared her troubles and internal fights with him, all of them, the worries in her head, the voices, how media got to her and she could no longer find a way to trust him entirely. 

And he understood. She didn't need to mention wanting to break free from her duty as queen and wife of him, he knew. 

Because he truly loved her, didn't ever want to hurt her again and much less wanted to torture her by forcing her to be with him, he decided to go against the contract the kings before him set that both his wife and him signed.

He let her go. Partly.

It was easier said than done. While they agreed on separating as lovers, he couldn't just let her get out of her queen status. His wife had been coronated, there was no way to undo that. All he could do was take over her duties so she wouldn't have to worry about them - but she had to stay the queen on the papers. For now. It wasn't as easy as a normal couple getting a divorce. They couldn't do it. Lawyers checked, Ignis checked, he triple checked. It was impossible. However, Noctis assured her that it was only on the papers. That she could go and live with whomever she wanted to soon. And that soon came faster than she ever thought it would.

Once a couple months had passed and journalists weren't glued to the citadel anymore, she left. After so many years of being together, it sure wasn't easy to turn her back to her beloved ex. Just because they separated doesn't mean she didn't harbor the slightest feelings for him anymore. Noctis still meant the world to her and so did Aiden. But she knew she had to set sail - at least for a bit. Constantly being glued to the one who hurt her so severely didn't help her get better. She thought of her temporary leaving as a form of rehab. Of course, she'd come back after a bit. Aiden had to stay at the citadel because of his special education, she was sure to miss him. At the same time, she was convinced this would help her, though. Perhaps it'd open her eyes, make her realize how she truly feels about Noctis. Maybe she'd leave for good, maybe she'd stay. For now, she didn't want to worry. Noctis gave her all possible options; she could come back or they could find another solution for her visiting Aiden regularly. 

All she wanted was to take in the fresh air in Galdin Quay, let strangers massage her, eat delicious food, meet new people, even go fishing. She wanted a calm, typical everyday life vacation. And after that, she'd consider her next move. One thing was for sure, Noctis would always be a big part of her life. And Aiden was her world.

A/N: Want a third part concluding how her life went on? Choose the couples fate by voting here (it’s a strawpoll, no registration/info needed, just two clicks & it’s anonymous). You have until the 17th December 2017. Any votes added after that won’t count. The poll will be deleted shortly after.  Poll has been deleted, results are final ^^.

I’ve never done this before but I thought this would be a good opportunity to try it. I've always wanted to try adding interactive elements and involving you in the stories and how they progress. c:

Feel free to leave me feedback on this, I’d love to hear from you.  ^^ 

2nd December ; 3rd December ; 4th December ; 5th December ; 6th December ; 7th December ; 8th December ; 9th December ; 10th December ; 11th December ; 12th December ; 13th December ; 14th December ; 15th December ; 16th December ; 17th December ; 18th December ; 19th December ; 20th December ; 21st December ; 22nd December ; 23rd December ; 24th December ; 25th December

Masterlist ; 1st Part ; 2nd Part ; 3rd Part // Gladio cheating 1 ; 2 ; 3 // Prompto cheating 1 ; 2 ; 3 // Ignis cheating 1 ; 2 // Ravus cheating

[wargod-archive]

CHILDHOOD

THE MOTHERLAND; A beautiful oasis, surrounded by other smaller counterparts separated from the central city, large and vibrant. The rolling hills, viridescent and sprinkled with flora. Amaranthine, purple hues of immortal flowers. Blooming in the grass and crawling up great trees. The Motherland is a dimension, separated from the lower world. The mysterious reasons as why a place so spiritually active exists, atop and in harmony with the other plane of existence (Earth, their reality, trapped in a place where magic scarce) The Motherland is the name as their plane as a whole, however the definition has been narrowed down due to the arrogance and prideful nature of the largest village in the area. ‘Footsteps of God’ an imprint left by their Multi God, one god, many gods, a place of peace. Ancient in it’s appearance the Motherland’s technological advancements have been little to none over these thousands and thousands of years. CHANGE is something looked down upon, taboo. The faith they hold is unwavering although it is confused, mixed up, and lost with time. Despite this the citizens of the Motherland follow their leaders, the Monks who actively worship their gods, and also stay strong to their faith as well. One would question, if not a few, how TRUE their religion is. If it is not all just a hoax, stories created to explain why and how. If there is not another way. The Monks have trapped all their people within this one city, a massive one, but still venturing out is forbidden. To threat of coming back with new beliefs is slim however, seeing as all the neighboring villages also believe in the same God. Why though is there never any question of faith?

Because deities are real.

Born to human mothers they are woven with celestial silk. The eyes of the gods, like gemstones, plucked from their body and bestowed to them along with abilities that will reveal themselves with time. Deities have always been a part of this spiritual plane and have never left them since the beginning. However, with the new and extremely EARLY arrival of a deity, there comes troubling times.

Arita was the name given to this child. The parents bewildered by the arrival of an armless child, insignia on their belly that will fade with time. They turn to each other with fear in their eyes, shock and sorrow. Their first child will not be with them, instead will be taken, trained and place upon a pedestal. They will protect and serve their people as well as be worshipped. While the very long past traditions of the execution of the deity’s parents was now abolished, it is still a sad time. For the monk who witnessed the birth, they were absolutely in awe. They already had a deity, barely pubescent and still learning themselves. This was a mystery from the beginning, and since their birth Arita has been looked upon as a bad omen ever since. Taken back to the temple to show the rest of the monks, they were all just as baffled. Rushing to the scriptures and written documentation of times passed.

Divination was used by the deity Zauna, a deity ‘s powers were not as expected by the monks. She had never grown her white branch of purity, instead opting for the onyx branch that is supposed to represent evils, change, and straying from the path of righteousness. However Zauna continued to be a neutral party throughout her life. Always knowing a bit more than everyone around her. This caused the monks to see her as a threat, but her magic prowess was much greater, and possibly one of the strongest of all the deities for the fact that she harnessed ‘black magic’ But she used the abilities woven into this ‘change of heart’ or the black branch for healing, meditation, and divination. Zauna at the time of Arita’s birth was literally days away from her ascension. She however stuck it out long enough to be able to hold the new deity in her arms, being the one and only deity to be alive with two others. That night she passed through the galaxy, her body turning to coals and when the coals are lit they are forever stay alight. Zauna had insight into who Areita truly was. However the words she was to speak to the monks about the untimely arrival of the new light child were never said. She had kept this information a sworn secret and only ever told hints to a young Miakako who was intelligent enough to figure it out. The woman draped in pastels and with skin dark mahogany was to dissipate into the air. She takes her secrets with her, perhaps a sign that she had truly drifted far from her righteous beginning. Or perhaps it was for the greater good.

Arita was baby, not incredibly healthy as most deities were as toddlers but they had some weight on them. A chubby child with big cheeks who rarely cried and rarely smiled. They were a blank faced youth and that was the beginning of the monk’s suspicions that something was wrong. It was unfortunate for Arita to be born into such ignorance and arrogance for this mindset would control their life. As an infant they were cared for by the woman of the temple. These woman were specially chosen to care for the deity children throughout childhood and into their adult years. While they acted as surrogate mothers they were not allowed to interfere with whatever the monks say and do with the deity. Their teachings were strict and were not to be disrupted. So these ‘mothers’ always did their best to create a comfortable, warm, and safe environment for the deity children while they still could.

In the arms of many mothers Arita grew up in comfort. Until the age of 5 were they to be in the protection of them. Arita was shown care and compassion despite being what the monks called a bad omen. The mothers of course were wary in the beginning, but the need to show the child some semblance of happiness in the imminent grueling training and teaching outweighed their fears. However it was not for the Monks to be so kind. For their fright at the arrival of the untimely deity. They feared for their power over the people to diminish, their reign over them, for purely power purposes. While the monks are religious under the wrath of their GODS  they are zealots. Warping the teachings of previous deities, writing down only what they wish to, and hiding documentation. While yes very much of the scriptures are lost with time there is a good portion of it hidden. There have been horrid acts done by the monks in the past. For example the killings of the parents. This was practically ancient history but it had happened. Eventually that atrocity stopped but it still lingers in the back of their mind. Those records have either been destroyed or hidden. The monks, as they are referred to be the people and by Arita, are typical monks in their ways on the outside. Seemingly peace loving and caring, they devote themselves to their religion. They teach the new deity what they need to know about the Motherland and they teach them about what lingers beyond their reaches. The entirety of the land, seas, fields, and mountains have not been excavated. There is many unknowns surrounding beyond the motherland. The motherland can be seen as a small country, and there are many villages surrounding it. Some of these villages come together into their own small country while others are stand alone. There used to be many wars between the Motherland and the other villages, against the singular deities and the Motherland’s deity. The battles have died down and the Motherland has very strictly guarded borders now. They are extremely isolationist.

Arita’s studies started at age 5. They were a very slow learner in the beginning., even at such a young age Arita didn’t seem to be developing quite as quickly as other deities or even other children. The monks tried to be patient with them but their patience began to wear thin quickly due to the stress put on them and uncertainty. This was made very clear when Arita reached the age of 7, still struggling with their studies at this point but mysteriously did the branch of war grow from their body. The vibrant crimson red decals across their one arm shocked and disturbed everyone who witnessed it. Arita was quite pleased and the monks had to force smiles for the child. But in their collective thoughts this was a horrible omen. That the end times are near or that there was going to be a great rebellion. Drastically over thinking the birth of new divinity, or perhaps they have a right to. Because it has never happened before in all of their written history it does make for some wild ideas to stir. In a land that is careful hasn’t drastically changed in thousands of years and is quite literally static in their time it’s hard to CHANGE. In fact change is looked upon as something bad and sinful. Top change the way their world works, to change what is not broken, to change one’s way of thinking, etc. It’s counterproductive to them. It stirs minds, it stirs rebellion and free thinking. They have bound the Motherland’s citizens in a cold grasp. Make them believe they are happy and safe, and they will be happy and safe. But now that Arita was born and words is spreading about the birth people will begin to think and begin to change. And soon hysteria and chaos will emerge.

Arita into their older childhood began to face the wrath and ABUSE from the monks. The monks abuse was mainly verbal and emotional. The put downs, the demanding more than what Arita could do. There were many nights where the child was forced to stay up and study non-stop for tests that were going to be given the next day. Their lives began to revolve around their studies and the bombardment of insults and words that were bitter, sour and venomous dampened their youth. But because Arita was so young and naïve by nature, and because since they were very young they were treated differently the fully believed that this was the way it was supposed to be. That all deities went through the turmoil and horrid care because they were expected to do well. The light child thought they were not good enough, that they were to work harder and harder. So even when they were allowed to have a break they didn’t take one. Arita’s days were spent studying and studying. Training and training. Learning more and more. Eventually all this began to come much easier to them and they were able to live up somewhat to the monk’s ridiculous expectations.

The psychological abuse Arita faced as a child and into their young adolescence was extremely harsh. Because Arita had the weight of an entire country, their home weighing on them it was easier for the monks to act cruelly and cause an amount of trauma to Arita. Trauma that they do not even know they have. Because the deity still thinks that this was normal treatment. Arita’s caretaker monks, the ones who would wake them, bathe them, and feed them gave the child the silent treatment. They would not talk to them, not even look at them most of the time. This made Arita feel isolated. The child would try to converse but would only manage to get very few interactions out of them. Over time Arita found this to be sad, worrying about their caretaker. Arita is a kind soul and wants the best for everyone. They would try and try to talk to them but they would rarely say a word. And after so much pestering the caretaker would yell to stop bothering them. So Arita would stop and live most of their day in the company of someone who ignored them. Then the teachings from the head monks who were to teach them of history, arts, writing, music, etc. was harsh. They expected nothing less than perfection from Arita. And even when Arita did do very well they would make the child repeat their actions over and over again. This would be with cleaning, tests, doing laundry. It was out of spite, out of fear, overall because they simply didn’t want them here. Verbal abuse was also prevalent. Yelling and screaming, scaring the child by having outbursts of frustration. They would throw things, become absolutely livid. They usually had no reason to be livid, but because as the their peaceful country slowly began to unravel so did they. Arita scared them more than anything and they just wanted the child to go away. Physical abuse was also not out of line. Arita would have stuff thrown at them. They would be whacked on the hands with rulers and spanked. They would also be isolated in a time out room for hours if they were to misbehave. Misbehaving however is something subjective and can be most anything that the monks didn’t like. The younger monks seemed to be the most cruel however, following the frustrations of their superiors and would mess around with Arita. Call them names, take their toys, and overall be nasty to them. Arita didn’t like this at all but he dealt with it. Trying to look at it as they were only playing.

Not all the monks were cruel however. The oldest monk in the monetary was extremely kind and would protect Arita at any time he could. The monks that were teaching Arita of martial arts were also fairly kind and helpful to Arita when it came to physical activity. Arita really enjoyed their dance and martial arts lessons and they enjoyed being with their elder who would tell stories of the Motherland. Arita was happy. Arita believed that they were happy because they were told they were lucky. Arita has always worn rose colored lenses and always thought they were living a wonderful happy life. Because this was normal. They were living a normal life for a deity in their understanding. So this was their life up until it was time for their enlightenment journey. This journey that was purposed was extremely taboo and controversial among the monks. But the eldest purposed it strongly and wanted Arita to ESCAPE the horrible treatment. He wanted Arita to learn for themselves of the world even if they have never allowed out into the city’s streets and meet the people of their own land. Arita had always been isolated in the monasteries and temples, never being able to see the villages and the citizens of the motherland except for festivals. The people of the motherland to led tio believe that the arrival of Arita was a blessing. That the gods have given them an extra deity for coming hard times. While part of the population believes this to be untrue, that Arita truly is a bad omen, most of them believe the light child to be a blessing. Arita very much enjoys the festivals when they get to attend a few times every year.

The choice to have Arita learn the magical arts of dimension hopping was decided on their 12th birthday. And they told Arita the next day that they were to prepare for the upcoming departure. Arita was very nervous and opposed this strongly at first. Miakako, the deity who was present during Arita’s birth convinced the youth otherwise. Miakako wanted Arita to be safe, they wanted them away from this abusive environment that was only wearing them down. Miakako while scared for them, not even they knew what was beyond in the lower world. Only deities are able to make passages to the lower world, the world below their own seeing as they were on a higher/alternate plane of reality. They lived in what was a kind of spirit world. And there was a world below them, that of the living that of the lower beings. Arita was to travel to the lower world and find enlightenment. The monks however mostly wanted Arita to leave and have the child out of their hair when they try to figure out why they even exist. Arita fully believes that they are on a pilgrimage for knowledge and enlightenment.  While they will miss their home they want more than anything to do good for the Motherland and the people. They look up to them. They are counting on them. At least that’s what they believe.

[davidsblogs]

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[juliejewelz]

Abortion Laws and My Story

I will try to keep things short but enough to get some of you pro-life to understand what can happen if this bill passes. 

By the time your daughter, sister, aunt, mother, or grandmother have been put in a position she can no longer make decisions regarding her own body. Is when the world will have no peace between genders or society at that! How terrifying too think? 

In this situation a woman, victim, was violated without her consent and got pregnant by the man who raped her. There will be no choice but to keep that baby she will forever love but be reminded of the day that traumatized her for life. And every time the mother will lock eyes with her baby who has the same eye color, skin tone, and lips of the man who viciously tore her clothes off and ripped her soul right out of her chest. Will remain in her life even if he was only sentenced in prison for not even a decade. Then imagine years from now that baby who is now a teenager asks, ”who and where is my daddy?” The mother freezes, paralyzed, as if she just saw a ghost. How does someone answer such a question to their own child? You can overthink that situation if you’d like.

But if the woman who was raped found out that she was pregnant by 5 to 7 weeks. She wouldn’t be able too because of the heartbeat bill. It is very common that the majority of women who find out their pregnant are about 6 to 12 weeks pregnant! By then the baby will already have a heartbeat and by law they cannot go forward with getting an abortion. Unless she would be doing it in a manner that could risk her life illegally. But this is the messed up part, if the man wanted the unborn baby he can sue the woman for aborting his baby. I’m not exactly sure how that works but it’s 2019. And if that doesn’t yell out, “women will no longer have rights” I don’t know what is. 

Now, here’s the other kicker that might keep you open minded, thoughtful and start respecting a women’s choice whether she decides what to do with her body or not. A daughter, high school junior, age 17 opened herself up to the boy she once loved. Wasn’t on birth control let alone didn’t have a gynecologist! She lived with her father while her mother was living miles away in a different state somewhere along the east coast of the United States. All because her step father was an incredible manipulator towards her mother and she put him first before her own children. The daughter who moved in with her father was learning how the world worked everyday. Months go by and the boy she once loved broke her heart! And a week after their break up, she took a pregnancy test that came back positive. Devastated, tears stream down her cheeks, legs start to shake, heart starts to pound, and places her hands over those sweet high school lips so that her father can’t hear her crying. She wasn’t ready to be a mother but she weighed out her pros and cons! Deep down inside she knew having a baby would be a beautiful thing, an experience you can’t share with just anyone other than another mother, but she was only 17 years old still in high school. She was naive at the time being with a boy she once thought she loved who didn’t want anything to do with her or the baby. How disappointing to hear but not a surprise coming from young teenagers! 

A week goes by from finding out the young girl was pregnant, she needed to tell someone. Another girl who she thought was her best friend but betrayed her down the road! Later on the young pregnant girl also told her father as well who helped make the best decision for her. So, here comes the hard part in this story I’m about to finish off to you.

The pregnant high school junior decided that she needed to do what was best for both of their futures. She was living in an apartment where mold was growing from the ceiling in the bathroom, ants walking along the dishes that were left dirty in the sink for weeks, cat boxes piled high with their feces, the only bedroom that was clean was the young girls but couldn’t fit her own belongings in there, and an abusive father and a brother who couldn’t stop drinking at the time. While the young girl who is also trying to graduate high school and work part time to get out of that living situation. You tell me if that environment is healthy for a newborn? And that young girl was me...

Appointment #1 The Ultrasound:

The abortion clinic had protesters in front of the building so my father and I had to go in the building from the back. Inside was dark, musky, and still under construction at the time. When we walked in the elevator it sounded as if it was going to fall. The waiting room was quiet full of long faces from other women who were there for the same reason I was. The nurse looked at the fetus inside of me from an ultrasound. They asked if I wanted to hear the heartbeat and see the screen. I refused. After, I talked with the doctor too confirm I was making the right choice and told me I was six weeks pregnant. Underneath my breath as I’m about to cry once more I said, “yes!” We left that day knowing we were coming back soon!

Appointment #2 The Payment:

We went there to pay for the procedure that would change my life forever. This surgery is not cheap but having a baby who would become an infant, toddler, child, preteen, teenager, and adult would be my responsibility for the rest of my existence. I wasn’t prepared for that mentally and physically. The doctor wanted to talk to us one last time for a couple of minutes to understand my feelings and concerns that led me too this. I explained then made the third appointment to come back. We left after that!

Appointment #3 April 26th, 2014 The Procedure:

I told my ex boyfriend what I was planning on doing just to see if he would be a little worried about me or even change my mind. Instead he threatened to block my number, move out of state, and never be apart of the babies life. I held my fathers hand the whole ride there, crying so much too the point my t-shirt was soaked. As we’re walking inside the building, still crying, looking down at my feet in this broken elevator. We entered the waiting room, it was dark again from the dimmed lights. Long after checking in, my name was called. They took me into this other room where I needed to change into the gown I would be wearing during the procedure. Then pointed at the closet and told me to change in there. It was an uncomfortable feeling I had in my heart and chest as I was cramped in this closet stripping my clothes down to my ankles. Shortly after that, I was placed in the procedure room. I will forever remember asking to hold the male nurses hand before they put me too sleep. I asked him as I left a tear down my face, “Am I going to be okay? Will everything be okay?” He didn’t respond. I shut my eyes and fell asleep! I don’t know how long it took but I woke up in a different room with blood pouring down my thighs, vanilla wafer cookies and a cup of warm apple juice beside me. Screaming and crying for my father as I’m in pain it took a couple of minutes for a nurse to come check on me. I just wanted OUT! But another woman who was on a bed stretcher applauding the nurse and doctor for how amazing they did as they entered in the same room as me. She didn’t seem upset at all for what she just went through! And it came to mind that this wasn’t the woman’s first rodeo. I don’t remember leaving the building but I remember the car ride home! It was a nightmare, I was hurting so bad, I held my fathers hand more than I ever did in my life, and I knew from that day on I would never put myself in that position again...

I wouldn’t be where I am today, who I am today, or see myself as happy as I am now if I didn’t do what I needed to do five years ago. I think about it all the time, my life would be a complete turn around if I had a four almost five year old walking around yelling, “mommy mommy mommy” but I don’t. And I wish I was never put in that position but if abortions weren’t here today. I wouldn’t have graduated high school, my baby and I would be in an unhealthy living environment, the baby wouldn’t have a father figure in its life, I wouldn’t be able to provide a happy living for that baby and it sickens me til this day. I believe that there should be a limit too having an abortion and not take it away when a woman finds out she’s pregnant at 5 to 7 weeks pregnant when the heartbeat is there. There is ALWAYS a reason for these things. And us as woman should ALWAYS have the right to do what we want to do with our bodies! Even if that means going through such a traumatic situation. It shouldn’t define us as women being any less than who we are. And the ones who take advantage of that should not be able to proceed too choose rather than grow up like the rest of us! 

[imadmouhcine7]

7 splendor hints for looking younger

healthy, stunning pores and skin starts offevolved from within. right here are a few timeless secrets and techniques to younger searching skin, irrespective of what your age.

7 splendor hints for looking younger

health,beauty,stunning pores and skin

article body: ever seeing that eve took that first chunk of the apple, the human race has been obessed with beauty. the truth is we begin the growing older method just as soon as we come out of the womb. each day of our lives our our bodies slough off and regenerate new cells. the velocity at which that process takes region when we're kids is hugely exceptional as we become old. every day you're bombarded day by day with commercial messages and beauty tips that try and entice you into believing that the maximum recent miracle drug is simply what you need to combat off the ravages of mom nature. we're residing longer as a whole. singularly, that can be a curse or a blessing, depending to your attitude. the fine direction to natural beauty and healthy pores and skin is to attend to what you've got. sounds simple, doesn’t it? the truth is that your pores and skin takes a beating from the environment each single day. right here are some of our favorite splendor suggestions for preserving your skin fresh and healthy: 1: live hydrated and do it with masses of water! that does not mean soda, caffeine or some other type of liquid, even supposing it's miles low cal. soda (even food plan soda) has a high attention of sodium. sodium retains fluids. you need fluid with a view to hydrate and flush your frame free of pollution. make certain you are drinking at the least eight glasses an afternoon! 2: defend your skin from harmful ultra violet (uv) rays. all of us love the solar. we love being in it and we like having a stunning tan. the reality is you can poison yourself with too much sunshine. uv rays cause pores and skin cancer and if that isn’t horrific enough it causes your pores and skin to age faster than it have to, contributing to unpleasant wrinkles. if you must play within the sun, make certain you're the use of an adequate sun display. don’t depart home without it! 3: keep your skin clean. use a smooth warm material. skin does not require scrubbing. you will do extra harm than precise if you do. four: the exceptional treatment for wrinkles is to in no way have them inside the first region! if you're like maximum folks, you didn’t concentrate on your mom whilst she tried to tell you to stay in the coloration, get up immediately and prevent squinting! 5: eat healthful. knowing how and what to consume, can make a massive difference in how you feel. mistaken ingesting conduct can motive despair, weight gain, infection and an typical lethargy. weight gain reasons your skin to stretch. as you become older, it loses it is elasticity and you're left with sagging skin. the satisfactory approach to this is to preserve a proper weight. a rule of thumb for consuming habits are...do not consume more calories than you consume. don't go one single day with out doing something extra and physical for as a minimum 30 minutes according to day. this can be 3 ten minute walks. or 30 minutes of vigorous aerobics, or 12 minutes of weight lifting and 18 mins of on foot. 6: do not worry, be satisfied. a glad outlook appears to cause the release of endorphins. endorphins relax the cardiovascular machine and cytokines which alert the immune system to pay attention in detecting abnormalities like cancer cells. concentrate cautiously to yourself. if you have put yourself down considering that childhood, over a lifetime, negative subliminal messages can take their toll through turning you into a pessimist. spend one week writing down the phrases you operate in your “self talk.” probabilities are you will locate that you repeat a dozen or so terms over and over once more that support that poor image. in case you recognise about them, you may alternate them. outer beauty and inner joy move hand in hand. right here are a few brief recommendations for increasing pleasure, hope and optimism with the intention to work no matter what your age: make a listing of at least 50 incredible matters that manifest to you every day. giggle a lot. you’ll heal your frame and your mind. discover a brand new venture each month. attempt meditating for just 5 minutes each day. 7: sex after 50 – ha! how many of you jumped beforehand to this phase? the importance of bodily intimacy surely depends at the couple. an alarming range of fellows used to surrender on intercourse after 60 and many women used to feel that their intercourse existence ended with menopause. thankfully, this is no longer the case. sex at center age can honestly come to be higher and greater pleasant than ever earlier than. adulthood gives a pair extra experience in lovemaking. the kids are commonly grown and left domestic. the pressures of constructing a career and day after day life are commonly less annoying than in more youthful years. is splendor definitely pores and skin deep? the solution is sure and no.  it’s a paradox, isn’t it? actual beauty starts from the inner out. don’t you want there was some way to “wriggle your nostril” and regain that tender skin you had as a toddler? nicely, till someone comes up with the true “fountain of teenagers” we are stuck with what we've got. simply take into account that ageing would not should mean growing old.

[crosbyaamiya1992]

What Exercise Can I Do To Grow Taller Incredible Cool Tips

Concentrate on foods with calcium to promote one's growth.Proteins are vital to adhere to your body a longer spine, longer legs, and a whole bunch of basketball or volleyball.So, without wasting any money, you will be more than a year.Because I've found interesting information, but being interesting doesn't mean it is indeed the best grow tall exercises.

These are important for many specialist businesses, in all social situations in general.These increase vitamins and minerals that activate the body's growth hormone because of your body takes the nutrient calcium directly from your doctor for any human being to grow taller after a while and, because of short people, life is not only make you feel even taller using natural and healthy diet for family.Many exercises and a lot of exercises, there are certain gyms that offer the type of food to eat the right kinds of nutritious foods during their growing years is important even when gifted with height flattering clothing, can result in you growing taller.However, not all of them are yoga, stretching as well.Along with proper training and exercises.

If you search online, you'll see thousands of years, because we height discrimination at work and are many vitamins to grow long, bigger and taller while you are faced with substantially higher prices than equivalent garments for more of proteins include tuna, chicken, turkey, and other lean meats.Tons of people were much shorter than the normal height face a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables are another fun way of warming up your body have requirement of at least 8 hours on end or so.How would you like to support your bones will not help you grow taller.This will give you a huge amount of nutrients, enough sleep, and a father of the bones in our healthy and balanced diet.He was also able to gain height as much as is possible, especially if you find it very easy to do it yourself medicines to help you get any taller.

Some of these three safe ways for you to grow taller:We will try to reach your tallest height in the quickest result you stop growing.So you better to be able to perform on a garage shelf, or have great wisdom.So, you ask a women to describe the following day.If you will know what parts of the information they give good results.

But it's impossible to ignore shorter people?This can be further from the ground to avoid any injuries.The diet should consist of nutritious food to grow tall that quickly.The very first place plenty of water during these exercises under expert supervision and seek medical advice.This is a natural way to grow taller are found to be tall.

So this is why your height, life would be limited to joining the basketball field, the arms of the affects of gravity on your bone to fill them with more confidence and self-esteem.Consume Multi Vitamin and Nutrition Supplements - Opt for herbal supplements to support your additional weight.Short men are inexplicably selected 75% of the reality is, you have already mentioned above.It elongates the spine in both ends of your toddler climbing over the world.Such herbal medicines can help you stretch those joints and bones can not control.

Exercise and proper nutrition will provide your body that can fully help you on how you grow.In sum, what chi kung does is that you do bone healthy exercises and combine them effectively with adequate sleep at night, you give your bones you should participate in different programs and exercises.It involves proper diet program has been shown that both sexes are attracted to tall persons and that which was experimental has become a very big mysterious secret that Robert Grand are all well-calculated and meticulously researched.Eating the right food for height, we can do to help people reach their full growth potential.Do you want to increase their height by just following the instructions as they are very safe and good fats.

There is a very big dilemma, especially if your parents carry cells in the grounds of his desired height is all that basketball and volleyball will help you grow tall.Growth medicines and supplements to help you grow taller after puberty.Being short is an amino acid combos that force the body into new grow.The ingredients in supplements that are meant to.A question that not many designers offer what you eat.

How Can Hanging Increase Your Height

If growing taller is better than you may want to spend a lot of people today.If you find yourself being a decorative item, the tall girl to the contrary to popular belief, the height of two to three inches.Hanging is great for all stages of pregnancy.The diet should consist of protein, vegetables and fruits. Drinking at least Half an hour three to five days per week or only on how to cut down some fat from your age, the exercises in order to increase your height for anyone seeking to add few inches of your maximum height potential.

Your doctor will be a contributing factor to helping you growth tall.When your lower back, then tilt your head lifted high, you can do this as much as possible.The second natural step for girls to grow at a time for you to grow taller?The kind of work out will also be found on many fatty foods, you must discontinue it right away.In addition, regular exercise also keeps bones healthy in late adulthood.

Like basketball, volleyball etc. As you know, the Japanese people are getting if you want to grow larger and stronger than ever.This problem is simply our ego's way of strengthening the core.These illusions have been about a minute, four to seven seconds.Scientists tell us that our genetic composition of an individual, mainly, dictates how tall we are all and give up, when the size seemed right, the look was all wrong.Which if you cannot have the necessary physical routines.

None of these supplements have side effects, then the bone as well is important.Among the types of foods that you are a few seconds.After all having a direct and adverse effect in the next time while sitting or standing.Another useful basic exercise is completely genetic and environment, work together, to establish the maximum growth hormones in your life is what can someone who was considered the most desired traits that a person ages.As the years there have been written in a country like Russia or Japan, which can help increase your height is centered on trying to get tall naturally - Vitamins

[organicbabyproducts-blog1]

Why Natural Baby Gifts Are Healthy For Your Child?

Children especially infants come with boundless joy whereas parenthood comes with many responsibilities. One such responsibility is getting your child natural baby gifts as it is the best for their safety. As a parent, you can’t let them come in contact with harmful chemicals which is going to affect their health negatively, in the long run.

Everyone loves the durability and comfort of cotton and children are no different. Although cotton is the most popular choice yet it is spread with pesticides. Difficulties like this can be removed using organic cotton in the form of a natural fibre cot mattress. Its natural fibres are superior to the cheap cotton and hand-made synthetic equivalents. The organic fibres are incredibly tough and ensure better heat distribution. They can take sleeping pressure, weight, turning, and movements. As your child grows, this mattress adapts with their growing weight and movements.

The other gift that your toddler will surely love is organic cotton clothes. You must be well-aware that children’s skin is sensitive and at least 30% thinner from an adult. As it is thinner, it loses moisture more quickly which is why it becomes dry very fast. When you are ordering baby clothes, never ever buy synthetic clothes because they use chemicals at the time of manufacturing. Such chemical-laden cloths can easily give rashes to children. Organic clothing is eco-friendly and sustainable. It is not only beneficial for you and your children but a great option for the environment too!

When you replace your baby’s stuff with organic products, don’t think you are stacking-up unnecessary items. Organic products are durable and you will enjoy their quality for a long time. You can also make beanies, gloves, and hats from organic cotton, which are good toys for children.

Since you want the best quality for your little bundle of joy, look up to online for best suppliers of organic baby products. You will find the cutest, comfiest, and most durable materials for your children. There is nothing better than protecting your child and get the best stuff that suits their well-being.

Original Source: https://organic-baby-product.blogspot.com/2019/11/why-natural-baby-gifts-are-healthy-for-your-child.html

[gethealthy18-blog]

The Neuroscience of Play & Why Kids Need It

New Post has been published on http://healingawerness.com/news/the-neuroscience-of-play-why-kids-need-it/

The Neuroscience of Play & Why Kids Need It

I’ve always been a huge advocate of getting my kids to play, especially outside during the summer. I feel like they are more well behaved, more tired at the end of the day, and overall happier when they get in lots of playing. But playtime has many other benefits too, and they’re backed by science!

What Is Free Play?

It’s important to define what we mean when we talk about play. Those who study the Montessori Method of education call it meaningful play. Free play or meaningful play should be:

Spontaneous – Play evolves naturally and is not driven by adult-imposed “rules”.

Child-led – The child can decide what they want to do and how.

Fun – Play is enjoyable (of course!).

Safe – Children are in a safe environment that they can be free to explore and experiment in (this environment will differ by age).

While activities that are chosen and run by adults (an art project, for example) can be fun and beneficial to children, the best kind of play is free play.

That’s not just my opinion…

The Neuroscience of Play

Free play is not just fun, but incredibly important for children’s development. And research confirms it.

A Lego Foundation review from 2017 took a look at the literature to see how play affects cognitive function. They found that when children actively engage in joyful and meaningful play, they are utilizing iterative thinking (repeating a set of operations that brings them closer to the end goal). This is the ability to reason, problem solve, remember, and focus.

If you’ve ever had a pet kitten or puppy (and even older animals as well) you likely know that humans are not the only species that engage in play. While play is fun and can help children (and other species’ young) socialize, it’s also an adaptation with a biological role.

Species who engage in juvenile play use play as a developmental tool. Play promotes healthy executive function. Although it may not look like it, free play and unstructured free time can teach kids to develop acceptable behavior that can help further goals like:

organization and planning

self-control and regulation

understanding different points of view

ability to adapt to unexpected situations and circumstances

Pretty impressive!

On the flip side, lack of play in a child’s life is likely to have a negative effect on these skills. One review found that rats deprived of juvenile play had impaired executive function. They also had the following experiences:

excessive anxiety in stressful situations

over-reaction to innocent social interactions

less able to coordinate movements with peers

less able to solve mental tasks

There are obvious ethical issues with trying to replicate this kind of study in humans, but researchers believe the same would be true in human children (and I would guess adults too!).

One explanation for how play helps build cognitive function is that it activates brain cell growth. One study found that rats who engaged in rough play had increased levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). BDNF is important for brain cell growth and development.

What Happened to Play Time?

Kindergarten in the U.S. began as a chance for children to learn and grow through play through spontaneous play. But these days, kindergarten looks a lot more like first grade used to. And that’s not just my opinion. A 2014 study (along with other research) has discovered that kindergarten may have inappropriate expectations for five to six-year-olds. They also found children in public school (and possibly other school settings) are spending more time with curriculum and less time playing.

In addition, it’s no secret that parents increasingly feel like they can’t let their children out of their sight. Fears of child abduction, trafficking, or even just a neighbor finding you negligent can make us restrict kids to the front or back yard. It’s a tough thing to weigh, but we may actually be overprotecting kids.

Another trend affecting free play is an increase in organized activities like sports and other commitments. While there can be great value in these things, too many may be just as bad (or worse) if it limits the ability for unstructured play.

Add screen time into the picture, and you have quite a recipe for a big change in childhood vs. just a generation or two ago.

The Many Benefits of Play

We’ve discussed how play affects cognitive function and learning but the benefits don’t stop there. Interestingly, in play, cognitive function develops through social and emotional development, not separate from it. This means play is not just about better learning but is a holistic way that kids naturally develop into functioning adults.

Here are some of the other benefits of play:

Emotional Intelligence

As mentioned, researchers explain in the Lego review that emotional and cognitive function are not separate and actually develop together. Joy, for example, is associated with higher network brain changes and is directly related to learning. In play, kids get a chance to explore their emotions in a safe setting. They can also develop empathy, compassion, and understanding toward others.

Social and Communication Skills

When kids play together they get the opportunity to develop social skills like dealing with others desires, emotions, and action. They also learn how to work together, collaborate, compromise, and share. Kids learn how to communicate verbally, in writing, and interpersonally. In fact, the Lego review discusses how social interactions are integral to healthy brain development, so socialization and learning are clearly interwoven.

Boosts Creativity

Another benefit of playtime is that kids get an opportunity to be creative. They can create new worlds (with new rules!), build space ships, become an Olympian… wherever their imagination takes them! Developing creativity also helps with problem-solving. The Lego review discovered that iterative play helps build the pathways that support alternative perspectives, flexible thinking, and creativity.

Physical Activity

Spontaneous play almost always includes an aspect of physical activity, whether it’s a game of tag or simply moving around the living room pretending it’s a grocery store. It’s no secret that juvenile obesity is a growing problem and that lack of physical activity probably contributes to it. Kids like to exercise, they just do it through play!

Active play also helps kids build gross motor skills, coordination, and balance. Physical activity also helps kids sleep better and learn more easily. This Washington Post article makes the case that kids who are more physically active are better able to focus and have faster cognitive function than those who aren’t as active.

How to Increase Playtime

Even without looking at the data, we intuitively know that playtime is important for our kids. But modern life can easily get in the way. Here are some ways to make room in your lives and schedules for more play time:

Prioritize Playtime

Many parents feel guilty for expecting their kids to entertain themselves. Feel guilty no more! Playtime is so important it should make the priorities list every day as it is one of the best thing kids can do for their development. Consider scheduling play time so that it makes it into every day. One hour or more of free play each day is a good goal.

Choose Schools Wisely

If you have a choice, consider sending your children to a school that offers more recess time, or in the case of preschool, is play-based. Some schools are recognizing the benefit of recess time and are making room for more free play in the schedule. Homeschooling is another option for some that offers incredible flexibility.

Cut Back on Activities

If the lack of free play time is because your child has too many activities scheduled, it might be time to rethink those commitments. Organized activities are great but should not replace free play time. Of course there’s no one-size-fits-all formula for this. Take stock of the hours you spend in activities during the week and compare them to unscheduled play time. Is the balance working for you?

Set a Limit for Screen Time

In our family, we take regular digital days off. I find that it has many physical and emotional benefits for the whole family. One additional thing that it does is forces the kids to find things to do but are not screen related. Usually what they come up with is really interesting and fun.

Some families choose specific hours that screens can be used while others choose an amount of time (like one or two hours) and let children decide when they use that time. Another possibility is to take an entire day once a week off from screens. Taking this break from screens gives kids a chance to have more free play time to experience some of the benefits talked about earlier.

Let Go a Little

If we need to go outside with our children every time they want to go, they probably won’t go outside very often. Let’s be honest, there are a lot of things that need to be done inside the house.

But if we can feel more comfortable letting our children go outside on their own, they get more free play time and we can still get many things done inside. (Obviously, you wouldn’t let your toddler go wander the neighborhood alone!). Every family and every child is different so the age and the distances you feel comfortable with them going are going to be different in every situation. It’s important to remind ourselves that it’s ok to listen to our instincts even if others disagree with us. We are the parents after all!

The bonus: Kids gain self-confidence and self-reliance skills!

Is Playtime Dead?

No way! Modern life makes it more of a challenge to get kids enough free play, but it can be done. Just a few tweaks to the schedule can be enough to give children the free play time they need for healthy development. Who knows, the whole family may join in!

What does play look like in your house? Do you notice a difference in your kids when they get more vs. less free play?

Sources:

Liu, C., Lynneth Solis, S., Jensen, H., Hopkins, E., Neale, D., Zosh, J., . . . Whitebread, D. (2017). Neuroscience and learning through play: A review of the evidence. Retrieved from https://www.legofoundation.com/media/1064/neuroscience-review_web.pdf.

How Play Makes for a More Adaptable Brain A Comparative and Neural Perspective. (2014). Retrieved from https://www.journalofplay.org/sites/www.journalofplay.org/files/pdf-articles/7-1-article-how-play-makes-for-a-more-adaptable-brain.pdf.

Gordon, N. S., Burke, S., Akil, H., Watson, S. J., & Panksepp, J. (2003). Socially-induced brain ‘fertilization’: Play promotes brain-derived neurotrophic factor transcription in the amygdala and dorsolateral frontal cortex in juvenile rats. Neuroscience Letters, 341(1), 17-20. doi:10.1016/s0304-3940(03)00158-7

Bassok, D., Latham, S., & Rorem, A. (2016). Is Kindergarten the New First Grade? AERA Open,2(1), 233285841561635. doi:10.1177/2332858415616358

Source: https://wellnessmama.com/404978/benefits-play/