#are related in a removed sense that they share relatives

[39472034658449305249465224devils]

not my fault

[JUST NOTICED. FATES SPOILERS IN THE TAGS, YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED LOL]

every time theres a blog that takes requests that is related to characters being canonically... well. speak of the devil, related. and in love. you best bet i am in there submitting like 40 fire emblem characters

[pfhwrittes]

hello friend, i have werewolf questions. 🧡

Do werewolves have any wolf-y characteristics or traits when they aren't transformed? I saw in blurb #2 their sense of smell seems heightened when human?

Do their werewolf forms share characteristics with their human bodies? And if so, how? (Thinking size, fur + hair color, etc.)

Do they run in packs? Or are they solitary?

hi sy! thank you for the werewolf questions! 💜

i'm going to stick my lore under the cut because i think this going to get long!

Do werewolves have any wolf-y characteristics or traits when they aren't transformed? they sure do! you're right i did mention a heightened sense of smell in my second blurb. they also have a heightened sense of hearing, providing of course that their hearing hasn't been damaged in some way. there are a few factors that determine how much these senses affect a werewolf's day to day life. for example, stress, the lunar cycle and the werewolf's hormone cycle will cause their control on their senses to fluctuate.

werewolves are also ever so slightly hairier than their human counterparts so some werewolves end up spending a fortune on waxing / hair removal cream / razors if they want to maintain a relatively hairless appearance.

as for diet... well it's a matter of personal preference but most 'wolves will find they have a craving for meat the closer they get to the full moon. ('wolves that don't typically eat red meat/any meat products may find this distressing at first and will try to manage the cravings by supplementing their diets with molasses, iron supplements, marmite and lots of leafy greens. in most cases this is only partially successful as when they are shifted they will definitely catch and eat rabbits, hare, deer and other prey animals. sorry.)

Do their werewolf forms share characteristics with their human bodies? And if so, how? (Thinking size, fur + hair color, etc.) yes absolutely! natural hair colour is definitely an influence on fur colour for werewolves when they're shifted. 'wolf coat colours range from light sandy browns to a brown so dark it could be considered black. if the werewolf normally has dyed hair in their human form this doesn't affect their wolf coat (but they may find that their roots grow out faster than humans).

as for height/weight affecting werewolf appearances, i'm going to make it canon that in werewolf society fat bodies are seen as more attractive. why? because it's a good indication that the 'wolf is part of a) a cohesive pack structure and b) has a territory with plenty of resources. thinner bodies aren't necessarily unattractive (personal preferences still apply) but it can be an indication that the werewolf is in a resource poor territory, that they are part of an unstable pack or that they are a disperser wolf.

Do they run in packs? Or are they solitary? werewolves in general run in packs, much like actual wolves do. this also means that like most wolf packs, dispersal wolves are a thing!

a werewolf may leave their original pack and territory for various reasons for example: internal conflict within the pack; lack of resources to support an increased number of 'wolves; forming a bond outside of the pack structure; and of course, the horrible realisation that you're related to nearly everyone in the pack making dating opportunities exceptionally slim... or exceptionally gross. ew.

i'm still working out how much of the "dominance theory" (alpha/beta/omega wolves) vs the real world application of breeding pairs i want to use in the werewolf au. i'll figure it out. but i do want to make it clear that werewolf au isn't a a/b/o fic. there will be no mating cycles/heat cycles or knots in this fic.

[jomindraws]

And the final group of animals, last and very certainly least (at least in the sense of size), the Equidarience. Very ancient animals so far removed from other ones that it not only is its own class and phylum, but also its own superphylum as well. This group not only acts as some "archaea" would act on earth, but also primarily consumes bacteria and fungi that are thermophilic (typically in hot vents or brimstone pools like Yellowstone-esque environments)

Superphylum Equidarience

A taxa of animals possessing a toroidal nucleus and distinct nodes of function consisting of colonial unicellular cells.

(AN2 C5) Clade: Grandequidarience

A clade of animals bearing the ancestors and relatives of the phylum equidarence.

PHYLUM EQUIDARIENCE

The only extant phylum of Clade Grandequidarience occupying thermophilic niches in hydrothermal vents and volcanic hot springs.

Class Equidarience

Class of equidarience that consume thermophilic autotrophs within hot vents, sulfur-rich volcanic hot springs, and hot microhabitats such as vugs.

And with that, that concludes every class of Animal on Jom'Gol !! I will make a size comparison chart eventually of all these different classes so you can see how big they truly are (or VERY small). Once again this is not EVERY animal, but simply one representative of each Class of organisms. In the Linnaean sense, each Class has Orders, and each Order has Families, and each Family has Genera, and each Genus has Species (and each species has subspecies sometimes, etc.). I am still using these Linnaean terms even though my phylogenetic classification relies on how RELATED they are like traditional cladistics, not just shared properties.

I doubt I will be able to get every species in my lifetime or even every genus but I will damn well try ! So please stay tuned to any more creatures I will create on this lovely planet Jom'Gol !!!

Thank you to everyone who is supporting me thus far and your comments keep me wanting to continue this project !!!!

[theoutherlings]

Pérainity

Pérainity (or Périnity) is the quality that péragender and genders that are pera-aligned or pera-adjacent share. It's characterised a sense of gender that is not feminine, masculine nor neuter/neutral/neutrine, nor a combination, derivation, nor in any way related to these three qualities. People with périne genders do not lack gender nor do they experience gender apathy or confusion regarding their périnity.

the "Péra" pérainity makes reference to, comes from the Greek πέρα, meaning "beyond".

History of the term

[PT: history of the term]

The first appearence of Péra was with the coining of Péragender in 2019. In the coining post Péra is specified to be a specific gender and not an umbrella term, and no quality is associated with it (outherinity wouldn't be coined until month laters that same years), except maybe aporinity and enbininity; as the coiner says Péra can be under the aporagender (like all abinary comgenders) and nonbinary (and genderqueer) umbrellas.

The first time I saw a reference to Périnity as a gender quality was with the coining of Peraique, defined as "a gender that is simultaneously autonomous and périne-in-nature".

The in nature term is perin and its Viagender counterpart is peria.

Péra-aligned: Sadirian

[PT: péra-aligned: Sadirian]

A term for those who are péra-aligned. Having an alignment towards perinity/péragenderness/pérahood.

The term "Sadirian" comes from the star Sadr.

[ID: A flag with five horizontal stripes, all of different colour. From top to bottom they are: violet, magenta, cyan, black, and grey. /End ID]

Some examples of sadirians are:

Someone who is partially peragender.

Someone who has some sort of connection to peragenderness, regardless of actual gender.

Someone who has a gender similar to, but not the same as péragender.

Someone who is connected to perinity regardless of actual gender.

A non-binary individual who presents perinely, regardless of actual gender.

Someone connected to peragenderness through their experience with society. They may be treated as and/or have experiences similar to that of Péra.

Sadirian (archived)

Périne genders:

[PT: périne genders]

Péra(gender): The gender that gave name to the quality. Coined in January of 2019 by Glyzinite on the now delated blog "Peragender". The coining post remains only through reblogs like this one. Definition: "Pera is a gender that is not at all a part of, or related to, the gender trinary of male/female/none (or in some cases, neutral). This gender is not at all female, male, androgynous, or neutral. Pera is not a lack of gender, confusion about one’s gender, or apathy about one’s gender. It is completely removed from the gender trinary of male/female/none (or neutral)."

[ID: A flag with nine horizontal stripes. The top-most and bottom-most stripes are black and the middle stripe is white. Of the remaining stripes, stripes 2, 3 and 4 are in different shades of teal; from top to bottom those are: dark teal, medium teal, light teal. Meanwhile stripes 6, 7 and 8 are in different shades of purple, with the sixth stripe being a light purple, the seventh stripe, a medium purple, and the eighth stripe a dark purple. /END ID]

Péraique: Coined by Gent. Sadly the coining post for péraique or all the other autonomous genders thon is no more as the original blog where they were posted Gender-Resource was deleted by tumblr. But you can see a link to a doc with all the term coined by thon in a pinned post on thons current blog. Definition: "A péra, autonomous gender; a gender that is simultaneously autonomous and périne-in-nature (PERIN)"

[You can see the Peraique flag in the doc]

Proxpéra: Coined by me on me. Coining post archived here. Proxpéra is the circabinary equivalent to Péra. Definition: "A gender near Péra(gender). It's relative to peragender, but separate and entirely on its own. It's proximal to peragender in the gender spectrum."

[ID: A flag with four horizontal stripes, from top to bottom: dark gray, teal, light violet, and white. All the stripes are the same width. /END ID]

[wc-confessions]

https://www.tumblr.com/wc-confessions/755054484569423872/i-dont-understand-why-people-hate-on-moth-flight?source=share

Hello, I'm the person with the au medic cats swapping clans. It is very easy to blame Moth Flight because she was a teenage mom trying to juggle both her job and her five kids and if she couldn't handle it, no one else could. I have since put the blame on Starclan for setting her up to make her feel like she was special and even encouraging the rule in the first place. However, its not without its faults.

The rule as stated: may not have a mate or kits, as they must be able to heal all cats equally. This is the rule everyone has an issue with,yself included. Sure, every cat is now related to each other in Thunderclan, but the fact of the matter is that medic cats aren't supposed to show favoritism to cats but like, what about close friends and relatives? What if Leafheart has to chose between her brother, Littleclaw, and another cat that she doesn't know as well like Oakcloud? What if they both get sick in winter/greatly injured and Leafheart only has the herbs to heal and take care of one of them?

The rule is very much flawed because while this is a scenario I gave, Moth Flight's rule makes little to no sense. It needs to be reworked or removed entirely. That is why I came up with the idea of future medic cats swapping clans to avoid such scenarios and favoritism within the clans. Granted, it's still not perfect in a way because friendships can still exist, it is a step in the right direction to remove family favoritism.

.

[solitaire-sol]

22: Lineage

For: @prongsfoot-microfic Month: March 2023 AO3: Link Notes: Canon divergence, though right now it's just in the form of a soulmate AU (yes, another one) as encountered by little bitty James and Sirius, with a supporting appearance by a very displeased Walburga Black. Another first-of-several-connected-microfics.

It was strange to think that they might not have met were it not for pureblood traditions, though really, James and Sirius were barely related; courtesy of a shared ancestor from several generations back that made them cousins, probably, or possibly uncle and nephew several times removed. Regardless, there was just enough Black in the Potter line that the latter was invited when the former held the usual grand fête to announce their next Heir: Sirius Orion Black had just made seven years old, which meant that it was time for him to be propped up in front of various friends, relations and people of note as the future head of his House.

Sirius hadn't known who the Potters were, exactly, but it wasn't hard to assume that James was a distant relative, as at the time they looked much alike: The same ink-black hair, the same childish, doll-like features, dressed in similar formal robes for the occasion. The similarities ended there, however, as there was something about James that seemed distinctly novel to Sirius, a certain vivaciousness which an outsider might have largely recognized as the normal exuberance of childhood-- Something which was unsightly enough, to Orion and Walburga's brand of parenting, that it had been quickly trained out of their own sons.

James and his parents had waited patiently with the other guests – well, more or less patiently, in James' case – until they reached the front of the reception line. Their parents exchanged the expected greetings, cordially on the part of Fleamont and Euphemia and with barely restrained disdain from Orion and Walburga; James had bowed beautifully, then stuck out his hand with brassy fearlessness, hazel eyes gleaming with interest. Sirius, despite himself, felt that interest too, something stirring beneath his prematurely disinterested facade like green shoots beneath the winter's snow.

When their hands touched, the light that shone from between their clasped palms was unmistakable: Brilliant gold and deep silver, radiant and shimmering like a living thing, luminous ribbons winding around the two children as their magical cores sensed their fated partner. It was impossible to see that light and think it anything other than the meeting of souls, which was undoubtedly why Walburga had paled and yanked her son away, dragging Sirius towards the house with nary a word for the guests as murmurs of scandalized delight rippled through the crowd. Walburga was muttering under her breath, very unlike her usual dispassionate elegance: “It's bad enough we're related to them at all, however distantly; I refuse to allow my son to be weighed down by a blood-traitor 'soulmate!' This is patently ridiculous--"

Sirius barely heard her, head turned and eyes over his shoulder, struggling to keep James in view for as long as he could. In that moment, barely cognizant of what had just occurred, Sirius only knew that he and James Potter belonged together, that they were bound together by something deeper than blood, against which even his mother's venomous determination surely stood no chance.

[random-thought-depository]

Two comments on the linked damsel/knight thing, first one Something adjacent I thought about before and the second commetary on it

1) something that I think were blinded from due to the focus on modern feminist critique of it, is that the damsel in distress/ win the princess’s hand in marriage type tropes function basically as a gender flipped version of Cupid and psyche/cinderella/Rapunzel type stories, where the protagonist ( a commoner ( living in what is extreme poverty by modern standards) or sometimes lower nobility ( or can be a princess if its to a GOD) ) accomplishes difficult tasks in order to win the affections/hand in marriage of a princess/prince. This is a very simple wish fulfillment fantasy!* in which you are able to be valued ( in a affectionate/sexual , not extremely labor market related way) don’t have to work hard anymore and are no longer in danger of starving or freezing to death!

* and one I relate to even as a sort-of-fem gay guy more removed from the whole gender roles thing

2) I think it is interesting that the writer was able to separate birth mother and primary child care takers in her mind for herself, but kept writing protector/provider as one ( with the slash!), despite them being far more distinct historically. In most of History Women were the Providers. They did 80% of the calorie collection for hunter gatherers, they did the agricultural work in hoe based societies, It wasn’t only in societies that moved on to the plow that men could honestly be said to be the Primary Provider, and even then women were still producing goods ( cloth, pottery etc) that would contribute to the household economy either for There own subsistence use or to sell/barter as part of a cottage industry, and this didn’t end until industrialization ( and even after industrialization lower class women still sometimes worked! Remember the triangle shirt waist factory fire? Or the radium girls?)

Regarding the point about hunter-gatherer societies in 2), IIRC it depends on ecological context: in environments where fruit, tubers, and small game are abundant the majority of food is obtained by activities that are either women's work or not particularly gendered, but in environments where big game is the more abundant potential source of human-usable food the majority of food is obtained by big game hunting, which is mostly done by men (at least in known Homo sapiens hunter-gatherer societies). Notably, IIRC the latter kind of environment includes the Arctic tundra (I'm guessing cause there plant bioproductivity is low and Bergmann's rule favors concentration of animal biomass into big animals), which is probably the best analogy on present day Earth for the steppe-tundra/mammoth steppe and cold grasslands that covered much of Eurasia during the ice ages. Also, even if big game hunting wasn't providing the majority of the calories it might have been important as a supplementary or seasonal food source and it may have had an importance as a source of protein and other nutrients that surpassed its importance as a source of calories. But yeah, I agree, just assuming that basic physical resources net flow from men to women and children instead of net flowing from women to children and men is a big blindspot!

Also, the analysis in those posts I was talking about seemed to more-or-less just take monogamy-as-default as a given, but I don't think monogamy is well-explained by meat-provisioning or by need to protect females and immature young from violence, at least not if you extrapolate from the intellectual and political capacities of modern humans!

IIRC actual hunter-gatherer societies tend have strong norms of big game meat being shared relatively equally around the band with distribution being controlled by more-or-less consensus of the entire band. Which makes sense; a logical way to process and distribute big game is to take the carcass back to camp or gather the group around it and cut it up, this is a situation in which effective political coalitions demanding more-or-less equal distribution of the meat would develop very easily. If you're going to use sexual bonding between men and women to reinforce relatively egalitarian meat distribution controlled by consensus of the band, you're probably going to end up with some kind of ...MMMFFF... polyamory!

And I think something similar applies to protection of women and children from violence (whether violence by other humans or dangerous nonhuman animals).

An individual human man is actually quite vulnerable to organized human violence no matter how personally badass he is, because humans are really good at cooperation and even the most badass individual man is probably going to go down hard against ten times his number in much less impressive fighters with access to similar technologies of violence. If you look at what human male violence actually looks like, a lot of it is cooperative violence done by groups of men fighting for a shared cause.

Even if we're just talking about protection against unorganized murder, an individual man is not actually a particularly great defense system for a woman and her children, cause, y'know, he's gotta sleep sometime, and he's probably gotta do a bunch of other stuff that regularly takes him out of immediate physical proximity to her and her kids for significant periods of time. That woman would be much safer being guarded by a group of men, maybe in a situation of a group of men guarding a group of women and their children.

Same applies to defense against nonhuman predators, and would have applied to it really hard before the invention of projectile weapons. One man with basically a sharp stick would probably not be a very formidable opponent to a dinofelis or megantereon, and would probably get ripped up pretty efficiently by a pride of lions or a pack of Pachycrocuta brevirostris (actually, I wouldn't be surprised if before the lions and Pliestocene mega-hyenas could get him he got ripped up pretty efficiently by a pack of early Pliestocene African wild dogs that had been habituated to hunting early humans and hence had learned tactics optimized to deal with prey that presented approximately his threat profile). If you were a woman on the early Pliestocene African savanna, you'd be much safer being protected from predators by a group of men.

And if you look at how human societies actually go about protecting women and children, yeah, it's mostly coordinated cooperative efforts by groups of people.

As I touched on in my speculations about anti-predator defense and the origin of the masculine gender role, if you're going to use sexual bonding between men and women as a way to reinforce a relationship in which men protect women and children from dangerous nonhuman animals and/or hostile humans, I think you'd be more likely to end up with some kind of ...MMMFFF... polyamory!

I don't have a firm opinion on what the evolutionary impetus for human monogamishness (not a typo!) was, but I suspect it was not meat provisioning in the context of big game hunting and it was not the necessity of protecting women and children from dangerous nonhuman animals and/or hostile humans.

[smolstarthief]

Ok sooo I need to share this AU concept since I feel like it wouldn't make sense in the actual timeline and among other things but still it won't leave my head:

So remember how people came up with AUs where Joker and Maruki are related? Well... This was inspired by a part of me and Creepy's RP but what if Rumi had a surprise for Takuto and her parents on the day of their visit which obviously ended badly and put an end to that plan? That surprise ended up being Ren but unfortunately, Maruki already removed himself from her life so neither of them were aware of being related until present day and 3rd semester.

Poor Rumi would just be so confused on why she's carrying a baby after the (accidental) memory wipe but considering how her personality was described she would no doubt keep him despite the potential stigma she would be hit by. She starts living with her Grandparents and remaining family members after getting out of the hospital who were apprehensive about her having a child alone out of wedlock but take her in anyway. Also having probably met Maruki before at some point... They already assume that the father is him and believed that he abandoned her so therefore end up not mentioning him to avoid hurting her. Her grandparents at least cared more than them though and try to support her as she gets back on her feet.

Come the day Ren was born and Rumi absolutely dotes on him but does note something being a little familiar about him appearance-wise and she starts to feel off whenever she thinks more about it. Namely kinda like how, "Kasumi" ends up having random slumps/depressive episodes. This worsens as he gets older and starts showing similar quirks and behaviors as Takuto which her relatives (except for her grandparents) start to resent him for, especially when he starts asking questions.

At one point, Rumi ends up having a sudden breakdown due her own filter further weakening (curse the lack of power consistency with Maruki in canon) and an older Ren asking about his father which scares Ren and then herself when she almost hurts him in the process (probably not physically though since I don't see her doing that to her own child regardless of her mental state). This gets her sent to a mental health facility which Ren does visit more than her relatives (this would be part of why he was heading home late when he encountered Shido). Each visit can vary for him: One day she was her usual loving and energetic self that he knew as a child, the next she was hardly responsive despite his best efforts to talk to her. He also often brings a book or even a chess board since they both liked playing it ("Checkmate") to cheer her up.

He's still just as confused about his father and who he was but from what did learn and even overheard in the past about him, he starts to resent him. Even more so when his relatives start acting distant and cold towards him due to blaming him for Rumi's current situation.

And the lack of contact throughout the game? Blame the relatives as they wasted no time in sending Ren away for his probation which leaves her shattered but to them, it's better for her health in the long run. Being the stubborn woman she is, she still tries but is blocked and prevented from doing so each time which actually worsens things with her as opposed to helping her. It doesn't help that her Grandparents also passed away already by this point and they were actually her primary support system while everyone else in her family was just tolerant at best, uncaring at worst.

How Maruki would piece everything together I'm not entirely sure but maybe like this: He starts to notice Ren showing similar personality traits as Rumi and even himself but doesn't think much of it at first but then Ren decided to randomly bring a chess board to a session which surprises him but plays along as Ren states it cheers him up sometimes, his mom especially. Now I can see Maruki maybe playing it with Rumi when they were younger so when Ren starts showing more of Rumi's quirks as they play, Maruki starts to pale a bit. Again, kinda tying into that "Checkmate" line. Not sure how Maruki would finally figure it out since idk how he would get DNA test done while not seeming suspicious but maybe Shibusawa makes a comment about Rumi having a kid while they were catching up alone? Either way, he would probably also have access to medical files from Shujin and once he sees Rumi's name as his mother with the father not being listed...

"It can't be..."

Plus, I feel like once he gets the ability to warp reality then maybe he would have probed Ren's memories a bit for more confirmation. Needless to say, he's extremely guilt-ridden.

And poor Ren when he finally puts two and two together... Compared to canon, he's PISSED that the person he bonded with and confided to was also the person he resented the most and he just ends up making rash and impulsive decisions without thinking like Sumi before her reveal. Which is something that would startle even AKECHI of all people a little since he's so used to Joker showing more empathy. I would also utilize Raoul because fuck Atlus for making him a DLC Persona.

He would basically represent Ren's acceptance of everything and how he still wants to change Maruki's heart but not out of spite or revenge but to save everyone and HIM since he realized that Maruki is hurting too and needed help. He wants to reconcile with him. To summarize:

Also the departure for the "Leave" ending will be changed quite a bit with Maruki initially parting ways like in canon but then excuses himself with a break to catch up with Ren to give a proper goodbye (bumps into Sumi too). It leads to an emotional conversation until they see a familiar face that Ren immediately hugs. It was an astonished but slowly recovering Rumi. Her filter is gone too. Granted, it's a little bittersweet since Rumi would be kinda pissed that Maruki more or less up and left her alone (even giving him a good punch or smack) but she won't forbid Ren from seeing him either. She's just still a nice person at heart so she wouldn't be mad for long. Especially when Ren pleads his case and she trusts his judgement. That and she would acknowledge that she should've told him about her carrying Ren sooner before that visit to her parents.

The context behind her showing up would be sad initially... She came to Tokyo because she saw the news report of Ren's "suicide" from the facility and was heartbroken. But then she decided that she had enough of staying in that place and demands that she be released which the orderlies complied. She then decided to cut ties with her more toxic family members when they showed little to no care about that report and even insulting Ren to her face. She basically went to Tokyo to find Sojiro and a temporary place to stay as she decides what to do next. Obviously that changed when she sees him alive and hugging her. The filter would wear off after reality is back to normal too during her train ride hence her impulsive response to seeing Maruki.

It does get happy again though when she confirms that as soon as they come back to retrieve what's left of Ren's belongings, they're staying in Tokyo full time. She's also willing to talk with Maruki to catch up and try to give closure as well. Before they both depart, they each give him something to keep him company and remember them in the meantime: Ren gives him his favorite childhood plush toy that he carried around (which suspiciously looks like Mona) and Rumi... She gives him what she wanted to give him before that tragic day... An ultrasound photo showing a small silhouette of a baby. To say that Maruki cried quite a bit is an understatement as he hugs Ren tightly, apologizing repeatedly and promising to step and provide for them as much as he can.

Is TakuRumi gonna be endgame? Idk since a lot of time had passed and I honestly liked the aversion of expectations the game did by having him not get back together with her and deciding to start over on his own (I do wish that more closure was provided with her at least but oh well). Past TakuRumi is a definite but present day? Maybe not likely. But they would still get along since they both care about Ren greatly. Also just imagining Rumi going mama bear mode towards Zenkichi at the beginning of Strikers is too damn funny too.

[triangle-strategy-notes]

Magical Healing in Triangle Strategy

I'm currently working on a fic, and I wanted to have some clearer rules to play by as I try to make sense of Triangle Strategy's in-world healing system. I mostly made this for myself haha, but thought I'd share in case it's helpful for anyone else!

It's mostly just a breakdown of canon moments and potential implications, along with a more cohesive potential set of rules at the very end. Quick warning for spoilers: I discuss a lot of main plot points.

Canon Fact #1: Symon's heart-related condition couldn't be cured with magic.

This might imply an inability to fix some of the following:

any physical irregularity that the body naturally develops (e.g. a deformity in the structure of the heart) 

long-term injuries (e.g. gradual wear on the heart due to stress)

internal injuries

natural non-traumatic health issues in general

Canon Fact #2: Lyla is said to be in critical condition and then to be in stable condition relatively soon afterward. 

This supports that healing can have an impact pretty quickly. The two above screenshots are more than likely the same day, and seem to be around the same time of day as well. However, we don't know exactly how much Lyla improved (are her wounds completely healed? still pretty severe?), so it's hard to say exactly how fast the healing is going.

While it's unclear what specifically Jerrom is doing, we do know that he's not a magical healer. This indicates that magic healing isn't the end-all-be-all as far as healing goes.

(Though both of those points could also theoretically be handwaved away by assuming they were short on healers post-battle, and therefore couldn't heal Lyla as efficiently as they might like.)

Canon Fact #3: During in-game battles, members of your party are cured via magic and immediately continue to battle.

This includes injuries related to blades, arrows, fires, ice, lightning, wind, and blunt trauma; it seems like there isn't much that healing can't fix.

That said, temporary status effects (including poison, paralysis, immobility, and blindness), are a different story. There are non-healing spells that remove status effects as well, such as Geela's "Heal What Ails You," but they're uncommon. This might support the idea that these are two entirely different fields of healing and/or that they can't be done at the same time.

Healing appears to be more or less instantaneous, and after a unit is healed, they can continue battling on as if they had never been injured to begin with.

For a more specific time estimate: assuming that the turn system is supposed to reflect an actual battle with everyone moving and doing things all at once, we can say that a healer takes about as long to cast a healing spell as it does for a combat unit to make an attack on an enemy soldier (however long you think that takes).

There are also a variety of different costs to healing. In most cases, healing expends the healer's energy (i.e. TP), but in some cases it uses the healer's own health instead (like Cordelia's "Self Sacrifice").

We also have healing/status recovery pellets to consider. During a battle, they allow non-mages to heal themselves and others just as a mage would. Additionally, Medina has abilities to enhance the efficacy of those pellets, which could potentially mean there are methods of administering them that make them more powerful.

Canon Fact #4a: Dragan dies despite a healer being in the same vicinity. Cordelia, however, survives under similar circumstances.

Dragan seems to be killed by an arrow to the back, and no one even attempts to heal him after he falls, despite ample time to do so—he gives an entire monologue before officially dying. Conversely, when Cordelia is stabbed, a healer is called for and she survives. Some main differences between Cordelia and Dragan's injuries include:

The placement of the wound—Dragan might have been hit somewhere that resulted in a near-immediate fatality such as the heart, whereas Cordelia might have been injured in such a way that allowed her more time to be patched together

Roland might have held back upon realizing that Cordelia was the one taking the blow, vs. the archer who was definitely aiming to kill

Cordelia is a healer herself, and might have been able to aid in her own recovery

On a related note, Dragan was caught in an ambush (and might not have had access to any healer but Geela) vs. Cordelia's case, where they were in the middle of a war and likely had access to several healers and/or surgeons. Lyla, for instance, canonically helps out after Cordelia is stabbed on the boat.

General demographic stuff (Cordelia is likely several years younger than Dragan, and possibly has a history of better health since Glenbrook has historically had more access to salt)

They just liked Cordelia more?????

Canon Fact #4b: Additionally, Cordelia is weak and/or bedridden for at least a few days after her injuries (though due to route-splitting mechanics, she's weak even if she isn't injured, so this could potentially be disregarded as her being exhausted by her captivity, unrelated to her injuries).

This implies that healing can't be done all at once, and gives a better timeline for how long it takes for serious wounds to heal (at least a few days) even with the best of care. The above screenshots are in chronological order for reference.

Canon Fact #5: Healing can resurrect.

Healing can bring people back from death, with some caveats.

Magical resurrection is only shown to occur at the exact moment of death, and only if the spell is cast preemptively. Someone who is already dead cannot be revived outside of Quietus spells.

Resurrection earrings only work once per round, which might be interpreted as them needing time to recharge between uses (or possibly means that a mage has to recharge them). Likewise, Miraculous Light wipes out most of Geela's magic reserves, making it difficult for her to cast it many times in succession.

Since most normal spells only activate at the point of death, this also has some Ajin-like implications (i.e., that characters with the ability to resurrect might purposefully die in order to heal themselves of a non-lethal wound).

In canon, due to the mechanics surrounding it, Quietus can probably be tossed somewhere in the realm of dark magic and/or acts of god. (The word "quietus" is associated with finality, death, etc., which might support the "dark magic" point.)

 

Canon Fact #6: Healing is primarily done with a staff, while elemental magic is done with tomes.

The only exception to this that I noticed is Narve, who uses a staff for both healing and elemental magic.

Because of the consistency of healers having staves, it can be assumed that a staff is either required for healing or otherwise greatly improves efficacy. 

Theories

Taking all of that into consideration, there's a lot of different ways you can interpret what exactly is going on. I have two main theories that I play with while writing fic.

Theory #1: Healing as a time distortion

The linking factor between most of these is that magical healing can only heal what non-magical healing can also theoretically heal. Magical healing, then, might just be a speeding up of the body's natural ability to heal (even potentially an actual time spell that speeds things up, which is supported by Geela's "Haste" spell and Quahaug and Lyla's skillset in general). 

If this is the case, some potential limitations of magic would be:

It can't heal anything that the body itself won't put to right given time, so it can't cure terminal or chronic illnesses, nor save someone from lethal poison unless an antidote is also taken.

Likewise, it can't heal any wound that would kill someone faster than they could heal (e.g. possibly Dragan's wound).

It likely still requires an amount of non-magical healing techniques (Cordelia and Lyla might have required some sort of physical surgery to repair the damage they sustained). If a healing is performed without arranging things first and then the healing process was sped up, it would theoretically heal incorrectly and cause more harm than good.

It would still leave scars and leave the healed character in need of physical therapy when applicable. 

Larger, more serious wounds that would take weeks to heal will take a proportionally long time for magic to fix (at least a few days as shown by Cordelia's bedrest).

Infections and other complications could be an increased danger, assuming that everything is sped up including the growth rate of bacteria. Additionally, if it is a true time spell, then over time excessive amounts of healing would result in an unnatural, sped-up aging process.

Healing pellets/status recovery pellets essentially act as an already-cast spell sealed into a small capsule for use by non-mages, and would have the same effect as the spell that was sealed inside them. Panacea pellets are a little weird because no healer in the game is that powerful, but I guess you can assume there's some healing savant out in the woods somewhere who can make them (and then goes on to sell them for an exorbitant price).

Resurrection magic and earrings are just weird. For the sake of adding some sort of balance to these from a Watsonian perspective, you can always throw in sort of long-term drawback. I like to play around with the idea that resurrections shorten the lifespan/otherwise cost the user something with each use.

Theory #2: Healing as a temporary fix

For plot device reasons, I sometimes want the characters in my fics to be stuck on the sidelines for a few weeks/months at a time. So instead of speeding up healing, I go the opposite route and freeze the healing process altogether.

This theory revolves around these points:

Healing magic can't actually make the body heal, but it can put things back in place such that it heals properly. For example, it wouldn't be able to heal broken bones, but it could temporarily seal them into the right place such that someone could continue to fight in-battle. Same thing with bleeding wounds: it could temporarily stop the bleeding, but it wouldn't actually fix the issue. After the battle ends, both injuries would still need additional medical attention, and would take a normal amount of time to heal.

I usually imagine this requiring about as much attention/expertise as a surgeon would have.

Healing pellets are the same as in the first theory, as are resurrection magic + earrings.

This theory sort of has to work around status effects, since those aren't necessarily fixed by physical surgery-type techniques. For me, I assume that status effects such as poison and paralysis are magical conditions in their own right, and can therefore be negated by magic like Geela's spell (and normal, non-magical poison and paralysis can't be fixed by magic whatsoever). These magical status effects would eventually wear off when the spell runs out of juice, though if left untreated these effects could potentially be lethal.

Related to that, this theory gets complicated with things like burns or frostbite from elemental spells, since those types of wounds can't necessarily be healed by just moving things around. I could argue that a healer could manipulate the tissue on a cellular level, but that gets pretty overpowered the further I push it. (If they can heal damaged tissue from a burn, why can't they manipulate the tissue in Symon's heart as well? Going even further, why couldn't a healer manipulate their own flesh to the point of shapeshifting?) I usually sort of end up leaning on the first theory a little bit and say that it's easier to heal things that the body is biologically built to heal.

In the end, I usually end up using a blend of these two theories, and then pick and choose what I use in any given situation based on what plot device I need (which seems to be what the tri strat writers did as well haha). But it's nice to have some basic rules in place so I can plan around them.

[noirrelite]

So what's the story for sirerras independent movement? :eyes:

:screm: sorry for the late reply! I'm a bit shy sharing when it comes to telling rather than showing, it's still kind of a work in progress and writing isn't really my strong suit ^^' the short version: Sierra's a pre-tenno warframe but got a transference bolt to restrict her movement later on after transference was discovered. Alad V would later find her and broke her transference bolt to succeed in controlling her with the mutalist strain. Operator Tala encountered Sierra, destroyed the collar used to control her and rescued her after realizing that she might not be a "hollow warframe" after all, and she's been able to move of her own accord ever since. long ass version for nerds: Sierra was among the first generations of warframes that were capable of acting of their own before the Tenno came back from the void. After transference was discovered, the Orokin no longer needed/wanted the warframes to act independently anymore, so the older warframes like Sierra and the original Kullervo who were still potentially useful-- either because they managed to stay sane enough or were too valuable to destroy-- (Sierra was a bit of both but did end up losing it eventually from being forced to put down her crazed brothers and sisters) were retrofitted with transference bolts to suppress their movement and placed in cryosleep to be assigned to a Tenno later, while newer ones would have them by default. They never found a compatible operator before Prime variants of her model were developed however, so she ended up staying asleep in cryostasis forgotten for the rest of the Old War. Later on she was forced awake when Alad V found her pod in an abandoned Orokin facility and tried to take control of her with the Mutalist strain, but for his experiment to succeed he first had to break the transference bolt to allow the strain to take control of her body. Sierra was eventually pitted against Tala (in her base Rhino warframe) when Tala finally tracked down Alad's lab on Eris. Tala, being relatively inexperienced in combat, struggled, but Rhino's durability and the infestation's imperfect control over Sierra eventually gave her the advantage during their fight and she broke the control collar placed on Sierra. Tala noticed her hostility evaporate, seemingly accepting her impending death from the injuries she sustained during the fight. Fully convinced Sierra was a Tenno now, Tala asks the Lotus to allow her to rescue Sierra, promising to take full responsibility, and removed what remained of the Mutalist infestation from her with the helminth, recklessly hoping to either find a new Tenno friend and if not, add a new warframe to her barebones arsenal. Hope that answers your question! Here's more headcanons related to independent warframes below the cut (also for nerds)

In my personal AU, there's generally 3 (er, 5?) conditions for a warframe to be able to move independently:

they were originally human, which in my headcanon is most if not all orokin era warframes before the Tenno managed to find a way to create warframes without sacrificing people (albeit at the cost of being less powerful). The extent of how much of their memories and personality were erased by the transformation tends to vary for each individual, but in general the Orokin couldn't completely erase every trace of their original selves.

their movement isn't restricted by a transference bolt (either they don't have one or it's specially-made like umbra's, modified, or broken (It doesn't make sense for Codex Rhino Prime, the Orowyrms, and ravenous maws to have transference bolts, and Excal Umbra got one despite never having a Tenno assigned to him, which leads me to believe transference bolts aren't really needed for transference but are just there to suppress the warframe's movement/will for easier control)

they're conscious (many were in a vegetative state because of cryostasis and/or because of the traumatic experiences they went through, but they can be coaxed back into awareness with enough patience or in extreme cases where they sense that their operator is in danger for example) 3.1. Conscious frames with intact transference bolts can technically still move by their own accord so long as a Tenno is transferenced with them, as long as the Tenno in question is letting them take the wheel or is unconscious. 3.2. In extreme but rare cases, such Warframes, given they have strong enough wills (e.g. Rouge) can latch onto and keep their operator captive in a state similar to reverse transference, feeding on their operator's void energy to allow themselves to move while completely ignoring their will. However, these cases are so rare that they're generally considered a myth made up to scare Tenno to treat their warframes with care, and to consider carefully when adopting an operatorless orokin-era warframe.

[hcolleen]

So, I'm not a huge fan of 'morals' as a basis for human behaviour since they're often made to relate to some type of religion or belief in a deity of some type ('how can you be moral without believing in jebus?' or the like). Also, they can be manipulated by those in power to protect those in power (see 'it's moral to keep people in slavery because it ''''raises them up'''' out of heathenism' or nonsense the like that was and is used to justify seeing others as lesser).

I prefer the idea of the social contract instead. It doesn't require a deity, nor can it be used to justify oppression.

Let me explain a bit:

Humans are social creatures. Some of the earliest remains of humans that have been found show care of someone who would die if left alone. Our nearest evolutionary relatives are also social. Primates live in colonies or troupes or other social groupings, also showing care for those who are weaker through age (youth or age) or ability. Humans survive best in group and seek out a social group (in person or online, as is now widely available). Even those of us who prefer to be alone (introverts of any kind or the socially anxious) seek out groups to help support us.

The idea of the social contract is a simple one: Humans should be in a group and should take care of those in that group in the best way possible.

Things that support the social contract can be a bit abstract, like walkable cities, libraries, and UBI. Walkable cities allow people of all abilities to find a place to live that allows them to obtain their basic needs [food and shelter] and their social needs [togetherness and independence] relatively easily. Libraries allow people to obtain entertainment and offer social support. UBI, especially in a world that relies on money, allows people to obtain resources that they need for living. A UBI also allows people to do things that give them fulfillment that are generally not seen as 'viable' under our current 'moral' society, like allowing parents to remain at home with their children or allowing artists to have their needs met while making their art or allowing disabled people to not have to fight for their living and submit themselves to horrifically ablest processes to get disability support.

The social contract is the idea that resources should be shared with the community, including housing and the world at large. This idea makes pollution and the insistence on using fossil fuels as a violation of the social contract and therefore wrong. Figuring out how to meet our needs while protecting the environment upholds the social contract. Hoarding resources (like money) is a violation of the social contract, thus billionaires and ultra millionaires are a social ill and paying taxes are a social good.

The social contract is somewhat flexible, not a rigid black and white. Having money enough to fulfill your needs and wants isn't wrong, but hoarding it is. Having a place to live that gives you enough space to feel comfortable isn't wrong, but hoarding housing is wrong. Being able to get around your local area isn't wrong, but polluting the environment in ways that seriously outpace anyone else else is wrong. Vehicles aren't wrong, but those that hoard resources in the materials they're made of or the materials they use to move is wrong.

The social contract is something that evolutionarily makes sense and children understand intuitively. It's simply asking 'what makes the best sense for the most people?' instead of 'how can I justify getting mine?' or "what does some ancient text say is right or wrong?' It is, I think, a better way to live. It also supports unions and defunding the police and movements like Black Lives Matter and is against genocide. It is against LLM taking over creative work (that is, against AI 'art' and 'literature') and pro making sure actual art survives (is thus against streaming services killing programs by cancelling them just to avoid paying the creatives or removing them from the services [also to avoid paying the creatives]). It is against exploitation of people and the environment. It is for fighting climate change and doing everything we can to make cities friendlier to people who live there. It is for decriminalization of drugs and changing from a criminal model to a disease model of drug addiction. It is for decriminalization of sex work and supporting people's choices of what to do with their bodies while also giving those who are in it just for survival and not out of desire a way to support themselves and any family they're personally responsible for [see: UBI]. It is against child marriage and pro-LGBTQIA+ rights because allowing queer people to be themselves is not grooming and children should have the ability to grow up to be what they want and who they are. It is pro open borders because forcing people to remain where they don't feel safe is violence against the most vulnerable.

Yes, this sounds a bit utopian, but this is what I learned growing up on a diet of Star Trek and DragonRiders of Pern and without religion and this is what I hold to as someone who defines themself as chaotic neutral and socialist. My neutral isn't very chaotic if you understand where it comes from, but from a moralistic viewpoint, it is chaotic. From the view of the social contract, it's rather lawful neutral. I think it's a good idea for others to explore, too.

[jonathankatwhatever]

6 September 2023, and you’re wearing me out. Here’s the main concept: fusion is the reduction of 2T into a specified IC. This is an old idea that takes life because we can label the threads. There is the thread of IC to LC to CM64, etc. That comes out of the Minimal Context of 1 and 0, so IC is the non-specified 1 to that 0, and that grows. We can also now clearly construct the specified form, and that comes from the other way, meaning it’s defined out of higher into lower terms so the specification fuses not only to IC but to MC so existence itself becomes a joining of 1 to 1 so 1 and 0 become 1 and 1.

It’s that energy behind coupling, behind pairing. And the idea extends to atomic level fusion because then you’re literally squeezing out the grid squares constructions, the patterns, the threads, the bundles of counting.

This connects to the underlying mechanism behind turbulence. It’s fairly easy to see it’s a consequence of I//I, that a stable process is not because the reduction isn’t stable because the threads conflict and there isn’t sufficient room to work those out to greater smoothness. But it’s also that this turbulent energy is squeezed out of the continuity, that there is gs construction entering your space, like if you’re on a plane, and that plane is being jiggled because some external construction is causing that, like when it’s on the edge of a low pressure front and the pressure differential creates edges to the weather which connects to the location of the low and the relative high, and those shapes can’t resolve without conflict as they reduce into the construction of this reality. In D-structure terms, as the D4-3//3-4 process generates the wavefront that is our counted existence in our shared tangible space, then turbulence occurs as constructions relate. It’s the result of there being too much gs construction to fit into the moment. Like if you go too fast on a curve, you’ll leave the road.

Again, amazing work.

So, we fuse and that unleashes energy. That’s what’s behind the idea of pairing across a 1-0Segment: in Triangular, they both relate to the 3rd End, the one we see on the midline. That means we’ve worked out both aspects of the K’ing: the fission and the fusion sides. Cool.

————-

Fusion over a 1-0Segment means to the midline, to the 3rd End, and rotating that so it pairs I//I to the 2 being fused. So as joining occurs at both Ends, the 3rd End spilts. That pumps out all which doesn’t reduce through the Attached structures or constructions.

———-

CR. So imagine we meet in the middle and that locates the midline so what we see is the coherent you, the one compiled to make a whole. That invokes alternation over a quadrant because that ++ draws the midline as szK. You can see the fD draw as Triangular over gs. You can see a 1-0Segment connect yK and xK.

Okay. Maybe I can get this out. The very first logical problem in my vision of an eternal level war required a strategy and a weapon. The strategy was to overwhelm. Treat all battles as though they’re our only battle and maintain the ability to do that. Analysis of the pattens to predict over the different terms. The weapon was the implosion mechanism, like a black hole that pops into existence and which this pulls the nearby space to the other side. It’s like a piece taken and removed from the board in your favor.

I imagined this without an actual mechanism. This is it.

Now that I have had a few minutes, I remember the idea was initially violent and became less so as details developed. From images of planets exploding to the intangible structures being shifted to the positive cooperative in pairings. The weapon shifts where you are in the intangible and that shifts tangible you.

It’s nice to find your visions were true.

————-

4 images and they appear to me to be 2 lines of binary, the top one being 8, the bottom 13. Should I look at the difference of 5 as an nSquare, so the quadrants all make sense?

It was a long walk in the humidity. Feet are tired.

[rmceducation]

Why do Indians go to Uzbekistan?

1. Education Opportunities

One of the primary reasons Indians are heading to Uzbekistan is the growing opportunities in higher education, particularly in the field of medicine.

MBBS Programs: Uzbekistan has become a favored destination for Indian students pursuing an MBBS degree. The country offers affordable medical education with a curriculum that meets international standards. Many medical universities in Uzbekistan are recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Medical Council of India (MCI), making it easier for graduates to practice medicine in India or pursue further studies abroad. The medium of instruction is often English, which removes language barriers for Indian students.

Affordability: The cost of education in Uzbekistan is significantly lower compared to private medical colleges in India. This affordability, coupled with the quality of education, makes Uzbekistan an attractive option for students from middle-income families who aspire to become doctors but are unable to secure a seat in India due to the highly competitive nature of medical entrance exams.

Simplified Admission Process: The admission process for Indian students is relatively straightforward, with less emphasis on extremely high entrance exam scores compared to Indian institutions. This accessibility is a significant draw for students who have the qualifications but are unable to get into top-tier Indian medical colleges.

2. Tourism

Uzbekistan’s rich history, stunning architecture, and unique cultural heritage are attracting a growing number of Indian tourists.

Historical Ties: Uzbekistan is home to several cities that were key stops on the ancient Silk Road, including Samarkand, Bukhara, and Khiva. These cities boast breathtaking Islamic architecture, ancient monuments, and vibrant bazaars, offering a glimpse into a world that has fascinated Indians for centuries.

Ease of Travel: With the introduction of direct flights between India and Uzbekistan and the relatively affordable travel costs, visiting Uzbekistan has become more accessible to Indian tourists. The country also offers visa-on-arrival for Indian citizens, further simplifying travel logistics.

Cultural and Religious Appeal: The shared history and cultural connections between India and Uzbekistan, dating back to the Mughal Empire, have created a sense of familiarity for Indian travelers. Additionally, the presence of Sufi shrines and Islamic heritage sites in Uzbekistan resonates with Indian Muslims who visit these sites for religious tourism.

3. Business and Trade

The strengthening of diplomatic and economic ties between India and Uzbekistan has opened new avenues for business and trade.

Investment Opportunities: Uzbekistan’s government has been actively promoting foreign investment, and Indian businesses have started exploring opportunities in sectors such as pharmaceuticals, information technology, agriculture, and textiles. Uzbekistan’s strategic location in Central Asia, coupled with its natural resources, presents significant potential for Indian companies looking to expand their footprint in the region.

Growing Market: As Uzbekistan continues to develop its economy, there is a growing demand for goods and services, creating opportunities for Indian exporters and entrepreneurs. The government’s focus on modernization and industrialization aligns well with India’s expertise in various sectors, paving the way for mutually beneficial collaborations.

Cultural Exchange and Soft Power: The increasing interest in Bollywood films, Indian cuisine, and yoga in Uzbekistan has also contributed to the cultural exchange between the two countries. Indian businesses in the entertainment, hospitality, and wellness industries are finding a receptive audience in Uzbekistan, further strengthening the people-to-people ties.

4. Cultural Exchange and Diplomatic Relations

Cultural exchange has always been a cornerstone of the relationship between India and Uzbekistan.

Historical Connections: The ties between India and Uzbekistan date back to the Mughal era, when Babur, the founder of the Mughal Empire, hailed from the region of present-day Uzbekistan. This shared history has laid the foundation for a deep cultural connection that continues to influence bilateral relations today.

Cultural Programs and Festivals: Both countries have been actively promoting cultural exchange programs, including film festivals, art exhibitions, and music concerts. The popularity of Indian culture in Uzbekistan, particularly Bollywood, has played a significant role in enhancing India’s soft power in the region.

Educational and Language Programs: Uzbek universities are increasingly offering courses in Indian languages and culture, further fostering academic and cultural ties. Indian students and professionals in Uzbekistan often engage in cultural activities that help strengthen the bond between the two nations.

5. Conclusion

In conclusion, MBBS In Uzbekistan, Uzbekistan is emerging as a significant destination for Indians for various reasons, ranging from education and tourism to business and cultural exchange. The country’s affordability, rich cultural heritage, and growing economic opportunities make it an attractive option for Indians looking to explore new horizons. As diplomatic and economic ties between India and Uzbekistan continue to strengthen, the flow of students, tourists, and professionals between the two countries is likely to increase, fostering a deeper and more meaningful relationship in the years to come. Whether it’s pursuing a medical degree, exploring ancient Silk Road cities, or expanding business ventures, Uzbekistan offers a diverse range of opportunities that are increasingly drawing Indians to this Central Asian gem.

[foodsovereignty1]

Food sovereignty is important to Indigenous communities and tribes in the United States. Native American tribes and people have treaty rights that give them the right to self-determination and foods that are a part of their way of being. Treaty rights as we know are not always upheld by the United States government, and tribes are working to make sure they resist violations of their treaty rights especially when it threatens their right to self-determination over their food systems and the ways they care for and harvest plants and animals. It is important to consider and acknowledge the ways in which the United States government has historically targeted and destroyed Native American and Indigenous food systems as a part of their genocidal practices to remove and displace them from the land so that they could settle and claim it as their own. For Native American and Indigenous people there is deep connection to the land and the plants and animals. There are four R’s that related to the ways in which Indigenous peoples care for and understand their relationship to the land and all its inhabitants. In class we discussed and learned about the four R’s which are: Relationship, Responsibility, Reciprocity, and Redistribution. All four R’s are obligations that Indigenous people understand and respect in terms of relationships with each other and the land and nature. Relationship is the obligation to kinship, and how we understand we are related to each other and all things, and therefore must include and consider all our relatives when making decisions and make sure that they also contribute to the collective. Responsibility is the obligation Indigenous people have to care for all our relatives such as each other, plants, animals, and nature. We have a responsibility to foster and maintain healthy relationships with our relatives so that we continue to uphold our responsibility of caring for them too. Reciprocity is the obligation to understand the cycles of our relationships, and how we understand our responsibilities to receiving and giving from our relatives. We must understand the ways in which our relatives care for us and how we then must care for them so that we are in a cycle of care, respect, and responsibility. The last R is redistribution, and this is the obligation to maintain a balance in the ways in which we receive and give back. Redistribution creates Indigenous peoples understanding of sharing and keeping balance in our practices of receiving and giving. We must keep everything in circulation and not be greedy and over receive. These practices of the four R’s resist colonialism and capitalism, and that is why we must continue to teach and practice them to keep our communities healthy and in balance with each other, nature, and all our relatives. This is something that I personally had to unlearn to embrace and understand my own obligations within my role as a Native American, and community member.

Settler colonialism is when colonizers come into a territory and do not leave, they “settle” in the land, and for that to be successful they must remove the original peoples of that land by means of violence or displacement. This process of settler colonialism is called destroy to replace. The Indigenous people of the United States were destroyed by means of genocide, displacement, and even starvation due to the attack on their food systems. Once the Indigenous peoples are removed, they can then be replaced by the people of the settler population. Although most people recognize the historical genocide that took place against Indigenous people, they fail to see the present-day ways in which they are still being murdered, displaced, and in a sense “starved” from their food systems and treaty rights to hunting, gathering, and fishing. For example, plains Native Americans have a close connection to buffalo, and this kinship is respected and revered within those tribes. The Native American word for buffalo is tatanka which translates to brother further solidifying our understanding of just how close these tribes felt to the buffalo. The buffalo took care of our people and provided them with nutrition, warmth, and materials necessary to thrive, and tribes understood their responsibility to care for and reciprocate this relationship and respect for the buffalo. Settlers attacked the buffalo population because they knew that by attacking and eliminating the buffalo it would in turn weaken and kill the Native Americans as well. Indigenous people were forced to live on reservations, and they were given food from the government that is over processed and unhealthy. This is how frybread came to be, and food such as this was not a part of our original diets. These over processed foods have created health problems in Indigenous communities and removed our relationship and understanding of our obligation to our land and relatives such as the buffalo. Food sovereignty is much more than having the right to grow your own food for Native tribes, it is culturally and spiritually a part of their life and ways of knowing and being. Indigenous people are closely tied to the natural world and by removing their food systems and replacing it with a food system such as commodities from the government you are severing their ties to their knowledge, obligations, land, ancestors, and relatives.

Tribal Critical Race Theory has nine tenets that address and bring attention to the ways in which Indigenous people are a unique political entity unlike any other ethnic group in the United States due to their relationship with the United States. The fourth tenet of Tribal Critical Race Theory is the right for Indigenous people to assert tribal sovereignty, tribal autonomy, self-determination, and self-identification. This tenet addresses the ways in which tribal nations and communities can reject the oversight and restrictions of the United States when it comes to their control of their existing land bases, natural resources, and tribal boundaries. This means food sovereignty is a part of self-determination and tribal autonomy. When Indigenous people reclaim their food systems and aim to restore them, they must resist the Unites States oppression and fight to feed their people healthy, sustainable, and accessible foods that are a part of their autonomy and rights as Indigenous peoples. Indigenous people’s ancestors have prophesized about this reclamation, and this is why they still have the seeds from them to plant a future to grow and thrive as they did when their brothers the tatanka/buffalo roamed in large populations as their creator intended.

Works Cited:

Jones Brayboy, Bryan McKinley. “Toward a tribal critical race theory in Education.” Foundations of Critical Race Theory in Education, 28 Nov. 2022, pp. 231–246, https://doi.org/10.4324/b23210-24.

Robbins, Jim. “With Bison Herds and Ancestral Seeds, Indigenous Communities Embrace Food Sovereignty.” NPR, NPR, 9 Dec. 2023, www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2023/12/09/1217920232/buffalo-seed-native-american-food-diet.

Indigeneity, an Alternative Worldview: Four R’s ( …, www.humiliationstudies.org/documents/WasilewskiIndigeneity.pdf. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.

[akaraboonline]

How Can Trauma Dumping Affect Your Relationships?

Nothing is sometimes better than having a pleasant, lengthy gossip session with a friend. You tell them about the awful date you had last week, and they fill you in on what happened at their workplace on Thursday. You value this happy, positive exchange as an essential component of your relationship. But when does giving turn into oversharing? It's time to confront the behavior and make any necessary corrections if you suspect that you may be engaging in trauma dumping. Otherwise, you might completely sabotage your partnership.

What Is Trauma Dumping?

Everyone has vented to friends about someone or something that has irritated, upset, or wounded them. To express your annoyances and sadness is cathartic and can bring about a feeling of relief. Trauma dumping, on the other hand, removes the listener's option from the situation, elevating this behavior to a completely toxic level. Dr. Hayley Nelson, Ph.D., explains that trauma dumping is the act of unloading strong feelings, ideas, and experiences associated with traumatic events on someone without their permission. The listener's emotions, boundaries, or ability to handle the facts are frequently ignored. It's clear why this behavior is so problematic when stated so bluntly.

Why Is This A Harmful Practice?

Even though you might believe that venting your feelings is beneficial, if you're doing it against the other person's will, it won't be. Of course, you are loved and supported by your peers. They shouldn't have to hear about everything you're going through or have gone through, though. In fact, doing so will hurt your connection and might even irreparably damage it. "Traumatic unloading has no discernible advantages because it frequently occurs without taking the listener's needs into account. The possible harm to the listener, the loss of relationship trust, and the persistence of bad coping mechanisms, on the other hand, are the negatives, according to Dr. Nelson. You might unintentionally trigger the person hearing if, for example, you recount a terrible experience you had. After hearing your tale, they might experience anxiety or depression and a sense of helplessness if what you went through was particularly traumatic. They might think you're in a one-sided relationship with them and that you're just using them as a punching bag. Even if that's not how you feel, your audience might feel that way.

Why Do People Do This?

The ironic part is that many trauma dumpers are completely unaware that they are doing it. They don't intend to do anything more than expose themselves and relate what they've been through. It comes naturally to us, particularly when speaking with our closest friends and family members. That does not, however, make it acceptable. This is especially true when it goes beyond simple venting and turns into something the audience really doesn't need (or want to) hear. However, why does it occur? People may turn to trauma dumping as a coping mechanism for intense feelings, to feel heard and validated, or as a means to avoid dealing with the trauma alone. It may also be brought on by a lack of effective coping mechanisms and a need for quick relief from distress, according to Dr. Nelson. In other words, the trauma dumper may come to the realization that talking to a therapist is probably a superior idea. They may even come to the conclusion that the individual they are sharing these things with doesn't actually need or want to hear them. However, it is simpler for them to put off doing actual processing work and instead obtain an instant high from using a buddy or another close relative as a dumping ground for their problems.

What’s The Difference Between Trauma Dumping And Just Venting?

Venting is a good way to share feelings and experiences with peers. It's a two-way street where they want to hear the rumors and you want to vent. You bond over sharing disaster stories, and you leave the discussion feeling a lot lighter. That is a typical component of happy friendships and family ties. However, there is one significant distinction between trauma dumping and venting: effect. Venting is a healthy way to express negative feelings, but trauma dumping involves sharing excessively and leaving the other person feeling helpless and uneasy. Contrary to venting, trauma dumping involves the uninvited transfer of traumatic thoughts and emotions to an unprepared recipient. Dr. Holly Schiff, a psychologist,

How To Address The Behaviors That Lead To Trauma Dumping

It's crucial to address the behavior and put a full stop to trauma dumping if you catch yourself doing it. You don't want to unfairly burden the individuals you care about, after all. There is only so much they can do to help you with your mental and emotional problems, even though they care about you and want the best for you. "It is important to engage in self-reflection and seek therapy or counseling to develop healthy coping skills and learn better ways of managing difficult emotions to address behaviors that lead to trauma dumping," advises Dr. Nelson. To prevent hurting others, it's also crucial to teach oneself about consent and boundaries and to work on improving communication skills.   Read the full article

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Tips for the Guys

I recently met a woman online. She was younger than I am and relatively new to the lifestyle, and I quickly found myself sharing thoughts on how to seduce a man. [Editor's note- the short version: deep, sustained, meaningful eye contact; physical touch - try placing your open-palmed hand on his chest when talking/flirting with him; and when all else fails in the middle of a crowded bar remove your panties and put them in his shirt pocket. Let's see how that works for her.]

As we chatted, she shared an all-too-familiar refrain. She is married and she and her husband each want to date and find sex partners, and while she's finding it easy to find guys who want to fuck her, for him it's been a slower, more frustrating experience.

Which I can relate to, having been in those same shoes for many long years.

Once she got a sense of my experience level and the network of friends I've built over the years, she asked me for tips for her husband, and she even suggested I do a blog entry for it (yes, I shared my blog with her. I almost always share it with the women I flirt with). She thought it might be a helpful for her husband and other men in his position.

So here you have it, my ever-so-humble top 10 pieces of advice for men attempting to break into this lifestyle.

Be humble and roll with the punches. This is probably the best advice I can give. Men have it pretty good in general and in the rest of our lives we often have the upper hand. Women make 70 cents for every one of our dollars, usually have to work twice as hard to get half the respect, and are too often considered sex objects in the professional environment. When I started as a single man in the lifestyle, one of the first things I noticed was that the women have the power. They have the upper hand, can choose who they have sex with, and it's we who must curry their favor in the hope of getting noticed. I personally think it's healthy to experience life on the bottom of the totem pole and I'm comfortable having to work extra hard to earn my way. I think men who can check their ego, gain some humility, and keep it all in perspective have won half the battle right there.

Listen. I'm going to grossly over stereotype, but many of the men I know love to go into broadcast mode, spew their stories, and do a very poor job of listening to their date. This is corroborated by many of my friends with benefits, who regale me with stories of guys who blather on and on about themselves and don't ask the women a single question or display any interest in her point of view. I may be an anomaly, but I am genuinely interested in my partner; I like to ask questions, and I think I do a pretty good job of listening. Shutting my trap and actually listening, which is different than sitting quietly while you wait your turn to speak. Actively listening to the women you date will set you apart and help forge meaningful connections. Which is the entire point, if you ask me.

Be respectful. This is related to but goes beyond the act of listening. The women you're dating are fully-formed, 360 degree human beings, not fuck dolls made of flesh. They have hopes, dreams, traumas, baggage, good days, bad days. They may have children, stressful jobs, or clingy exes. They may contribute time to causes, be obsessed with hobbies, or have funny quirks. But no matter what, they are human beings every bit as deserving of grace and dignity as you or I, and treating them as such is not only what they deserve, but will also ingratiate you and help form that meaningful connection I was talking about above.

(This is really #3a) Do I even need to say it? No cock shots. Come on guys, just keep it in your pants. This should be an obvious part of "Be respectful" and go without saying but based on an anecdotal poll of my FWBs, it seems at least 9 out of 10 guys send unsolicited cock shots. But 8 out of 10 women don't want them. If she's one of the two who REALLY do, don't worry, she'll let you know. Set yourself apart, show some class, and when in doubt keep it from the neck up, at least during your initial interactions. It's fine to be flirty and fun (go for it!) but if a cock shot is your fourth message, what you're actually sending is a signal that you may not be the guy she's looking for.

Be interesting. You have interesting things to say. You've had wonderful life experiences. I know you have. Feel free to show it, and share it. Be flirty! Be fun! Tell an interesting anecdote. Flash that humor. You got game and it's great to flex it. But it's even better if you can do so while keeping the above rules in mind: be humble, be respectful, and listen to her. Don't make it a one-way monolog or a broadcast piece of performance art. Make it a sexy, fun dance with both parties playing their part.

Play the numbers game. It may seem a little uncouth for me to say it but it's just a fact. As a man you're going to have to do a lot more work to get a fraction of the attention that your average woman does. So, so many of my FWBs have likes from dozens or even hundreds of guys and they can't even scan through the list, let alone message them all. I, on the other hand, get relatively few matches and even when I do get a match, it's only the occasional woman who engages in dialog. If I had to estimate, I'd say 5%-10% of my swipes turn into a match, fewer than 20% of matches become a conversation, maybe half of conversations turn into a real-live date, and not every date turns out to be a good match. I literally went years swiping on Tinder with nothing much to show for it and then Bam! there's Rosemarie. Hundreds of swipes on Bumble with nothing of interest then Bam! Christine. Months more swiping then Bam! Samantha. I have found you have to be patient, roll with the punches, and play the long game.

Treasure the connections you have and don't play leapfrog. When you do start to get dates and have some success, it can be intoxicating. But the irony is we as humans are programmed to always chase the shiny new object, and the temptation may be to move on from your latest conquest and look around for the next. I'm not saying you shouldn't keep working to expand your network and add to your rotation; I see nothing wrong with that (I still do it to this day). But what I would strongly advise is to cherish the women who do want to have sex with you. Treat them well and continue to show them the respect they deserve. They are giving you a lovely gift of their time and attention (and pussy!) and you are lucky to be the recipient. Don't be a heel and toss them aside while you look for your next thing. Bring them along on the journey and cherish the time you spend together.

Build on your network and your real-world connections. As you start to meet more people you'll have more options. As a couple you will have an easier time finding singles or other couples to join you. You will now be able to visit sex clubs or parties. In these situations it's going to be much easier to meet other like-minded people (they ARE at a sex party after all!). This is an excellent opportunity to find people you click with, and if the feeling is mutual, you can add them to your network. Two important caveats: a) see above about respect and treasuring current connections; if you do make connections at real-live events, don't sneak around on your date or do it behind her back. Be transparent and open, discuss your wants and desires freely, and don't marginalize her. And b) see above about respect and being humble. Don't indiscriminately hit on every woman at the sex party. Consent applies even at - especially at - these places and you should only ask for her contact info if there's a clear, mutual connection. No one likes creepers. Don't make her uncomfortable. Don't be that guy.

Put "I throw sex parties" in your profile. Just kidding. Well, sort of. If you actually throw sex parties, then go for it! Once I started throwing them I did put it in my profile, and my matches increased significantly. And I found I was matching more often with like-minded women and couples. But still. Maybe actually start throwing parties before putting this one into practice.

Don't give up. I saved this one for last because it may be the hardest, but also the most important piece of advice. If you jump into this game expecting immediate success, you may be disappointed. I have no idea how you will do (I probably don't know you after all!), but for me at least it took years of patience, perseverance, and good humor to get to where I am today. The first year or so I had maybe a handful of sex partners and spent most of my time on the websites and the apps, reaching out to people, and having relatively little to show for it. But I was patient and optimistic and played the long game and slowly, over time, I achieved greater levels of success. And then success bred success. You just have to stick it out and eventually you will probably get to that critical point where you have a nice little stable of FWBs. Keep at it. I am confident that with patience and perseverance you'll get there.

And one for the partners:

Give him an assist. For the ladies of the men who are lucky enough to have a partner in all of this, you can do your man a huge favor if you're so inclined. It's going to be much easier for you to find another couple, or a single woman, to have sex with if you are operating as a couple than he will as a single man. You can go to parties and clubs together. You can help unlock the magic door for him to access new pussy. And even if you would rather date separately, are looking to make your own way, and all that, it might be to your benefit to do part of your journey as a couple, at least until he gets his sea legs under him. Because the sooner he starts getting some success, and the more connections he starts to get, the better he's going to feel about this decision and the more likely he's going to feel comfortable giving you the green light to proceed with your solo journey. I have come across my share of couples in which she's gung ho and can get any guy she wants, while he's struggling to find his way, and eventually he becomes bitter and disenchanted, wants to pull back, and it becomes a source of friction. Not to tell you how to live your life of course, but if you love him and want him to have a good experience in all of this, you can do wonders by being his wingman.

Whew! I'm sure there's a mountain of other stuff I could have included. In fact, I'm sure I could write a book. No, seriously, I bet I could. But I'm feeling pretty good about that as a top 10 list of things to keep in mind and try. I'd be willing to wager that if you're patient and perseverant and apply these rules, you'll start to see some success.

And given that I did most of my learning through intuition and the school of hard knocks, maybe it won't take you as long as it took me. At least I hope so.

Good luck, guys, and feel free to drop me a line and let me know how it goes!