#improves other bodily functions

[a-d-nox]

web of wyrd: annual energies and potential surgeries associated with the year

the outer rim of the wyrd web foretells the themes of our year ahead. today i will be covering some common surgeries that tend to occur. in no way does one number mean a single surgery type. each number can mean different surgeries - multiple surgeries - no surgery... this is just what i associate medically with these energies and i have seen correlate with other charts when surgery occurred. your lack of a number correlation with an experience below does not mean to minimize your experience. this is a general hypothesis not a fact.

tw: sensitive topics like amputation, ivf, addiction, weight, physical trauma, and end of life care are included in post.

1 (the magician): laser surgery

skill, precision, and transformation. this technique uses precision tools to create change in the body.

2 (the high priestess): diagnostic surgery

intuition, secrets, and hidden knowledge. seeks to uncover hidden issues or provide clarity about a medical condition (will be common for 2000 baby around the time doctors start recommending colonoscopies and mammograms).

3 (the empress): fertility surgery

surgeries like in vitro fertilization (IVF) or other fertility-related procedures.

4 (the emperor): orthopedic surgery

structure and stability. anything involves bones, joints, and structural support of the body, resonates with this energy.

5 (the hierophant): cardiovascular or oral surgery

what maintains order/structure in the body a.k.a. anything dealing with the heart and blood flow. oral surgery is because of this card connection to the throat and sharing of beliefs which requires the mouth - it might be time for your wisdom teeth extraction.

6 (the lovers): cosmetic or reconstructive surgery

this is often elective surgery / chosen for personal reasons related to self-image.

7 (the chariot): neurosurgery

deals with the brain and nervous system (the body's control center), which aligns with the chariot's themes of mastery and control.

8 (strength): physical rehabilitation surgery

requires a lot of resilience as muscles and tendons aren't easy to heal...

9 (the hermit): gastrointestinal surgery

involves the digestive system, relates to the internal processes and inner workings (aligning with hermit energy).

10 (the wheel of fortune): emergency surgery

often needed unexpectedly and dictated by fate, aligns with the theme of chance.

11 (justice): corrective surgery

aims to fix or balance out bodily functions or appearance, mirrors the themes of rectifying and balancing.

12 (the hanged man): organ transplant

sacrifice, suspension, and new perspectives. transplant surgery involves the sacrifice of one organ for the life of another, offering a new lease on life.

13 (death): amputation

a literal removal or ending of a part of the body, that can also lead to a transformative process of healing and adapting.

14 (temperance) : bariatric surgery

used to achieve weight balance and improve health.

15 (the devil): addiction, breast reduction, and reproductive surgery

surgeries that address addiction-related issues, such as gastric banding for overeating. but also reproductive surgery like a tubal ligation or vasectomy. any surgery where something big/open becomes small, constricted, snipped, or thinned.

16 (tower): trauma surgery

sudden upheaval, destruction, and revelation. this type of surgery is often performed in response to sudden, life-altering accidents or injuries, echoes the energies themes of sudden change and crisis.

17 (the star): reconstructive/plastic surgery

hope, healing, and renewal are themes of this energy - this surgery which restores form and function after trauma or illness, aligns with the themes of healing and rejuvenation.

18 (the moon): biopsies and tissue collections

biopsy involves extracting tissue to investigate potential issues, often when there’s uncertainty about a diagnosis or the presence of something hidden (like tumors or other abnormalities).

19 (the sun): pediatric surgery

performed on children and ensures their health and vitality, which connects with the energy's themes of life, energy, and well-being.

20 (judgment): organ transplant or some other life changing/saving surgery

life-saving surgeries, such as heart or organ transplants, can offer a second chance at life, reflecting the energy's themes of renewal and awakening.

21 (the world): making a full recovery or end-of-life care

surgeries that lead to a full recovery or decisions around end-of-life care align with the themes of closure and achieving a state of completeness found with this energy.

22 (the fool): exploratory surgery

represents the unknown. aligns with entering a medical situation without knowing what will be found.

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[bilgiarena]

Healthy - Platin

Introduction to healthy snacks and their importance in a balanced diet Healthy snacks play a crucial role in maintaining a balanced diet and promoting overall health. These snacks are typically nutrient-dense and provide essential vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that support optimal bodily functions. They are also low in added sugars, unhealthy fats, and artificial ingredients, making them a healthier alternative to processed snacks. By incorporating healthy snacks into our daily diet, we can ensure that our bodies receive the necessary nutrients to thrive. Benefits of including healthy snacks in daily diet Including healthy snacks in our daily diet offers numerous benefits. Firstly, they provide a steady source of energy throughout the day, preventing dips in blood sugar levels and helping to maintain focus and productivity. Additionally, healthy snacks can improve nutrient intake, as they often contain essential vitamins, minerals, and fiber that may be lacking in other meals. Snacking on nutritious foods can also help curb cravings for unhealthy options, reducing the likelihood of overeating or making poor food choices. Role of healthy snacks in weight management and overall health Healthy snacks can play a significant role in weight management and overall health. When chosen wisely, they can help control hunger and prevent overeating during main meals. Snacks that are high in fiber and protein can increase feelings of fullness and promote satiety, reducing the desire to consume excessive calories. Additionally, incorporating healthy snacks into a balanced diet can support weight loss efforts by providing essential nutrients while keeping calorie intake in check. Moreover, healthy snacks are often associated with the Mediterranean diet, keto diet which has been widely recognized for its numerous health benefits. This diet emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats, such as those found in nuts and seeds. Studies have shown that following a Mediterranean diet can help prevent heart disease, improve brain health, and reduce the risk of chronic diseases. By choosing healthy snacks that align with the principles of the Mediterranean diet, individuals can further enhance their overall health and well-being.

[otherwindow]

i cant find your angelic possessions post so what do you think an angelic possession would be like

For me, demons possess for their own benefit, but angels possess for the benefit of others.

Whereas demons fuck you up and make you look worse, angels try to improve your life (from the perspective of an entity that doesn't understand bodily functions and the human psyche).

Things that happen during angelic possession:

You need to pray. Your hands get colder, so you're forced to clasp them together in prayer for warmth.

You need to see God. The world shifts to accomodate crucifix imagery - sticks, stems, vines, and branches cross each other, cracks on pavement and walls form an x, and t shaped symbols appear in your home.

You need a community. Devout people are drawn to your presence, and any not associated with God are coincidentally pushed out of your life.

You need the joy of church. Food and drink only tastes like bread and wine now. Blinds, curtains, and shutters are left open when you know you closed them. Every light in the house turns on. You can't sleep - it's bright when you close your eyes.

All of the above gets worse on Sundays.

It's almost imposible to see at night.

Any changes you consented to your own body gradually revert against your will.

Tattoos melt away, leaving faint scars.

Medicines are violently rejected.

One day, you spit out feathers.

[cocosnocalcocoa]

vitamins & supplements i take as someone with a restrictive ed

i find that eating less and putting my body through certain stress affects a lot of mental and physical factors —like hair loss and brain fog— and studies show its usually because of vitamin deficiencies…

so this is what vitamins i take daily to make everyday life a little easier and to keep up with my health :)

morning/first meal of the day

vitamin C: immune system + skin elasticity

collagen: skin elasticity + hair + nails + muscle mass

biotin: self care^ + nervous system (only a few times a week because i find it causes my pores to grow larger if taken too frequently)

vitamin B complex: cell health + energy levels + digestion & appetite + brain function

vitamin D3: bone and muscle health + immune system

iron: red blood & cell health + energy levels + brain function

omega-3: brain function + cancer & other disease prevention

evening/before bed

magnesium: improved sleep + mood + energy levels

taking vitamins wont counteract or necessarily fix any serious damage being done to one’s body, but it is still very important to keep maintenance with one’s bodily needs!

[drdemonprince]

Heyyo - autist here who’s still figuring out my physical and emotional needs. I use weed every day, and part of me has shame around this (as I am a “professional” and supposedly it’s “bad for you”, and it costs money) and the other part of me says “fuck it, there’s no moral value in not using drugs and you should do what you need to”. I guess I’m wondering what perspectives you can offer on this. I’m ruminating on it a bit lately and need some outside people to share their thoughts to get me out of that cycle. Thnx

I find that I am a lot more in tune with my bodily sensations and emotions when I am high, and that I find it easier to enjoy things and to chat amiably with random people when I'm high too. It makes life easier and more pleasant to such an extent that I wonder if I ought to smoke weed daily to medicate all my Problems and Difficulties and general irritation at of most aspects of existence. But then I don't. Because I get freaked out by the brain foggy weed hangover that drifts into the next day, and I assume that it will be bad for my writing to be high, and perhaps most of all, because I am terrified of building up a really high weed tolerance and then needing to use a ton to feel anything, or to even return to a baseline.

A couple years back I tried out vaping almost nightly for a few months, and it definitely reached a point where simply *not* being high felt like being anxious, it seemed, so I decided pretty quickly to reduce my weed intake. I don't like NEEDING any substance to function or to just feel okay. so for now I keep it to the weekends. I often think of using weed more often than that, and kind of want to, but i don't.

The research on chronic long-term weed use is quite encouraging! There are no cognitive or motivational downsides to using weed every day, or even multiple times per day. Conversely, there are many emotional and psychological benefits. @testdevice and I discussed the latest scientific research on the subject at length here:

There's really only one rub to the study's findings: people who use weed multiple times per day have a baseline lower mood than people who use weed frequently, but not quite that often. NOW THIS IS NOT A CAUSAL RELATIONSHIP. Chronic heavy weed use is not CAUSING people to be more depressed -- it simply seems to be the case that people who are chronically depressed are reaching more frequently for weed to cope with it.

The study shows weed use does raise mood including for members of that group, so there really is no serious drawback to using marijuana here!

But It does align with a finding that I've made in my personal life: the moments when I want to use weed the most frequently are when something in my life is completely out of wack. When I'm super overworked and stressed out, the temptation is to use weed as a way to down-regulate my anxiety, but what actually works far better for me is taking actual steps to reduce stress in my life. I COULD use weed for depression or for failing to find life activities enjoyable, and it works, but it's also worth asking myself which aspects of my life need to change so that I can feel less depressed and get through the day feeling okay. negative emotions are a signal that something in life is going wrong and needs to be fixed, and I do not want to ignore that alarm system.

Those are just some things to think about. Personally, I think that if you have some ability to make choices in your life that can improve your general circumstances, it's better to do that than to use weed to make a life that sucks a little more tolerable. But if daily weed use is helping make your life better or less hard, the weed itself is not the problem!

Lots of people determine that daily weed use has considerable benefits for them with relatively few costs. For me, using a couple times per week is what hits that sweet spot. but ymmv.

[hyperlexichypatia]

In the 15 or so years that I’ve been actively involved in neurodivergent/Mad/disabled liberation, my perspective on “overdiagnosis” or “broadening the category of mental illness” has shifted a few times. 

At first, I uncritically agreed with what might be called the “mainstream, mad-lite” perspective that “broadening the category of mental illness” was a real thing worth objecting to – that doctors and schools were pathologizing emotions, traits, and behaviors that should rightfully fall under the range of “normal.” How terrible to pathologize grief, we said, when feeling pain and sadness at the loss of a loved one is perfectly normal! 

But by 2015, when the New York Times ran an article on pathologizing women’s emotions, I was sharply critical. I wrote this: 

This is the kind of thing I would've celebrated a few years ago as a baby neurodiversity activist. But now, please count me as completely over faux-revolutionary assertions that one, specific, particular group of people should not be pathologized. The argument essentially boils down to "Neurotypical women shouldn't be pathologized for being upset, because they have legitimate reason for being upset, unlike all those other hysterical, overreacting people who are upset for no good reason, who really need to be pathologized." I regard this the same way I do the endless spate of "ADHD isn't a real disease; it's just a label for people who are creative and misunderstood!" articles. No, ADHD isn't a disease, and no, ADHD-type people shouldn't be pathologized, but the emphasis on "isn't a REAL disease" implies "unlike those other neurological differences, which ARE real diseases." These articles and ideas are not inclusive or neurodiversity-positive. "The line between pathologized and non-pathologized people should be drawn in a different place" is not a radical argument. It serves to throw other pathologized people -- the so-called "actually disordered" or "seriously mentally ill" or "low-functioning" people from whom these arguments are so anxious to distance their subjects -- further under the bus. Furthermore, because the medical model conflates pathologization with entitlement to services, these arguments often actually throw even the people they argue to depathologize under the bus as well. Extreme emotional states shouldn't be pathologized in women (or in anyone), but many people who experience extreme emotional states choose to use medications or other medical services to manage them -- a choice that should be their right. Depathologization should not be used to deprive them of access to that choice. "You're not defective, so we know what's best for you" isn't actually that big an improvement over "You are defective, so we know what's best for you."

Now, 9 years later in 2024, I still stand by what I said in 2015. Arguing about where to draw the line between pathological and nonpathological, or how wide to make the circle of accepted normalcy, is a pointless and ultimately harmful argument. I have no interest in arguing “This group of people, specifically, shouldn’t be pathologized, because they’re not like that group of people, who should be pathologized.” No one should be pathologized – not the otherwise-neurotypical woman grieving a loss, and not the visibly neurodivergent person responding to stimuli no one else can perceive. We should settle for no less than acceptance for all; pathologization for none. 

But I also didn’t quite predict how far pathologization would reach in the following decade. 

I was thinking about this because, in a context completely unrelated to disability rights, I was thinking that liberalism as a mainstream ideology barely exists in the U.S. anymore. I expressed some of that concern here. “Freedom of speech, freedom of conscience, and bodily autonomy are generally, in and of themselves, good” is not a particularly mainstream idea. 

“But,” you might be thinking, “Aren’t you always saying that liberals who profess to believe those things don’t really believe them, and never have, because they don’t apply them to disabled people, poor people, young people, and other marginalized people?” And yes, I am always saying that. Universal liberalism – truly universal – has never been mainstream in the U.S., or anywhere in the world. As I said here, if you ask people “Should people have the right to…?” you will get a lot of “Yes, of course” answers, but if you ask “What about a child? What about an intellectually disabled person? What about an unmedicated-by-choice schizophrenic person?” the answer will switch to “I don’t mean them” or “That’s an exception.” There are Normal People who deserve basic human rights, and Pathologized People, who don’t. 

The trend I’m seeing now, though, is that the “normal” non-pathologized subject doesn’t exist. Everyone is some degree of pathologized. Neurotypical privilege is still very much in effect, and there is still a vast difference between those who are perceived as relatively neurotypical and those who don’t. “Everyone is a little bit [whatever]” or “No one is really normal” are ways of erasing and minimizing the very real neurotypical privilege, and corresponding neurodivergent oppression, that some people experience and some people don’t. Nevertheless, I’m seeing a real shift from “‘People’ by default means ‘normal’ neurotypical people, who deserve acceptance and freedom, but there are those ‘other’ people who don’t” to “No one is ever really ‘mentally healthy,’ so no one ever really deserves acceptance and freedom.” 

I talked a bit here about the premise that “Everyone needs therapy,” but I’m trying to think of the last time I actually saw that premise questioned. I’m thinking back trying to remember the last time I heard someone expressing the opinion “No, I don’t think you need therapy; I think that’s a normal thing, not a pathological thing.” 

I’m not saying a dividing line between pathologized and non-pathologized people was better! Not at all. And it was never absolute; non-pathologized people were always at risk of slipping into the pathologized category if they ever let their social conformity slip. As long as anyone is pathologized, everyone is at risk of being pathologized. 

But I’m saying that looking around, it feels like I wished for society to stop differentiating pathologized people from non-pathologized people, and the monkey’s paw gave me my wish. The argument “[Pathologized trait] isn’t that different from [non-pathologized trait]” isn’t effective, because there are no non-pathologized traits. Who, exactly, is considered “mentally healthy” or “emotionally mature” enough to be allowed to make decisions? Is anyone? If not, who is supposed to be in charge of us? Anybody with an audience who can successfully convince us that we’re “unhealthy” and need to be fixed, like the salesmen who convinced us that we all have a specific “attachment style”? I don’t know. I don’t know what the long-term effects of this cultural norm will be. Not good, to say the least. I know that it reminds me of certain strict, punitive strains of Christianity, with “trauma” taking the place of “original sin.” All have fallen short of the glory of Healing. But those people over there, they have fallen especially short. They need to be locked up. I know that the emphasis on relationships and interactions being “healthy” rather than respectful, consensual, and happy has pathologized a lot of respectful, consensual, happy relationships while allowing wildly disrespectful people to escape criticism because they’re “healthy.” I have no idea where universal-pathologization-culture is going, but I hope it’s not too late to turn it around. 

[nalyra-dreaming]

The hiatus is long, so do you think becoming a vampire would cure common things such as needing to wear glasses, asthma & similar? Are there instances of it in the books? Would becoming a vampire even cure blindness & deafness, presuming the human had eyes/ears?

If the organs would still be there and functioning it would work, yes, so far the lore.

But the blood does not replace organs, or body parts.

Those can be replaced, after, with the blood.

For example Maharet's eyes were removed - she then chose to replace them with her victim's eyes after she was turned. Those atrophied again and again, and she had to replace them, but they worked, meaning the brain connection worked. Until eventually she replaced them with a vampire's - and those did not need to be replaced. Fareed helped her with that.

In the later books Fareed also replaces a leg for Flavius.... also with another vampire's body part (they catch fitting other vampires, or turn a fitting mortal just to take the parts they need - they are not... squeamish that way 😣)

So yes, these replacements would work, and the blood cures more general illnesses if the organs needed (and the brain connection) still work. However, they seem to need input nonetheless, because Mekare's brain atrophied over the millennia she was locked away.

In the script for 2x08 there is a clear note that Daniel's hands had stopped shaking, so the blood had seemed to cure his Parkinson's too. When Lestat turns his mother she is about to die from consumption - but she is completely healed through the event. There are comments on how the vision changes and all bodily functions and sensations are improved and heightened.

So yes, the blood would cure... everything it can.

[sammylbir]

Rewriting Peko Pekoyama

Heya

So, it's time for another rewrite for a Danganronpa character. This one happened to be from my good friend @t-bird510 . We'll take a look at Peko Pekoyama. While I do not have any issues with her per-se, I do see room for improvement and so, we shall improve just that. Let's do this.

Personality:

Her personality remains largely the same, except with a few minor differences. While she does remain calm and collected, she actually is suffering from anxiety, thanks to her training of the clan. Fuyuhiko's parents put her through a tough regimen and ab!sed her, to toughen her up. Thanks to this, she is actually very anxious most of the time, but hides that thanks to some meditation exercises, in order to fully function during the day.

She meditates a lot for this exact reason, in order to cope with her past and trauma. It also allows her to not collapse at all, given how she barely sleeps, due to her duty as Fuyuhiko's guard. Another thing that does calm her down, is good food especially sweets. And she also has an affinity for bunnies and has a bunny plushie in her room. She barely indulges in those pleasantries though.

Peko only shows her vulnerable side around Fuyuhiko and those, she trusts.

Appearance:

I'll give Peko a more muscular built, but not as strong as the one I gave Akane. She is still very lean and has some hard abs, her body also having tons of scars, faded from her training. Instead of her school uniform, she wears a traditional white kimono, in order to appeal more formal and to hide her bodily scars. Her hair is also more tied into a ponytail, to give her a more elegant appearance.

She does not wear swimsuits at all and instead wears full body bathing suits, similar to the one Sonia wore in the main game.

Past:

Okay, so in this version, Peko's mother was actually in debt from the Kuzuryuus, thanks to a gambling addiction. And since she couldn't pay up, they took Peko away as a baby, as another form of payment and then chased her out of the city. The status of her mom is unknown and I'll leave it open, if she is alive or dead.

Also, in this version Fuyuhiko and his father don't get along at all, because Fuyuhiko often stood up for Peko, in order to protect her and he was criticized for it, being called soft and weak. Their relationship is as close as in canon.

Another thing I added, was that Peko uses certain enhancement formulas, made by a vendor (later revealed to be Kimura) in order to relieve some of her stress and to feel herself more useful towards Fuyuhiko. The drugs do make her stronger, but also more anxious. And the withdrawal symptoms are....unpleasant to say the least.

Other Notes:

-Peko's eyes are not actually red. They are contact lenses given to her by the clan, in order to look more menacing.

-She loves singing in her spare time.

-During training, she wears contact lenses, to not break her glasses.

-Her katana actually belonged to a rival gang member, which Fuyuhiko gifted to her, after she beat said gang member with a wooden sword.

And that's it. I hope ya liked this take of hers and if ya enjoy my silly ideas, feel free to reblog or like my content. See you and take care!

[stvrlightvngel]

Feminine Kitty Tips 😺

If there's one thing the world is obsessed with, its making women feel ashamed of their normal and natural bodily functions. I'm going to give you a no bullshit girl talk today about your private parts - what smells are normal, and when to see a doctor.

"Normal" kitty typically has a mild, slight musky smell that is unique to each individual. It is typically described as heady, with a slight sweet scent, but it's important to remember everyone's body varies, due to your diet & where you are in your cycle. If your kitty doesn't hurt, itch, or smell that makes you uncomfortable - you're probably normal.

If your kitty has a foul, strong, or "fishy" odor, it is likely a sign of infection or bacteria that has gotten out of hand. Despite the misogynistic memes, a kitty infection does not make you gross, dirty, or disgusting. It is a very common medical problem. See a doctor and they will be able to prescribe you medicine to get everything all cleared up!

Other Signs You Need To See A Doctor

Burning or Pain When Peeing

Swelling or Redness of the Lip Area

Bleeding Outside Of Your Cycle

Foul Smelling, Odd Colored Discharge

Happy, Healthy Kitty Tips

Do NOT use Summer Eve's products. Your kitty is a self-cleaning organ! You don't even need to use any kind of soap directly on your kitty. Washes and douches kill off the good bacteria your kitty needs to keep your pH balanced and to help fight infections. Use a mild, fragrance-free soap to clean the EXTERNAL are. Remember to clean from front to back.

Wipe from front to back when using the restroom.

Wear 100% cotton panties. Breathable fabrics, such as cotton, will improve air circulation, allowing you to be more comfortable.

Change out of wet clothes as quickly as possible. Especially after swimming or exercising. Changing out of wet clothes quickly prevents bacteria from growing that would otherwise lead to unpleasant odors.

Incorporate probiotics in your diet. Fermented foods like yogurt and kimchi are rich in probiotics, which promotes a healthy balance of bacteria in the body. This makes infections less likely while improving scent.

Change your sanitary pads and tampons often. Changing your menstrual products often will help avoid the build up of odor causing bacteria.

[karin-miyoshi]

Do you think yuyuyu is ableist?

sheesh, talk about a loaded question

definitely opens up a lot of rabbit holes. ill give my opinion, but note im not the most educated on the subject itself so giving a definite answer is outside my scope.

ill put a read below, but for me, i personally think it isnt, but can be easily misinterpreted as is on a surface level.

tldr, ableism is discrimination towards those with disabilities.

the character in question most of the time when it comes to these topics is tougou, who uses a wheelchair in season 1 due to losing function in her legs. there are never any distasteful jokes made about this, and the show constantly shows various handicap friendly services throughout the show. something even more surprising is that these are never the core focus of the scene or pointed out, its always well integrated into the world as if it were normal (important).

just skimming through s1, we have:

wheelchair assistance integration for both cars and stairs

special swim courses for the disabled, not separated from the rest of the class

beach wheelchairs and separate assistants

now while we can assume a lot of these were due to her previous service as washio sumi, i dont think that would really be fair to the production team putting these in, and it really feels like theres a lot more heart than "yeah we put these for the big shock value realization later on". even after regaining function in her legs near the end of the season, tougou's priority was always towards yuuna and her recovery.

onto the next topic, which is the show taking away and then returning these characters functions throughout. whats important to consider here is what is considered tragic, is it the characters living without these certain functions, or is it the act of losing these functions themselves?

"It'll definitely improve. I mean, we haven't done anything wrong." (Fuu, s1ep9) again, no distasteful jokes made about their disabilities, and fuu even plays it off with her sick eyepatch. her worries instead stem from the loss of itsuki's dream, in the form of her no longer being able to sing. thats the key factor here, being punished for doing what is right, losing the ability to do what you could do before, losing the memories of the time you spent with your friends. (thats another thing i see with a lot of these arguments, they always bring up physical disabilities, but ive never seen one actually talk about ones regarding memory, arguably the most precious thing to them). tougou flat out doesnt remember sonoko at all despite being comrades in arms before, and understandably freaks out that the same might happen with her and yuuna.

now, understandably, the ending to s1 seemed super rushed, and them getting their bodily functions back seemed rather sudden. this put a lot of people off, and was really only explained in s2, which many didnt watch.

people should be allowed to grieve if they lose something important to them, and should be allowed to be happy if they get it back. personally, i dont think people realize the weight of their words when they say, "oh i wish karin wouldve stayed deaf, itd be really cool to see the club members learning sign language for it" or "yuuna in a wheelchair was really cute, i wish we saw more of it." yeah its a cool idea i guess, maybe something to see while theyre stil recovering, but forever? in a chase to see more representation, i hope they realize what they are wishing onto others eventually (even if fictional). while many with disabilities are satisfied with their life, they should be able to wish for better if they wanted to, its not like theyd wish their circumstances on anyone else, right? shouldnt the same apply here, to the girls who've actually lived both with and without disabilities?

just my two cents, hope this wasnt too hard to read! theres a lot more i could write up, especially regarding sonoko, but thats a whole other discussion i should probably save for another time

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

By: Aaron Kimberly

Published: Dec 18, 2021

Between 1995-2006 I was a part of the butch lesbian community. During those years, despite my life-long and sometimes intense gender dysphoria, I hadn’t given any serious thought to medically transitioning. It wasn’t even on my radar as a possibility until after 2000. The idea of medically transitioning seemed fringe, far-fetched, and risky.

Most of the butches I knew also had gender dysphoria (GD) or rather, Gender Identity Disorder (GID), as it was called then. Many butches I knew in Winnipeg, Halifax, Toronto, and later Vancouver, were strong, stoic people. I admired many of them. I know that their lives weren’t always easy, but they carried themselves with dignity. They had butch “brotherhood” and femmes who adored them. Many were “stone” which meant that their GID made it difficult for them to relate to their female anatomy so didn’t allow themselves to be touched by anyone, or rarely. They were often harassed and abused for being masculine women, as I was. It was often stressful using female public washrooms, because our gender ambiguity made people so uncomfortable. There was a term “butch bladder” to reference the ways we’d avoid using bathrooms in public.

In the early-mid 2000s, more and more FTMs were appearing in the community, alongside the butches. Many lesbian spaces welcomed them, some didn’t. It seemed to me at the time that butches were presented with two options: we could choose to be butches, or we could choose to be FTM “trans guys”. Why people chose one or the other...that was very individual and personal. It really came down to which option solved a problem and made life easier. The problem could be homophobic parents, fatigue from being harassed, differing degrees of dysphoria and bodily discomfort, not understanding what GID is, poor social or occupational functioning, trauma, other mental health challenges like depression or the anxiety that seemed inevitable for us. Some transitioned but still identified as butch women. They chose medical interventions to look more masculine, not to identify as men. Some trans guys said they never had GID at all. I don’t know what their motivations for transitioning were. Some said “political reasons”. There were some who were big fans of Queer Theory icons like Judith Butler and Judith Halberstam. Those women adopted male personas - intentional “female masculinity” - as an expression of Queer Theory, not to be men/male. I chose to transition soon after a gay man was beaten to death in a nearby park.

If kids with gender dysphoria today are anything like who we were 20 years ago, I feel saddened by their trajectory. Others see benefits: Access to medical interventions has been made easier. They no longer have to do a “real-life test” (live their life as the opposite sex for 2 years without medical assistance). They don’t have to go through months or years of therapy and assessment. More is now known about the effects and risks of hormones. The surgeries have improved, are easier to access and now paid for by insurance. (I paid for my own mastectomy out of pocket, and was on the SRS surgery waitlist for 10 years.)

But, what have we done? Have we eliminated all of the conditions for why a butch girl would find their innate masculinity hard to live with? Have we made the lives of butch women better and safer? Have we eliminated homophobic families, communities, employers, clinicians and policies? Are we educating young people what gender dysphoria is, in evidence-based terms, supporting them to integrate that into a healthy identity and self-image? Do we tell masculine girls how attractive they are? Do they have an abundance of healthy role models? Are they fully embraced and integrated into their workforces, educational settings, faith communities… or, are butches still getting weird looks from strangers? Are they still getting yelled at in public bathrooms? Are young, obnoxious young men still yelling slurs out their car windows as they drive by a butch woman? Do gender non-conforming women still fear for their lives in some places? Can they get Brandon Teena out of their heads? Can they travel the world freely? Can they find clothing they like that fits their bodies well?

I’m not convinced we’ve made any real progress at all. I think we’ve just made it easier for people to jump ship, younger and faster, and gave it a different spin. We now call that “self-actualization”. We’ve facilitated a better illusion. We’ve convinced more and more people that the illusion is real. We continue to push for better surgeries. Penile and uterine transplants are on the horizon. Young people are flooding into clinics. They can’t keep up with the demand. Activists have pushed Queer Theory as an explanation for our difference, displacing evidence-based clinical definitions of GID/GD. It’s no longer talked about as a condition that requires treatment but a natural human variation that requires affirmation in whatever form we demand (often life-long medicalization). I’ve travelled that road to its end, and its hurt just as much as it’s helped.

The surgeries available to FTMs right now are awful. A double mastectomy and phalloplasty or metoidioplasty are gruesome procedures to go through. The US surgeon I went to for metoidioplasty boasts low complication rates, but the anecdotal evidence I’ve witnessed (myself and everyone I know who had the procedure there and elsewhere) is close to a 100% complication rate. One guy at the surgical recovery centre I stayed at started to hemorrhage and was laying on the floor unable to reach the call bell when another FTM patient found him and advocated for him to be rushed to hospital. Fistulas and strictures are the most common problem. I chose metoidioplasty because it’s thought to be the less risky of the two options. I immediately developed two large fistulas (meaning that my urethra burst open in two places) that needed additional surgery to repair. I couldn’t bathe or go swimming for a year until those openings were repaired. I have chronic perineum pain, altered bowel function due to changes in my pelvic muscles, and no sensation in most of my chest. When we have complications, local physicians and surgeons don’t know what to do. So we have to wait, and travel to whoever can help.

Listen, I don’t doubt that sometimes medical transition is helpful for people. It’s not my place to say they can’t or shouldn’t. But let’s not sell this like it’s a Disney park ride. The marketing of everything trans is ridiculously misleading. Don’t put sparkles and rainbows over real pain as though that helps at all. It’s insulting.

If we really want to help these kids, we need to make it easier for lesbian kids. Butch kids. All gender non-conforming kids. The quirky and awkward kids. Kids who feel they don’t fit it. Let’s get better at working with parents and preserving families. Be honest about what medical transition is really about. No one really changes biological sex and these procedures are really hard to go through. Why are we putting all of our resources into escaping brutality rather than eliminating brutality? We’re cutting up our bodies because our lived reality is worse. Why do we celebrate that?

Medical transition is but one option for those with GD. We need to reclaim our understanding of GD as a condition so that we can have reality based-conversations and solve real personal and social problems. “Trans” as a concept, masks many underlying issues. A queer theory-based understanding of myself worsened my GD. Medical transition became an addiction. The illusion only works if we’re lucky enough to pass and everyone else plays along perfectly. It’s an exhausting game of whack-a-mole to dodge the reminders of my female past and female biology. How is that kind of dissociation desirable? Some people may benefit from medically transitioning, but we still need a reality-based understanding of ourselves, to keep our feet on the ground.

Our children deserve better. If this sounds transphobic to you, you’re a part of the problem. Owning our reality for what it is isn’t self-hatred. It’s self-acceptance. Having different ideas and a different vision of how to move forward isn't hatred. Hatred was the skinheads who circled around us at the small 1992 Winnipeg gay and lesbian march, long before Pride was a parade. Hatred was the men who drove from the suburbs into Vancouver with the intent to "kill a fag" and murdered Aaron Webster in Stanley Park. I’m well acquainted with phobia. This isn't phobia. This is love.

[wishcamper]

Gone Baby Gone: birth control and the ethics of risky sex

CW: abortion, sexual violence.

Creds: licensed counselor with expertise in addiction, trauma, and gay stuff. Experience with tx exclusively for pregnant people and young parents with addictions.

Okay class! Today we’ll be talking about abortion oh my god don’t run away I’ll make it worth your while I promise.

Firstly, a disclaimer: I’m not interested in debating whether abortion should be legal/allowed/is moral or immoral. The research bears out, unequivocally, that access to comprehensive reproductive and family planning options improves everyone’s lives (1). And again, not actively anti-SJM or any characters, just exploring themes and what they say about us.

It’s so funny to me that NO one liked the pregnancy plot line in ACOSF, whether they love or hate or are indifferent (me) to Rhysand. And I think that’s because we, the largely femme audience engaging with the material, recognize the strings of violence weaved into it, possibly not even consciously but on a deep, bodily, instinctual level.

The 2007 crime drama Gone Baby Gone centers on a conversation about motherhood, parenting fitness, and what society owes to children. Beneath that though, and I believe unintentionally, is another story about pregnancy-capable people’s autonomy and the cycle of oppression around reproductive rights.

I’m going to spoil the movie for you - I don’t want you to watch it because Casey Affleck is a creep, and it’s not that good anyway. There’s a whole mystery plot, but the basics are: drug addict Helene’s daughter Amanda is kidnapped, then later thought to be killed but they never find her body. Casey Affleck, Boy Detective uncovers a scheme by two rogue cops to fake Amanda’s death and kidnap her because they think Helene isn’t a good mom. And they’re kind of right; once Amanda comes home, Helene is an incredibly neglectful mother, and the movie wants you to go woahhh, maybe those murdering unethical cops were right after all!

Sure, Jan.

The movie ends with the lead character wondering if Helene, for whom he’s literally killed people to bring her child back, is even fit to raise Amanda in the first place, even interested. And here’s where I feel complicated, because on one hand - yes, this is your child, and she’s completely innocent in all this and doesn’t deserve abuse and neglect. AND what were this women’s other options? Does anyone ask? Living in deeply Catholic working class Boston, did she have access to birth control? Could she have gotten an abortion? Would her culture (and her internalization of it) even allow her to entertain that option? Could she perhaps be using substances because of the circumstances of her life over which she has no control? (See Nesta, Interrupted for more on that.)

So I ask myself: what does it mean in our culture, as a person who can become pregnant, to have sex with someone who can impregnate you? What happens when your body becomes the battlefield on which larger conflicts are played out?

I’ve been thinking on these question a lot recently because my IUD is about to expire and my doctor recommended a back up method while I wait to get a new one. This has prompted my husband and me go farther into the kids conversation and consider not just what it would mean for me to get pregnant on purpose or accidentally, but what it would mean for me to get pregnant here. Where we live, abortion is technically legal but functionally impossible to find. Even for a wanted pregnancy, if it became life-threatening I might have extremely limited options.

This makes any sex inherently risky for me. IUDs failure rates range from 0.3% to 2.3%, but that still means as few as 3 in 1000 and as many as 2-3 in 100 users still get pregnant. And IUDs significantly raise the likelihood of medically dangerous pregnancies if a fetus is conceived (2). The long odds are somewhat comforting, but if I were to have an ectopic or other life-threatening pregnancy complication, I can’t trust that my local doctors would be able to save my life, legally. 

And we have talked about how we both feel strongly: it’s my life first. My husband says he would rather have me, and he would rather any children of ours have me, too. And there’s this sort of sick sense of gratitude I feel, because that is, to me, the only answer, but it feels like such a kindness nonetheless.

So we get to ACOSF (you forgot this was about ACOTAR, right? Me too.). When they decided to start trying to get pregnant, Rhys had to know the risk was there. My boy, you are half Illyrian. Even without Feyre being Mystique, get out your punnet square and do the math. Your baby always had a 25% chance of having wings. Conception was always risky. I refuse to believe he didn’t know that, and it was irresponsible of him to not inform her, a person who only entered his world like two years ago.

Then they conceive a baby with wings that, as far as they know, she has no way of safely delivering. If that’s true, why couldn’t Feyre have an abortion? I’m serious. They found out very early the baby had wings. It’s not unlike an ectopic pregnancy, or even a very small person becoming pregnant. Adolescent mothers (age 10-19) (god it feels gross to type that) are at much higher risk for conditions like eclampsia, endometritis, and systemic infections, not to mention fetal complications (3). Regardless of the details, Feyre’s body is not equipped to handle this pregnancy, and yet they never seem to explore the option of terminating it.

Which begs the question: did Feyre even know abortion was an option? Is it an option in Prythian?

In my opinion, probably. If the fae have contraception (let’s not even get into STDs and the ’they have magical healing’ BS), they must have abortion. The first record of an induced abortion was on an Egyption Papyrus around 1600BC, though the practice likely well predates that. The Ancient Greeks drove a plant to extinction for its abortifacient properties (4). And even when banned, people find ways, because they have to. Reproductive health has long been of importance to pregnancy-capable people for reasons of safety, resources, and survival. 

At the end of the day, Feyre is allowed to carry a pregnancy to term that she knows will kill her. That’s her right to bodily autonomy being exercised freely, and I will never begrudge her that. But imagine if abortion were an open option for her, and she knew the birth would kill her, and then Rhys. Knowing that, what do you think she’d choose? To die, bringing her mate along with her, and leave her child parentless, if they even survive? I really struggle to see that. Feyre loves hard, and knows what it’s like to grow up with extreme neglect. I cannot imagine her condemning a child to the same circumstance she found so damaging. But Rhys doesn’t tell her, forbids anyone else to, and possibly robs her of the ability to terminate the pregnancy. And also Madja, I don’t forgive her either for glossing over it. Girl needs to retake her boards.

In the beginning of my career, I worked at an inpatient substance use treatment center that was specifically for pregnant people and mothers with young children. They were allowed to bring two kids under the age of 5. I could write a million words about the flaws in that place, but it was at least something. In working with these people, the same themes came up over and over:

They wanted to get jobs but couldn’t afford childcare. 

Caring for children kept them isolated from support networks and financially strapped.

The daily maintenance and self-focus of sobriety felt at odds with being responsible for children. Ironically, that neglect of self often created the perfect conditions for relapse.

Children kept them tethered, legally and/or personally to abusive partners.

They received extreme judgment, even while seeking help, for “doing this to their children”.

They did not have adequate access to reproductive autonomy, whether financially, from religious beliefs, or otherwise.

This evidence is purely anecdotal, but I do think it speaks to the larger cycle of covert violence and policing of women and pregnancy-capable people’s bodies. It is well-documented that lack of reproductive freedom has a direct negative effect on mental health and wellbeing of people of child -bearing age (5). There is also a much larger intersection to this conversation when it comes to race, class, and the systemic oppression of people of color via reproductive restriction, but Feyre is privileged in the ACOTAR world for the most part so this doesn’t touch her. She doesn’t have to wonder if she can afford a baby, or if her husband is going to be racially profiled and taken to jail or just straight up murdered by law enforcement. (and this is not to downplay the experiences Rhysand have, that Sarah doesn’t give us, being a mixed race man, more so that he is in an extreme position of power.)

I think it’s a shame we didn’t get to explore this in ACOSF with Cassian and Nesta. They jump in the sack even after learning Nesta’s body could not handle an Illyrian baby. No amount of ‘the monthly aid’ justifies not having an honest and thorough conversation about what having sex means before they sleep together. Cassian must feel real confident in the birth control options of Prythian to be spreading his soldiers around so willy nilly. And I just hope, for all their sakes, that he’s right.

Ibis Reproductive Health and Center for Reproductive Rights, “Evaluating Priorities: Measuring Women’s and Children’s Health and Well-being against Abortion Restrictions in the States,” (2017).

Kim SK, Romero R, Kusanovic JP, Erez O, Vaisbuch E, Mazaki-Tovi S, Gotsch F, Mittal P, Chaiworapongsa T, Pacora P, Oggé G, Gomez R, Yoon BH, Yeo L, Lamont RF, Hassan SS. The prognosis of pregnancy conceived despite the presence of an intrauterine device (IUD). J Perinat Med. 2010;38(1):45-53. doi: 10.1515/jpm.2009.133. PMID: 19650756; PMCID: PMC3418877.

World Health Organization: WHO. (2023, June 2). Adolescent pregnancy. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/adolescent-pregnancy#:~:text=Adolescent%20mothers%20(aged%2010%E2%80%9319,birth%20and%20severe%20neonatal%20condition.

Muvs - Abtreibung in der Antike. (n.d.). https://muvs.org/en/topics/termination-of-pregnancy/abortion-in-antiquity-en/

Liu SY, Benny C, Grinshteyn E, Ehntholt A, Cook D, Pabayo R. The association between reproductive rights and access to abortion services and mental health among US women. SSM Popul Health. 2023 May 12;23:101428. doi: 10.1016/j.ssmph.2023.101428. PMID: 37215399; PMCID: PMC10199416.

[nohoperadio]

I'm starting to approach normal physical functioning again, I'm fairly sure this illness is nearly over, which is good of course.

I feel a bit melancholy coming out of it though. It made me pause my PT exercises and a couple of other young habits-in-progress I had going, now I've got to summon motivation to start off those chains again almost as if I'd never started them to begin with, which is frustrating. I think that's a lot of it. Also taking those sick days was obviously necessary but the time off is more enjoyable in theory than in practice, mostly I feel the same sense of having wasted time that I get when I spend my normal days off lounging in bed doing not much of anything, the fact that it happened to be because I couldn't physically do much else makes very little difference to that emotionally.

I've been eating regular meals since the second day but mostly small and bland ones, that's probably doing something to my mood I guess. Had a bit of actual appetite today so that's improving albeit still below normal.

I feel like it's thrown me off my tumblr posting stride a bit too, normally I'd have thought of two or three today. What did I even post about before I started posting about bodily symptoms....

[ellohallohiya]

District 1 Headcannons

Kind of unorganized so sorry about that. This is really just a blurb to get all my random headcannons out of the top of my head

Also some topics may get dark and uncomfortable (it's Panem sorry) so if you don't feel safe reading, don't? Thank you for watching out for yourself

INDUSTRY

District 1 is divided into artisans, performers, and factories

Artisans have a wide range of things like glassblowing, gem cutting, woodworking, sculpting, painting, etc.

Performers are usually singers, dancers, musicians, gymnasts, athletes, courtesans, and more

Factories mass produce luxury items (such as sunglasses or bags) that are later usually customized and extra decorated

There are also factories that produce plastic, rubber, similar materials, and recycle them

Types of artisans and performers are separated into 'guilds' to specialize

This is usually chosen out from the kids' performance in these activities that could be seen as beneficial in their specific subindustry

Often times the skill is passed through family so they do that

Rarely they get to choose the subindustry they be in

Most of the time they enjoy it to a degree, since usually talent correlates with passion. They kind of hate it after deadlines and pressures and being forced to make works they don't even like

Performers are usually tough trained from a young age and are strictly conditioned

Performers usually travel to the Capitol to entertain them. There's usually circuses or big groups of them who perform and travel together for best synergy and performance

They kind of are like family (similar to the Covey and other traveling groups)

Courtesans are fancy prostitutes (usually being bought and belonging to only one person instead of being tossed around in the streets from person to person)

Courtesans are mostly children sold by their parents for high prices(there's sadly a good amount of this since there's only one orphanage in the District)

These children are sold into three (main?) categories, sex trafficking, personalized avox/slave, and organ harvesting

After the children are sold they look at their genetics to see if they'll grow up to be naturally attractive, have more strength capabilities, have healthier/better functioning organs

Depending on their attributes they get sorted

A good amount of Capitolites wouldn't like a former criminal to be their avox (some of them like the novelty of having a war prisoner as an avox but some Capitolites are afraid they might revolt or fight back)

At a higher price, one can buy an avox from District 1 who wasn't a criminal, and was specially trained (for an ever longer time than average) to be a servant

They usually have better cooking, cleaning, managing, driving skills, etc.

Some Capitolites like to personalize their avox by giving them bodily adjustments/attachments. Really just modifying them to their aesthetic

Organ harvesting has to happen somewhere in Panem (especially with a country so corrupt) It happens in all the Districts, and even the Capitol, though mostly in District 1 where the population is on the higher end, but the valued/well-off population is very low

Used for a variety of things such as organ replacements for elite Capitolites, scientific research, mutt experimentation, and display (for people like Gaul)

Anyways it's usually the factory workers who end up losing their jobs, and their homes, and their everything who end up resorting to selling their children

I imagine the divide between artisans and performers/factory workers is similar to town/seam but worse

Factory workers can't really improve on their situation since they don't get practice or training for anything so unless they have a natural talent they stay in their spot

Most of them lose their jobs due to District 3's technology getting better, meaning they need less and less workers

That's it for now! I'll get into the propaganda and the career academy headcannons soon (hopefully)

Also, I have started a fic that's centered around District 1 right now. I'll try to include culture and norms into the story! But my writing is beginnerish and quite incompetent, so any comments, criticism, and compliments will be loved!

(I update incredibly slow and more so due to a new school year so sorry)

[expulence]

Fix these things or NOTHING in your life will EVER go right!!!

In 1943, American psychologist, Abraham Maslow proposed a hierarchy of needs in his paper "A Theory of Human Motivation" in the journal Psychological Review. It is a classification system intended to reflect the universal needs of society at large and as individuals. This is a great tool to use if you are struggling with gaining a sense of direction and deciding which aspect of your ascension needs more attention than another.

But anyway~

What I actually want to focus on is the most important needs on Maslow's Hierarchy, and those are the Physiological Needs.

"What are physiological needs?" you ask. Well, they are biological requirements for Human survival. Or rather, what you body needs so that you don't drop dead. A conclusive list of physiological needs is hard to find but we shall focus on four: food, water, sleep and air.

Food 🥗

Does the importance of sustenance need to be stated? Probably not, but here you go anyway. As one of the basic necessities of life, food contains nutrients, which are essential for the growth, repair, as well as maintenance of body tissues & for the regulation of vital processes. These nutrients provide your body the energy it NEEDS TO FUNCTION!!

So following a nutritious diet is a non-negotiable. 🙅‍♀️

Water💧

Apart from occasionally quenching your thirst and aiding in keeping you clean on a daily basis, water serve several vital roles regarding your bodily functions. It helps your body to maintain a normal temperature whether you ingest it or submerge yourself in it. (So swimming on a hot day will do you good). It lubricates & cushions joints for ease of movement, protects your spinal cord as well as other sensitive tissues, & removes of waste from the body through urination, perspiration, and bowel movements.

So are you convinced now? 🚰

Sleep 🛌

First of all, what is sleep? It's a normal bodily process wherein you body and brain rest in order to regain energy, promote growth & repair of the tissues. Major benefits of good sleep include the improvement of your brain performance, mood, & health. Studied have suggested that prolonged sleep deprivation have a greater impact on life expectancy than smoking. YIKES. Not getting enough quality sleep on a regular basis increases the risk of various diseases & disorders. These range from heart disease & stroke to obesity & dementia.

So get you rest ladies. 💤

Air 🌬

Air is arguably the most important component for the survival of life on Earth. We need air to breathe. The oxygen present in air is necessary for the respiration of living beings and the carbon dioxide present in air is important for the plants to go through the process of photosynthesis. Considering the importance of air for our mere survival, it is no surprise that poor air quality is severely detrimental to our health. It cause wheezing or difficulty breathing. Irritation and inflammation of the respiratory tract (coughing) Shortness of breath, especially during physical activity. Aggravation of existing asthma, heart and lung conditions.

So do your best to avoid poor air, and improve the air quality in you living and work spaces. 🧘‍♀️

Take care of yourself first. You can't pour from an empty cup.🍶💐

[loominggaia]

(The following article is a bit spoilery, but I've been working on this stupid concept for years and I just want to post it already. Still not happy with the design, but I can tweak it some more in the future. Since Ojio is a sci-fi geek, I wanted to give his invention a hokey retro futurist/anime flair.)

CHROMIGHT MECHASKEMA

OVERVIEW

The ChroMight Mechaskema(™) is a device invented by Ojio Paramonimos, founder of Chromight Technologies. It is a robotic body-augmentation that is custom tailored to its user. The mechanical framework permanently interfaces with the user’s nerves and organs, enhancing all bodily functions. Mr. Paramonimos himself describes it as “a mechanical shell”.

Once connected with the Mechaskema(™), users experience increased strength and speed, enhanced senses, and various other abilities which can be customized with modules, such as flight and water-breathing.

The Mechaskema(™) draws power from the user’s own energy reserves, meaning the user must eat more calories to accommodate extra power draw. Additional modules will draw even more power, and at a certain point it becomes impossible for the user to keep the device powered on calories alone. In these cases, additional power sources such as petrol, arcane crystals, or batteries must be used.

BENEFITS

Mechaskema(™) users (also known as “chromen” or “chromies”) enjoy a wide range of benefits from their mechanical parts. The device efficiently recycles calories into energy, eliminating the need to defecate altogether. Its blood purification system can filter disease and improve healing speeds, and may even allow the user to eat toxic materials with little to no harm.

The device can also slow the body’s aging process, but how much depends on which modules are used. This enables short-lived species such as trolls and minotaurs to enjoy longer lifespans. The device can also compensate for missing limbs and failing organs, effectively acting as a life-support system for sick users and allowing them to function normally.

In addition, the devices allow users to bypass the need for sleep using supplemental energy sources, giving them more waking hours for productivity or recreation.

Mechaskemas(™) are available in 2 models: basic and ultra.

The basic model offers many benefits and customization options, but is less powerful than the ultra model and cannot support as many modules. Its design is less invasive, leaving more of the user's flesh exposed and bodily functions unaltered. It may interact with some organs and other body parts, but not all of them.

The ultra model offers maximum benefits to the user and many slots for modules, but its heavy power draw can prove burdensome and even dangerous to the user if not managed properly. This model requires a supplemental power source to function, such as a battery. It is highly invasive, as it interacts with every part of the user's body.

SIDE EFFECTS

Mechaskemas(™) are a permanent body augmentation. Because they interface so heavily with the user’s biology, removing them is a fatal process. This also means that the user is at the mercy of the device’s core mechanisms, and should any of these mechanisms fail, the user may die or suffer severe biological damage. Broken mechanisms must be fixed or replaced promptly, but they are expensive, and this can only be done by skilled technicians.

Not everyone is a good candidate for a Mechaskema(™). The ideal user is a biologically mature adult, financially upper class, and technologically savvy. They should never plan to travel far from a ChroMight Technologies repair center, in case of a critical mechanism failure. The devices utilize several materials that are forbidden by the Nymph Pact, meaning chromen will struggle to survive in Great Kingdoms where the pact is in effect, and may be banned from those territories altogether.

Mechaskemas(™)  depend entirely on a power source. Calories, arcane energy, solar, petrol, or electricity are all options depending on the user’s model, but when these sources are not available, the device will begin consuming the user’s body. Allowing the device to run out of power leads to serious consequences, such as permanent bodily damage and even death.

In addition to food, the devices also require water to function properly. More advanced models require more water, which they utilize for cooling and other systems. Becoming dehydrated causes the device to malfunction and will lead to the user’s death if it is not corrected promptly.

Chromen experience increased hunger and thirst as a result of their mechanically-augmented bodies. Using supplemental power sources and water-management modules can mitigate these side effects.

The Mechaskemas(™) are mechanical devices, and as such they require maintenance. Regular oiling, polishing, and tune-ups will keep them functioning optimally, but failing to take care of these machines will lead to poor performance and possibly death to the user.

Over time, users will become more and more dependent on their devices to survive as their bodies begin to atrophy. Older users experience a phenomenon known as “module creep”, where they require more modules to keep themselves alive as time goes on.

Mechaskemas(™) are not free, nor are their power sources, replacement parts, modules, or maintenance. In fact these things are all quite expensive, so choosing to become a chroman is not a decision to be taken lightly. At a certain point, a chroman’s survival becomes entirely dependant on how much money they have for repairs.

MODULES

Each new Mechaskema(™) comes equipped with a set of standard features, depending on whether it’s a basic or ultra model. If users want more features, they must purchase modules. Modules are extra parts that attach to the device and enable more features. Each module draws additional power, and more sophisticated modules draw even more.

Some smaller modules can be added and removed without consequence. Others are more invasive and cannot be removed without killing the user.

Modules can perform a virtually endless number of functions. Each one falls under a broad category, and these categories include: Health, Utility, Defense, Energy, and Miscellaneous.

The following is a list of popular modules from each category:

HEALTH: Blood detoxifier, pacemaker, aging deceleration, synthetic womb, pain blocker

UTILITY: Enhanced strength, optical zoom lens, speed boosters, lights, artificial gills, wings, jetpack

DEFENSE: Armor plates, blades, guns, spikes, spell magnifier

ENERGY: Water tanks, fuel tanks, water vaporizer, fuel burner, solar panels, battery slots

MISCELLANEOUS: Radio, calculator, voice modulator, sexual enhancers, cosmetic modifications

CULTURE

Mechaskemas(™) are a novel technology in the world of Looming Gaia, and public opinion on them varies wildly. Some staunchly disapprove, viewing them as an insult to nature, and believe they will lead to allkind’s demise. Others support the technology, believing it can change many lives for the better.

Currently the devices are only available in Zareen Empire, but ChroMight CEO Ojio Paramonimos wishes to expand this technology to foreign lands in the future. Critics argue that chromen become entirely dependant on the company’s technology, and must keep surrendering more and more money to ChroMight Technologies as they become more dependent on their devices. Because of this, the company faces frequent protests and media scrutiny.

However, many corporations and even world militaries are very interested in Paramonimos’ creation, and have invested in his research in hopes that they can benefit from this novel tech in the future.

Mr. Paramonimos is under immense political, ethical, and financial pressure from all sides, and while his invention could possibly lead to disaster, he claims his only intention is to create a better future for allkind. He believes the marriage of flesh and machine will open the door to a safer, cleaner, and smarter tomorrow.

*

Questions/Comments?

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