#its important cause its in person and ill have to take a two and a half hour trainride up to the city and

[feketeribizli]

guys... if they said theyll send over the details of the interview but havent yet and its tomorrow and i write an email about it do i look cool and serious or lame and desperate... help help help

[str8aura-no-not-that-one]

right, so heres the story idea, im really tired so im just gonna say it. idk what ill do with it. no magazine or website will take it

a guy comes back to his place after a day at work to find his roommate is currently dying of inexplicable causes. roommate explains that he just had the secrets of the universe beamed into his head, and is now hyper aware that not only is the cycle of reincarnation real, but he personally was an outlier in a chain of rabbit reincarnations wherein a wild rabbit's soul was accidentally placed into a human's body and lived several decades without realizing, aside from severe depression and a lack of fulfillment in life (was supposed to be running from predators instead of working). the universe is now trying to correct its mistake by forcibly evicting his soul from its body, and he's torn halfway between the adult human body and rabbit fetus body so he can say goodbye

the two suddenly remember theyve been waiting on the new Bacon Blast burger from [chain place] for several months, and they agree that roommate will fight to keep his soul in his human body for as long as he can, postponing his reincarnation until they can fulfill his last human wish to taste the burger. so they head out on the highway and make for the nearest [chain place]

along the way, as hes fighting the urge to slip out of his humanity and lose his intelligence entirely, roommate reveals to guy that the burger wasnt actually that important to him when he first heard, but hes been surviving his cosmic mistake of a life by finding one single thing in the upcoming months to look forward to, then quickly repeating once he gets that thing so the despair and crushing boredom doesnt have time to set in. To this end, he's heavily romanticized this burger and is willing to do anything to get it

when they finally arrive at [chain place] and order, roommate takes one bite of the burger and decides its shit. absolute ass. but then he realizes that his friend was willing to move heaven and earth to make sure roommate got his last wish, and even if hes not going to miss humanity or even remember guy, roommate was still blessed to have this small flicker of happiness in an otherwise passionless life. with this realization, roommate passes away, dying in his booth seat, and is reborn as a rabbit in a far off field, leaving his friend with the check

what do yall think

[gotham-daydreams]

Oh my god due to the recent Alfred ask it makes me wonder and scream at the thought if there has ever been a moment when Reader asked Alfred if there's something else they can call him. Like DAD perhaps...(and this can go for different routes and so many juicy things, but ill get into that later).

But since the backstory is up to us, I like to think the Reader has a bio family which was questionable(maybe I'm projecting), so they never had a good track record with their dad and then Bruce adopted them and we know that didn't end well.

So when they ask Alfred if there's something else they can call him ( a lil show that they do see him closer than anyone and that he's important to us.) We could have gone back and forth with him talking about what to call him and stuff when we jokingly say something along the lines of "maybe not Dad since my track record with such isn't the best." Maybe they open up to Alfred about how their family/ life was before they were adopted by the batfam. Maybe even admit they can't see anyone as a dad figure after them (😭), so the thought is uncomfy for them( this hits in so many ways.) Or how they're scared if they call him dad something will change about Alfred and become like their 'dads'.

Which will undoubtedly hit some strings with Alfred. Seeing as how every 'dad' has failed them to the point they can't fathom or be comfortable with seeing or thinking of someone as a dad. But the fact that BRUCE had played a part in it 💀... Which is what's making the Reader confused and feel unsecured in his own personal relationship with the Reader (on what to call him, but probably in other stuff as well).

Back to the top part of the reader asking what they can call him, and they end up at something along the lines or at calling Alfred Dad.

It will undoubtedly make his heart squeeze and scrumble( One way could be he's being called 'Dad' after so long). Probably make Alfred a lot closer to the reader than before. Probably stepping up to the title and being closer taking care of Reader even more, now that he knows they have that emotional bond( stronger than before and the permission).

For little cute ideas/cenerios I imagine he makes an even greater effort to come to our plays and tournaments and sit front row probably recording.( in a reserved seat next to all the other empty ones 😒). And get a lil prissy when he can't make it (ESPECIALLY IF ITS BC OF THE BATFAM). He asks some of the organizers to record it specifically for him if they aren't doing it already, so he can watch it live (or once handed to him)while doing whatever keeps him from going. All so he can talk about it with us when we come back home and show how proud of us he is.

Definitely gets us gifts for each performance/ tournaments. If he was present he would walk with us a while after it ended and get us ice cream or out for a celebratory dinner. 😭

Okay but now for the lil angst part in that moment when we settle on what to call Alfred whenever it would be similar or is Dad or a different title all together that would be the moment we lose any real attachments to the Batfam. Not seeing them as siblings or parental figures anymore. At most just wanted to impress them but that quickly died off and just just focused on what we do have.

Alfred would also know that that was the moment or the end of the falling bridge with the Batfam and Reader. Which would probably hurt him cause the Batfam is still his family, but now he also has us and sees our neglect and what the batfam's consequences are. Probably breaking his own hope of us being accepted/ integrated into it and the Batfam to being back a normal dysfunctional but loving family with us in it.

Okay but the real ANGST. It's not just the reader and Alfred having heart to heart or other situations between the two of them. BUT INSTEAD BRUCE HEARING READER CALL ALFRED THE TITLE WE SETTLED ON. And it doesn't have to be only Bruce that would work for angst because the others are smart so if they hear Reader call Alfred by the title... They know it doesn't correlate to them and their relationship of being Reader's sibling because Alfred isn't that title to them. Connecting and discovering at the same time that the Reader doesn't see them as siblings and hasn't for a time they weren't even aware of.

Imagining just Bruce sneaking away and thinking by himself or even confronting Alfred 😩😩. The Batkids doing their research seeing Reader live their life completely disconnected from theirs only hammering that Reader doesn't see them as family. The only thing connecting to them being Alfred and even Alfred is a different role in Reader's life than in theirs.

Maybe Batfam finds out about what the Reader tried to get their attention only to give up, maybe they don't and just see the Reader slipping away until the Reader becomes a foggy memory again until the Reader moves away like in the [Not] series everything follows.

Hope you enjoy 🥰🥰💕 drink water 💦

Yeah!!! And since there is another ask that's about the reader considering Alfred their dad, and how Bruce would react to that, I won't be going too much into how Bruce himself would react since I'd like to explain it there when I get to it- but I will say that in very, very simple terms. Bruce is not happy about it. At all.

As for how the whole name thing would start? Alfred would definitely say that you can call him whatever you'd like, but will definitely silently try to nudge you in the direction of calling him dad or something akin to that. He may not expect it to work right away, especially in this scenario where the reader already has a messy relationship with people who were supposed to be their father's in the past. However, when you do call him dad or something similar, he is literally about to cry.

He won't cry in front of you! But he might later-

Regardless, words cannot express the amount of joy he feels when that happens, and as you've mentioned, Alfred does try to not let you down. Unwilling to become another reason why you have a hard time seeing people as your father, or father-figure. He feels more inclined to look after you above everyone else, and tries even harder to be present. There isn't a single event of performance that he'll miss willingly, and even if he does- he has his ways of making it up to you, even if you know that it was out of his hands.

I think a neat detail would also be that the amount of unoccupied seats next to him slowly shorten with time. It starts off with there being a seat for everyone in the Batfam, but as time goes on the amount begins to dwindle, until there's just one for him. Maybe with the occasional one other seat beside him if it's for an event, and you get to sit next to him before going or doing whatever you have to. Further showing how you, as the reader, begin to care less and less about the Batfam, and really only see/recognize Alfred as your family. As there is only one reserved seat for him at each and every performance and tournament.

I think the idea of the Batfam noticing this and trying to fix it, yet the reader still being able to slip away, and them forgetting all over again is both just out right heartbreaking and infuriating.

Like, can you imagine as a neglected!reader, finally having your family notice you (despite you growing used to their lack of attention at this point), only to have them forget you exist all over again? Or just forget about you enough to where you still leave without saying much of anything, and only leave behind a note to the one person you considered family?

And imagine the Batfam- not only feeling, but knowing that they've failed you more than they could ever imagine? Not only making you feel alone and isolated in your own home, since they never noticed you, not only once, but twice? That's borderline unforgivable. They noticed you, and somehow still managed to neglect you all over again. It's astonishing, really. Maybe they do have powers after all.

But really- how I could see that happening is if they get too busy with the idea of you rather you yourself, if that makes sense?

Through their research and everything, they form a version of you in their heads that they're all clinging onto, that they unintentionally don't give the real you a chance. Hell, they don't even give themselves a chance to even see it as they drown in their own delusions. Stuck with plans and ideas they ultimately never saw through, either because they were far too worried to further mess things up (like a certain brooding bat), or were far too certain of the outcome and therefore came up with more ideas and plans that they ended up not doing. Like a certain robin who, after two generations, finally wore pants. So by the time they realize their mistake, (which probably happenss when one of them finally decides to actually act on a plan they made) you're gone. Lost to the wind. Like a distant whisper they nevr quite heard, but dreamed about encountering ever since. Forgetting that chasing and searching were things they could do right from the start instead.

Though Alfred and the reader having a heart to heart? Please, we could all really use that. Forget about how horrible Alfred is behind the scenes- we need the closest thing we can get to a positive influence in this family. Or really just a good source of comfort, honestly.

Though his dying hope does break his heart, he just takes it as another opportunity to fill in the shoes of being your father. Even if at this point it means being your only family out of everyone in the Batfam, then so be it. He'll just have to fill in where they refuse to, but he doesn't mind since it gets him more time with you- and I can imagine that, despite the hurt of realizing that you'll never be 'fully' apart of the Wayne family, at least you have a part with Alfred and the Pennyworth's. And there is some comfort and reassurance that comes with that. Since, while you may not be able to have this big, huge family- at least you have this small, comfortable one right here with Alfred.

Hell, this time around Alfred might even fully support the reader moving away, as he's more certain than ever that he'll still have that connection with them. That he and the reader will actually communicate, and as long as he can still see them and so on- he doesn't mind.

He'll let the Batfam run around, and play dumb at all the right moments with that sassy, sarcastic attitude of his. Letting them know that they've wasted their opportunity- wasted the one real chance they had with you, and probably won't be getting another one.

After all, it isn't his fault that they fucked up. If anything, he's probably the only reason why the reader is connected to the Batfam at all, or even associates with them the smallest amount. It isn't because of Bruce or any of the others. It's because of Alfred. Even if he won't say it out loud, he'll make sure that they all know it one way or another, and though Alfred doesn't necessarily view himself as cruel- he wouldn't mind throwing a little shade if it meant emphazing that point a little further.

You are his kid. His family. Why would they think otherwise?

On a lighter, more wholesome note, I definitely agree with the more light/cuter ideas!!

Alfred is definitely spoiling you if he can help it, and will poorly disguise his favoritism- though probably would stop even trying to hide it all together at some point.

There is never a moment where Alfred doesn't/won't remind you of how proud of you he is, and how much you've improved. He isn't afraid to admit that you're doing a good job or doing the right thing, even if you can be reckless at times, to your face. And if you end up doubting your ability, or just yourself as a whole, Alfred will definitely be there to comfort you, and remind you of how well you've been doing and reiterate how proud you make him.

He wants you to know that he'll always be there for you, and by the time you leave, you still feel that.

Alfred also makes sure to check up on you and tend to your needs, along with spend time with you in other ways- which does include, but isn't limited to; watching films at home, baking/cooking together, sewing, reading, tending to the garden, and just generally being in each other's space. Maybe even a small hang out outside of the manor if you both can help it.

Nevertheless, that was a fun read, and I fully agree!! Make sure to drink some water and rest up too!

[child-of-helios]

hello. I've a rather stupid question. I've only read the books once, as a kid, and I don't understand why people hate calpyso x leo. whys it so bad? why does everyone seems to hate it on here?

xxx,

eurydice

First of all, this is my first ever ask, I've made it mother :D Secondly, I'd gladly explain! Though please note that it really has been a good while since I've read the books too, so my memory is kinda foggy :] Warnings for: Slight mentions (but not too much) of rape, pedophilia and mental illness (oh boy this is a tough one)

So, I have made a post abt this before, but it was written in a fit of rage so not my proudest moment (but my most popular post, oops). Anyways, I feel that the hate towards Calypso x Leo is because of a few reasons. 1. It simply didn't get enough development to feel worth it imo. Similar to Jason x Piper, I felt like there wasn't enough there to warrant a canon ship. There is also the fact that personally, I thought that their dynamic was more of a familial or that of siblings, which made me uncomfortable. I would've much rather have them be friends. 2. The uncomfortable age gap. It feels very weird because while yes, Calypso was depicted as a teenager, she is thousands upon thousands of years old. The fact that she fell in love with a literal child is incredibly weird. It was weird enough with Percy, but at least they didn't end up dating. With Leo though, she did end up dating him and the age gap feels very odd. Its even weirder knowing she had a relationship with Odysseus, who by that point was a pretty old dude so she was probably very mature and an adult (though she doesn't act like it). 3. Calypso is kinda a rapist. In the Odyssey myth, she forces Odysseus (a married man) to sleep with her. I'm sorry, but I can't support any relationship involving a rapist unless its rapist x prison cell. It makes me uncomfortable because she could very well take advantage of Leo, a mentally ill teenager with self-esteem issues. 4. Her toxic treatment of Leo. Calypso was very pissed when Leo arrived on her island, rightfully so after what she had gone through, but even then her treatment of his was outright cruel, especially compared to that of Percy and Odysseus. She made him sleep outside, exposing him to the elements after he got flung through the air and ended up on her island, which must've caused some damage. Then after they started dating, I still felt uncomfortable reading about the two, because their dynamic just didn't work, and I don't recall her apologizing to him for her treatment of him. 5. Leo's arc was thrown away. I think the worst of all, is how this impacted Leo's character. He should've had an arc where he learnt to love himself, but because of Calypso he didn't. I think the moral was supposed to be: 'even if you're mentally ill or have problems, you still deserve love!' but it came over more as: 'ignore your issues and get all your love from someone else.' Isn't it more important for kids to learn about self-love? And as an extra: what could've been. I think that Leo shouldn't have gone back for Calypso, that that ship shouldn't have happened. I prefer him going back to Echo and them learning about self-love together as buddies (and maybe evolving into more than that). Echo was stuck in an abusive relationship with the Narcissist, so I think it would a good arc for them both. I also think that if you really wanted a romance, Jason x Leo would've been much better. We know that Rick can write good gay romances, we know that Piper turns out to be a lesbian, so why not make Jason and Leo gay? I think it would add much more to the tragedy of Jason's death, but that's for another post (and this one is getting too long already oops). In conclusion, I think Caleo is bad for many reasons, but especially because it didn't have enough time to develop and the dynamic was simply too creepy for me to get invested in. Sorry for the super long post- Have a lovely day :D

[antimisinfo]

So, there's this. This is a video made by Aspenfrosten or The Entourage System on tiktok, this video was made shortly after she removed plural kit from her discord server

First of all let's focus on that first part

""you took away my accomodations""

This is apparently something that some people in her server said after plural kit had been removed, she's mocking them for saying this. Now, are they right for saying this? Technically yes but also no

"Disability accommodation is an umbrella term for a range of accommodation or supported living services that are available to assist people who are living with a disability"

Technically by this definition you may be able to consider plural kit a form of accommodation as it does assist systems by allowing them to represent themselves as alters as well as allowing them to look back and know who sent a message. Though on the other hand you may not consider it accommodation because it isn't needed; systems can use sign offs without plural kit and often don't necessarily "need" it. So it really depends on how you look at it, but I will say that Aspen is wrong for mocking these people nonetheless; whatever their reasons are they clearly think of plural kit as an accommodation and are distressed at its removal. Should they demand it back? No, it's her server she can do what she wants, but do they have a right to be upset? Yes. When someone takes away something that may have been helping you in one way or another you are allowed to feel hurt or distressed, but this does not mean you should harass that person for it back.

"i feel like plural kit is too anti recovery"

I feel like a lot of people say anti recovery without actually understanding what it means.

Anti recovery's definition is "A movement consisting of those who oppose what they perceive as recovery from mental illness and/or neurodivergence." Which most people do know, but the more important part is what they consider to be recovery ;

"Recovery in this context does not mean a cure, it simply means coping/living with your illness/neurotype in a positive way."

Which would mean to be anti recovery you would be against anything that makes coping easier and anything positive, you would be convinced you have to suffer and refuse to make things easier.

By this definition plural kit is not anti recovery as it makes things easier for systems; being able to identify yourselves and being able to tell who said what can be important for multiple reasons and plural kit makes that easier, which is positive and not anti recovery.

Further more she claims it "promotes way too much separation between alters" which might be true but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. If you are in active healing and moving towards final fusion perhaps that would be an issue but for those striving for functional multiplicity this separation would not cause an issue

"Some individuals reach a point where all personalities have access to shared memories, set boundaries, and have common goals, making it easier to stabilize emotions and maintain healthy behavioral patterns. Individuals with functional multiplicity still experience the following:

At least two distinct personalities with accompanying unique behaviors

Personalities adapt to unite toward a common goal

All personalities prioritize recovery and treatment"

""the problem in MPD is not the intrusion of part selves as such, it is with the degree of amnesia, conflict, self-destruction, and dysfunction in the psyche. The problem is not the multiplicity, it is the degree of pathological dissociation. In MPD the part selves are personified to an abnormal degree. There is a big difference between someone with active classical MPD, and an individual with healthy multiplicity."" ((Though this did come from DR. Collin Ross, who is not a good person I still felt it might be important to add))

"Some systems choose to stop at what the ISST-D calls resolution, or what may also be called functional multiplicity. In this case, systems may retain any number of independently acting alters. The current rates of complete integration and functional multiplicity may be very similar. A 2017 study (Myrick et al.) followed up on 61 therapists about the well-being of specific patients of theirs after 6 years; 12.8% of therapists reported that their patients had terminated therapy due to achieving stable integration, and exactly the same percentage reported that their patients had terminated therapy due to resolution of symptoms without full integration."

Overall the separation between alters is not an issue, more so the amnesia and conflict, which can be solved in therapy, but even so; not everyone has to be actively working towards healing. For systems who are not in therapy / not actively healing there is no need for them to worry about whether they're "promoting too much separation between alters" because there's already separation and it's not getting better. for those who aren't healing it may just be easier or more comfortable to use plural kit and that's okay.

It is not anti recovery to not be healing, that's stupid, everyone heals on their own time; some systems may not have access to therapy and therefore are unable to safely work towards healing (which would involve going through trauma, which should be done with a therapist) and that is not anti recovery.

[ if any mistakes have been made please let us know and we will attempt to correct them ! Also if you wish for us to try do this with any other videos Aspen has made feel free to request it ! ]

[pumpkinsy0]

Now I see a lot of Dallas with Tim or with Johnny content. But y’know what is would like to see? Dallas and Sodapop as a couple. I love tropes where one person isn’t use to genuine kindness and falls head over heels over the one person who is just that..

So General Headacanons for Dallas and Sodapop? (Whatever their ship name maybe because I refuse to call them Dallypop)

ive actually heard about this ship a bit but never read content for em, so this is a moment in history☝🏽☝🏽, ship name wise, off the tope of my head is like texas coke, cause soda in texas is called coke and yada yada yada, but booooo, and then there was fizzy state, but that sounds stupider, so listen i swear ill have a better one one of these days i swear

•as soon as i read this i thought “soda has no room to talk about pony and curly anymore”, if ur dating dally, ANY advice u have about dating should b thrown out the window and ur voice should fall on deaf ears

•theyve made out on someones car before, i wouldnt put that above them, especially if its someone who dally doesnt like

•dally makes comments about soda right in front of pony and pony hates it so much, he wants to rip his ears out hes not trynna hear that

•man even steve is like “??????” cause how did u guys get together what could yall possibly have in common enough to date each other for

•soda likes hearing about dallys nyc stories, some of em r fucked up, but others r pretty funny, like a coin toss when he asks him to tell him one

•dally cant rlly get THAT mad at soda, annoyed??? sure, but soda just has that face u cant get mad at, dallys not feelin 100% better, but he is rolling his eyes and letting whatever happened slide

•dally strikes me as a jealous/possessive partner he hates when soda gets hit on by anyone, he doesnt make it OBVIOUS that theyre together, but he does push them away

•yes, dally is staring while soda is working on a car, he would b staring harder if he saw soda at a rodeo

•getting drunk still isnt sodas scene, but dally does sneak soda over into bucks to party from time to time

•darry doesnt,,,even know how to go about this one, like at all, like yea, nothin BIG has changed but those two????rlly??????

•id like to think dally is more attentive to pony bc of soda and how important he is to him, kinda the same w soda and johnny

•it would take a while for dally to get used to how soda flirts bc how soda flirts is just not a way that dally is used to at all, but he doesnt let that show

[necroromantics]

So it’s not Toby I headcanon with BP, it’s Jeff. And it’s kinda the reason why I feel hesitant to write him. I’ve been reading up on stuff recently about BP and how to write characters with the condition, but I was wondering if you had any tips? I don’t want to contribute to any misinformation.

ALL ABOUT BIPOLAR DISORDER + WRITING IT

Warning. This is a very very very long post. LMAO

Ok so when it comes to writing any character, you need to understand that they aren't a real person, they're a storytelling device. They don't really work on the same logic systems of reality like we do in the real world. So when you're writing a character with things like mental health issues, it's important to view it as "How does this contribute to my story" or "How does this fit into the unique logistics of my stories reality"

But in order to bend (not break) the rules when it comes to portraying mental health issues, you need to first know the rules, and then work to weaving that framework of the real world into your fictional world/character.

For example, my OC Tobin has bipolar disorder, but it doesn't really come up in the Creepedverse story cuz it just doesn't fit in as a storytelling device. In reality, throughout the story, Tobin would have at least an episode or two over the course of the year the plot takes place. An important thing to consider is how a characters mental health issues contribute to the story you wanna tell. And if it doesn't, its ok for it to just be a lil side thing you know about.

Now for actual information on Bipolar Disorder (which is shortened to BD, NOT BPD. BPD is a completely separate disorder called "borderline personality disorder", they are very different though people constantly mix them up due to terminology similarities)

There are two main types of bipolar disorder that someone may be diagnosed with, (theres also cyclothymia which is like diet bipolar with hypomania/mild depression, and schizoaffective bipolar which is like schizophrenia and bipolar mixed, but Im not getting into those today). When writing a character with BD, its very important to note how the disorder actually effects them. Remember, a disorder is something that causes a person significant dysfunction and impairment in their day to day life. It negatively impacts them in many ways such as personal distress, their relationships, job, finances, etc.

Bipolar Type 1: The requirement for being diagnosed with type 1 is the presence of an episode of extremely high energy/moods that lasts more than a week, OR ends up being so severe the person gets hospitalized. This lengthy period of high moods is called a manic episode, which Ill get into later. You only need to have experienced one manic episode to qualify for a bipolar diagnosis. Thats why you can only experience mania if you are bipolar, cuz the moment you're manic, you fit the bill for bipolar type 1. Make sense? Most, but not all, people with type 1 also experience periods of extremely low energy/moods called a depressive episode. These lows are not required for a diagnosis, but they are very prevalent. They may last weeks to months. The main thing about type 1 bipolar is the manic episodes they experience that cause them significant distress in life.

Bipolar Type 2: Type 2 is diagnosed if someone experiences a hypomanic episode that lasts more than 4 days, AND a depressive episode (not at the same time, but within the same year). Hypomania is a mild form of typical mania. If someone experiences extreme mania, they will be diagnosed with type 1, never type 2. In type 2, its the depressive episodes that cause a person the most distress, while in type 1 its the mania. Depressive episodes are typically more severe and last longer in this type, and the hypomanic episodes are typically mild and short-lived enough for a person to not even notice theres a problem there. Both hypomanic and depressive episodes are required for this diagnosis.

Now you know the two different common presentations of bipolar, but you need to understand exactly what a bipolar episode looks like. The WORST thing you can do is to misinterpret them simply as mood swings. In reality, its more like a merry-go-round where youll drop and stay down for awhile, or youll go up and stay up for awhile, or youll just relax in the middle without any ups/downs for a bit.

Manic Episodes: Manic episodes are only prevalent in type 1 bipolar. A common misconception is that you can experience mania without bipolar disorder, but that isnt true. Mania is the hallmark feature of BD, so it isnt associated or experienced with any other disorder. It isnt a symptom, its a defining feature. But what are the symptoms of a manic episode? Remember that mania is very severe, and causes significant impairment in someones life, often the person ends up hospitalized. The common symptoms are a lack of sleep (~0-2 hours), very high moods/euphoria, racing thoughts, talking very fast and often not making sense to others, and taking dangerous risks/being impulsive/irresponsible without any sense of judgement or forethought. Mania presents differently in a lot of people, but generally its like very very high energy coursing through your mind and body to the point you feel like youre zooming or gonna explode, jittery. You might laugh a bunch at nothing, act very erratic, irritable, say shocking or distasteful things cuz you cant slow down enough to even think about what youre saying. You might ruin relationships, scare people, quit your job/get fired, get into trouble with the law, drain your bank account. Psychosis is also something people may experience with mania, such as delusions (grandeur ones commonly) and hallucinations. You might feel like you're completely untouchable, overly confident, like youre the king of the world. Its like everything is moving in hyperspeed, your body, your thoughts, your mouth, and its pretty overwhelming. Very commonly, a person in a manic episode doesn't realize they're in a manic episode. They might question it, but they brush it off as "its fine, I feel good" or "this is just how I am" or "Im not manic Im just in a good mood"

Hypomanic Episodes: Hypomania is like mania in the sense that the person experiences high energy/moods. The main difference is that hypomania is mild, and not severe enough to require hospitalization or immediate psychiatric treatment. Type 1 may experience hypomanic episodes as well as manic episodes, but this is not required for that diagnosis. In type 2, hypomanic episodes are required. In a hypomanic episode, someone might suddenly be very happy and social, they may get very productive in life, optimistic, and a bit eccentric. Due to the high energy, you don't feel as if you need as much sleep to function (~3-4 hours), and you might begin to talk a lot, overshare, ramble, go on nonsensical tangents. You might get more irritable and antsy. Risky and irresponsible behaviour is common too, such as impulsive decisions without regard for consequence, carelessly spending money, high sex drive/unsafe sex, etc. Cuz hypomania isnt as extreme as typical mania, most people dont even realize when they are hypomanic, its very often brushed off by being in a good, productive mood, or that a person is simply extroverted, or energetic. Bipolar people tend to have unhealthy relationships with both manic and/or hypomanic episodes, almost glamorizing the high moods they experience, especially during depressive episodes.

Depressive Episodes: Depressive episodes are a period of extremely low energy/moods. They typically last longer than mania, ranging from weeks to months. Sometimes a short period of depressive symptoms occurs right after a manic episode called a "crash", but this doesn't necessarily mean its a depressive episode. Bipolar depression is typically regarded as a bit different from typical depression, due to the nature of the disorder. The common symptoms are hopelessness, oversleeping, fatigue/tiredness, slow thinking, lack of concentration, irritability, feeling worthless/bleak, and a loss of passion/interest in things. Its like the other side of the same spectrum as mania, with similar changes such as appetite, sleep patterns, energy levels, irritability, etc, just in different ways. Depressive episodes can cause someone to socially isolate, or experience suicidal thoughts. You might feel more emotionally sensitive, or like nothing will ever get better. Its like suddenly a filter of hopelessness, negativity, and sadness gets put over your brain and eyes, and the world loses its colour, and everything sucks so bad all you wanna do is lay in bed and rot. It feels physically heavy, like youre dragging weights. When manic you might feel very fast and light, when depressive you might feel very slow and heavy.

Mixed Episodes: A lesser known episode that may be experienced is a mixed episode. Any type can experience this type of episode, but it is not required or considered for any diagnosis. Its sort of like something that happens instead of something thats a hallmark feature of bipolar. In a mixed episode, someone will experience both symptoms of depression and mania at the same time, or in rapid succession/back and forth in short bursts. This is typically regarded as the most distressing and severe episode to have because of the combination of both episodes. You might feel like your thoughts are racing, or like youre going crazy, but at the same time youre so tired you cant get out of bed. You might feel very very energized, but have thoughts that youre hopeless and worthless. You might laugh, and then start crying, like youre being shot up into space and then thrown into the bottom of the ocean. You might feel very jittery, but a pain in your chest, or an exhaustion you cant shake. You might also experience a burst of joy, laughter, very high energy where youre talking super fast and speaking nonsense and acting erratically, and then immediately you start to feel very sad and slowed down, like everything hurts, and is meaningless. Mixed episodes are very painful to deal with, because youre being constantly thrown around, and you cant get a grip. Rates of suicide are higher during these periods. Not everyone with bipolar may experience mixed episodes, and it will present differently for everyone. It may last a couple days to even weeks.

So theres a rundown for the different episodes. To write a bipolar character, think about the type of bipolar they have/how it presents, and then think about how their episodes may impact them contextually. If a character is manic at a certain point in your story, what actions may they take, or thoughts, or interactions, that will show this? Can the people around them tell when theyre in an episode? What gives it away? What behaviour cues show their episodes? For me personally, my fiancee can always tell when Im in an episode, cuz of my eyes/behaviour. She says my eyes get more wide and sorta erratic looking when Im manic and I move around very quickly like Im restless, and when Im depressive, my eyes get more heavy/tired looking and I move very slowly and less expressive. Remember that someones episodes, especially mania, will have an impact on the people/world around them, not just internally, it causes issues externally as well. Someone might cause a lot of destruction or drama or get into fights when theyre manic and impulsive, they might do crazy or ambitious shit just to drop it, they might socially isolate and sleep all day when depressed, or not show up to work or school.

Another thing to consider is the persons cycle. This is how many episodes a person experiences in a year. If they have proper treatment, they may experience ~0-2 episodes a year, if not, they may experience ~1+ a year, typically in the 2-4 range. This means that someone who is treated with the proper medication may not experience any episodes at all, or they might experience milder, shorter lived episodes a couple times a year. Someone who isnt treated is very susceptible to experiencing more extreme and lengthy episodes, and more often in a year.

Rapid Cycling is when someone with bipolar experiences one episode after another. So they might be manic for a week or so, and then immediately experience a depressive episode right after for like a month, and then back to being manic. Typically, someone with bipolar will experience plenty of time in a year in between their episodes without any significant manic/depressive symptoms, like periods of stability.

Triggers for a bipolar episode are usually lack of sleep, stress, alcohol/drug use, and even changes of seasons or life events can trigger a high/low in someone. Everyone has their own unique triggers that is important to recognize when it comes to treatment and preventing episodes. Think about the triggers your character might have, and what they might be exposed to in your story that could cause this. Episodes may come on as a gradual up/down climb, or very suddenly.

Thats really all I got for information on bipolar. The biggest issue I see is just the way people write bipolar episodes as mood swings. It's not being happy and then suddenly really angry or sad, its not changing your mind really quick, or suddenly switching up. Its moreso long periods of high/low energy. Thats why I say "episodes" instead of "mood swings", cuz its not a mood swing at all, its very literally just random periods where you'll experience an episode of mania or depression. The classic "mood swings"/switching up thing is more closely related to borderline personality disorder which is VERY different from bipolar, despite them being mixed up so often.

This was very long but feel free to send in more asks if you need any specifics. I just tried to cover all bases cuz its good to know what youre working with before you work with it.

[katerinaaqu]

I cant go to bed and i fear ill forget ths but wht is the difference in relationship between Odysseus x menelaus and odysseus x diomedes. i hve only read summaries of the illiad but i will read eventually. if ths seem a little random its cause i keep seeing fanart ships of the two ships (ikkkk guilty pleasure crucify me or whatever) and cant differentiate the difference. im sorry if ths does not make sense for my sleep deprived brain basically wht i am asking is what their difference in relationship (NOT IN FANON) like is menelaus more harsher to ody etccc

anyway sozz for the long ask i hve no idea how these work so plz tell me i did ths correctly

Hahahahaha I absolutely get this feeling! And boy that is a very very good question and a favorite of mine given how much I love Odysseus's relationships with his peers or men! And it is not random at all! I think it is a massively important question because the Iliad is not a pure war novel that talks about the anger of a demigod. It is also a story of war companionship, friendship and cooperation etc so the relationships between the heroes is great. And probably have noticed from this fanfiction of mine that I love exploring the two of them in regards to Odysseus and the other way round.

I am incredibly sorry if this gets long again for I have no self-control hahahaha!

So let's start with what they have in common. Both men, Diomedes and Menelaus, hold great respect for Odysseus at least as far as Homer is concerned (because dynamics are vastly different in post-homeric sources). Both kings seem to be speaking with the warmest words for Odysseus in the Odyssey as I have also slightly touched to my analysis about Achilles and Patroclus relationship. Basically Menelaus speaks on how Odysseus's fate makes him distressed so much that he cannot eat or sleep anymore. He also yells in exaspiration when Telemachus mentions how the suitors are eating away Odysseus's wealth and pry on his wife. During the Iliad Menelaus considered Odysseus nothing less than irreplacable and valuable. You can see my analysis here but here's the original passage and my own translation for it:

But let's go and help him, that's the best course! For I am afraid if anything bad happened to him as he is isolated by the Trojans, he will be incredibly missed by the Danaans!

So basically he says "if we lose him we're done for!". In Menelaus's mind Odysseus is an irreplacable valuable friend. He even leads him out of battle the best he can till his chariot comes to take him. Diomedes thinks similarly of him in the Iliad. In fact in 10th rhapsody of the Iliad when he chooses him as the partner for the counterspy mission to the Trojan side he says (again my translation);

If you ask from me to pick a partner to go with, how can I choose anyone else but godly Odysseus who has both fast wits and heroic heart and works hard for everyone, Pallas Athena loves him. If I follow him even through wild fire, we shall both return, this I know very well!

So yeah once again we have a complete flattery here. Diomedes thinks there is no better man than Odsseus to go with him on a mission because he believes in his skills and he knows both of them shall return from the battle which almost seems like he wants to redeem himself since two rhapsodies prior he lashes out to Odysseus calling him a coward for running lol! But I shall elaborate further below.

So both heroes have the most profound respect for Odysseus in battle and as a person. Now apart from that the differences between each person's appreciation or differences with each other seem to be very few and they seem to be ematating from the ages of the characters.

Menelaus is closer to Odysseus in age than Diomedes who is arguably the youngest among the kings so his relationship with him seems to be more direct in the level of experience in life and they speak in a more diplomatic or daresay "equal" manner in the essence of their age. Diomedes and Odysseus seem almost to have like a father and son relationship or mentor and protege even if of course both kings are tecnically equal. I am talking on age only. Diomedes seems to be sticking around Odysseus almost like a son figure and Odysseus seems to be trusting Diomedes with his plans and missions like no other because he knows his capabilities in battle and they both share the love of the same patron goddess, Athena

In one way I feel it is the other way round; that Menelaus is generally meeker with Odysseus while as I talked here Diomedes accuses Odysseus two rhapsodies before his praise in rhapsody 10 because Odysseus didn't run to assist him save Nestor (Diomedes seemed to be disobaying the gods at that moment and he was stopped by a lightning of Zeus) but that is probably because Diomedes's personality is generally harsher and more straightforward which makes sense given that not only is he younger but also because he was a soldier since he was a child (he was 14 at the war of Epigonoi)

But for sure it all depends on how you personally interpret the characters as well! I usually do not interpret them as lovers in fact we do not have much of evidence for that however if you also interpret their relationship as such it is up to your perception really.

I hope this helps! Sorry for the long message and please go to sleep my friend! Do not reprive yourself from sleep!

[scarlet--wiccan]

Oh God I was really hoping the backstory that was leaked for Billy was fake... just heard about the new episode and it turns out it wasn't. why would they choose this over adoption or reincarnation-

It's bad! I really feel like the M C U goes out of its way to interpret these characters in bad faith and come up with the worst possible versions of their stories. I've said this before, but everything about Wanda's origins and the nature of her power seems designed to make her an objectively worse person who is more directly responsible for causing harm than her comics counterpart, but is also weirdly set on punishing her for existing and having trauma. She's simultaneously more doomed by the narrative, and infinitely less deserving of redemption.

With Billy, they took a situation that, while complex and, at times, difficult to parse, is ultimately miraculous and joyful, and they made it just.... incredibly grim. There is no real distinction between Billy Maximoff and Billy Kaplan in the comics-- they're the same person, given a second chance at life and the great fortune to reconnect with his original family, in a way that doesn't invalidate or erase the second. And, again, I want to emphasize that when YA and CC were written, Wanda had Jewish heritage, so I don't think there needs to be any awkwardness in the transfer between the Maximoff and Kaplan families, and the text never does anything to imply that Billy's cultural upbringing is any less valid, or any less central to his character after his origins are revealed.

Here, they created a false dichotomy between the two characters, killed one them off, and made the other into a body-snatcher. That is so much darker, and so much more tragic for the Kaplans-- and it creates uncomfortable questions about their relationship, and Billy's identity, that I don't think can ever be neatly resolved. I will say that, thus far, I don't think the show explicitly disavows "William's" heritage, or writes off Billy's relationship with the Kaplans, the way some people are reporting. He doesn't actually remember his life before the switch, so it's not a total takeover, and at points, the episode seems to imply that he's somehow both, and neither-- a new gestalt.

But I don't trust these writers to execute that concept with integrity, or even consistency. In WV and MoM, Wanda's motives, sense of self, and relationship to her powers repeatedly change at the drop of a dime, and we're seeing the same thing, here, with the abrupt change that takes place when Billy reveals his identity. The shift in personality, escalation of power, and the vague implication that he's been masterminding this whole excursion makes no sense with the established timeline-- this is all happening within 24 hours of him even learning that Wanda had kids, let alone that he might be one of them, not to mention hearing about both Agatha the Witches Road for the first time. And up until that point, he really was just an earnest kid. The heel-turn feels silly and juvenile, and the needle drop at the end of episode #5 underscores that a little too perfectly-- his "bad guy" act is just as ill-fitting and unsubstantiated as the Eilish's edgy, wannabe-thug aesthetics.

Obviously, the most important issue here is not the quality of writing, but where this character falls into the spectrum of whitewashing and erasure. The fact that Locke is not Jewish but, before the switch, is playing a Jewish character-- and, specifically trespassing on prayer and religious ceremonies-- is a problem. I've seen a lot of different opinions expressed by a lot of different people within the community about who can or can't play Jewish characters, but I think we can all agree that this is worth criticizing, especially given the larger context of repeated erasure and historical distortion against Jewish and Roma people in this franchise.

But I also want to emphasize that, because of what was done to Wanda, and the franchise's insistence on conducting blatant anti-Romani racism, there was never going to be a truly authentic or acceptable version of this character. Now matter how they cast the role, a significant part of his background had already been erased, and he was already saddled with significant racist baggage. I am very, very tired of white people and Young Avengers fans overlooking that fact.

[exchangestudentnova]

Jushiro Ukitake first saw you when the whole squad 13 went out for picnic in celebration of their latest win. You, being one of the new recruits, did not feel much deserving to be celebrating a win where you only played a small role and did not confront the enemy at all. Nonetheless, you were there with your friends as you make flower crowns for everyone. "May I wear one as well?" You were startled and quickly rose to your feet and bowed, you did not expect the captain to come and talk to you personally. Ukitake smiled and let out a small laugh, telling you to drop the formalities for such an event and you proceeded to make a flower crown for him.

You noticed he talks to everyone with the same level of politeness and respect, with his fellow captains, with his immediate subordinates, with his squad members and even with newbies like yourself. But you felt something was....off. There was a glint in his eyes that seemed to be present only when he's having a conversation with you, but maybe you were imagining things. You interacting with him became a daily thing. He would call you in his office and give you a small chore and ask you questions about your life, which turned into hour long conversations.

You joined squad 13 because of its calm environment, but you still haven't had the chance to join the battlefield, the zanpakuto on your hip collecting dust. You decided to talk to the Captain, he'll surely help you right? Even killing a small hollow would be a big achievement for you. "Captain if I'm not interrupting, may I make a small request?" Ukitake looked up from the book in his hand. "Go ahead" "Captain I'll like to join my colleagues on the frontlines" He closed the book, making eye contact. "I see... so that's your request? I'll do something about it okay?" You were happy he listened to you, now you can finally put your academy training to work.

The squad was preparing to go the site where a huge hollow was spotted and during the preparations you got summoned to the captain's office. You hoped it would be about him allowing you to go there as well."Ah you're here. Please take a seat, I have important matters to discuss with you. I've also prepared tea and snacks for us" Ukitake ushered you to sit in front of him as the two of you created a strategy to approach the holllow. When the solid plan was completed you excused yourself, but as soon as you stood up you fell to your side, the last thing you saw was Ukitake's arms holding you before you hit the ground.

The sound of a man's cough woke you up. It was a dimly lit room, a room you've never set foot in before. " You're awake. That's good. Now let me help you sit up straight" You recognised the man's voice, of course you did, you've conversed with this man daily.

Ukitake held your hand in his as he spoke " I must apologise for my actions dearest, but what other option did I have? How else could I have kept you away from the pain? Don't worry the poison I add in your meal would not cause you any harm, just makes you a little weak. That's all. Being affected by a chronic illness has made me a bit educated in medicine, so you're in good hands. I'll take great care you. I will not let anything harm you."His hands reach out to the bowl kept at his side.

He scooped some soup into the spoon, bringing it near your mouth.

"Now say ahh..."

[arson-09]

Why AcoMaF is a subjectively BAD BOOK

Point 1: feels like a different series

Acomaf does NOT feel like a sequel to acotar. The main reason being your introduced to a whole new cast of characters without warning. Typically, in a series your introduced to your main characters in the first book and the cast that will come and go throughout the rest of the series (ex pjo, six of crows, the cruel prince) you get new characters introduced at some points but you already know all the really important people. in acomaf though we basically forego the og acotar cast (which was small) and given a HUGE cast of important characters. Along with a new, large plot that really didn't get footing in acotar. The only thing that carries over between the two books in Feyre. Tamlin and the spring court hardly count in my mind cause its so drastically different from how it was written in acotar

point 2: characters, their motivs, and their writing

I can go on for AGES about the character assassination of Tamlin. Sjm completely re-wrote his character. There was no actually foreshadowing for this behavior in acotar and i will talk on this more in a later point. But back to our main girl Feyre. Feyre wasn't horrific in this book (shockingly) however she frequently states things that aren't true. Example, she says that "He [Tamlin] hadn't tried to kill her [Amarantha], hadn't crawled for me." which is false. to quote acotar "I found Tamlins eyes- wide as he crawled towards Amarantha, watching me die, and unable to save me while his wound slowly healed, while she still gripped his power." I could also cite early passages where Tamlin is BEGGING Amarantha to stop hurting Feyre. We are told why in acotar Tamlin couldn't fix everything (giving reason to Feyre having to do the trials etc etc) however this is promptly forgotten in acomaf to villainize Tamlin and give Feyre some sort of motive. A completely unnecessary thing. SJM can't commit to what she wrote previously, having to retcon things instead of thinking up some other motivation or reasoning. Its frankly lazy and makes the story feel cheap. I made many highlights in acomaf where something is directly retconned.

point 3: SJM and writing anger issues and mentally ill characters.

This will mainly focus on Tamlin as his character and his issues are quite personal to me.

Tamlin is written to have anger issues. these are vaguely hinted at in acotar when, after Rhysand comes and threatens the shit out of everyone Tamlin orders everyone to leave the dining room and then takes his anger out on the furniture (that is what is hinted at anyway) and then in acomaf these outbursts of anger are amped up. And used to go "look! he's actually evil and a bad person!"

As someone who has anger issues, a short temper, whatever you want to call it, finds this really disheartening. It's clear to me that sjm doesn't actually put thought or care into writing characters with tempers. Its also extremely biased as Rhysand is written to have a short temper however this is never a problem, but it is with Nesta and Tamlin. Now this is not me excusing abuse, but a character having anger issues does not equal abusive and bad like the acotar fandom heavily does with Tamlin. In general Tamlin's character is so dissolved in acomaf its just sad. SJM didn't even try to write a convincing character descent. At some point in writing acotar she fell in love with Rhysand and decided she wanted to change the love interest. (she had done this before in throne of glass) and while that's fine choosing to use Tamlins anger issues and protectiveness to attempt to write an antagonist was a cheap cop out. She couldn't even commit to making him an actual villain. Shes just capitalizing off of mental issues.

[venomoustripmine]

OOC LORE POST

Right, since im antsy and love sharing lore about aus, and this is the first au i'm sharing with the world ever if i'm being honest, here's a bit more about the au and backstory. ill split this up in three tiers, Differences from canon, subspace's backstory, and a bit of relations (aka what subspace thinks of others/what has happened between the two characters in the au)

read after the cut off!

first up the differences from canon!

Instead of being born from the spawn, demons are hatched from eggs! and are often really fluffy and small as children

eggs are either wild born or magic born, wild born eggs just magically appear in the wild, often hatch out in the wild and live as orphans until adopted while magic born are "biological". two(or more) demons use some energy from themselves to produce an egg with dna from each demon that helps

wild born eggs are often wildly different from their parents while magic born aren't wild born demons are independent while magic born have a "duckling" stage

anyone can produce a magic born egg as long as they have help, the person who's designated the "mom" is often tired once a egg is made and needs to be cared for

often both wild born and magic born can be a subspecies(cow, crow, shark, deer, rattlesnake you get it.), mutations can evolve, even twins hatching from the same egg can happen, its all rare, but it's possible

Deities are slightly radioactive, causing more mutations in their children, not really important but i am talking about the au

Now we're up to subspace's backstory! which i'll just type out like a story, but disjointedly

Subspace was born from a magic born egg to an unnamed father and unnamed mother, her father going to get the milk soon before Subspace hatched which made her mother very bitter towards men. Once Subspace hatched, she was found to be "male" (the species is agender but have more masculine/feminine looks in body shape depending "gender") which only made her mother angry, causing her to be rather neglectful and harsh to Subspace most of her childhood. No matter what Subspace did to prove herself, she made things, she tried her best...she really did. But no matter what her mother said she'd "always be like every other man" which crushed Subspace's spirit a lot. One time her mother said she should have "just abandoned Subspace" because she would of been "less of a hassle that way", she wasn't allowed to befriend other kids, wasn't allowed to go outside forced to stay home with her mother. She made her first Biograft at the age of 4 almost going on 5, blackrock having kept their eyes on her and her inventions, the first Biograft was poorly made, but it worked for a bit! She carried it around and talked to it like a friend, though it's battery eventually fried and it wouldn't turn back on, and still won't. When Subspace turned 5 Blackrock higher ups talked to her mother, offering a wonderful life if she let Subspace work for them, she never had a connection to Subspace so she motioned for them to take her, which they did. Subspace started working at blackrock at 5, she looked up to Zuka as a father figure early on she would follow him around and cheer him on in training, so when Zuka left she was heart broken, the person she trusted was gone, the person guarding her from most of the hard work left. Around age 15 Medkit started working, Blackrock often using Subspace as a test subject for Medkit's healing powers, telling Subspace "we don't really care HOW you get hurt, just get hurt so we can see how Medkit's healing works". Subspace later "bonds" with Hyperlaser, despite the few year age gap, seeing him as a dad instead despite him not really liking her. The fight breaks out, Medkit gets angry and throws the chemicals at Subspace's face causing her loss of eye and major scarring, and in turn she retaliates, attacking and taking Medkits eye. Medkit runs away and Subspace is fully isolated and alone again, she's used to that though, who needs demon interaction when you have robotics anyway?...

Relationship time, get ready cause it's not good.

Medkit- While medkit messed up subspace's life, rendering her scarred, half blind, and unlovable according to her, she thinks she deserves it, she forgives medkit, hell, she even sort of likes medkit still despite being fearful of him

Sword- first interaction sword tried to stab her because of the story medkit spun, she understands he doesn't realize the real story and holds no ill will towards sword.

Scythe- Scythe on several occasions have grabbed subspace's horns, saying how pretty the horns would look on her wall going into detail on how she'd kill her if she ever harmed medkit again

Ban hammer- she tried to reach out to ban hammer as a friend, but got shot down instantly. ban arrested her once, but she was quickly let go due to her immunity, ban saying "we're not friends, don't act like we are" and "if it weren't for your immunity you'd be in banland by now."

Hyperlaser- basically canon subspace and hyperlaser, just minus the taunting and blackmail from subspace, he's one of the only people who respects subspace's pronouns! but he also tells her to shut up a lot.

any biograft/omegagraft/betagraft- thats her children guys!!!! she's so proud of her robotic sons!!! look at the murder machines go!!!

Traffic- one of the other people who respect her pronouns, she offers shelter when he's in blackrock, they're friends!

Zuka- they're not in contact anymore, they only interact when she heads to phights, thats it...

Lord pwnatious- the rich nepo baby she does not like and took the omegagraft from, they're on bad terms now. horrible for her pwn's family is a noble family

Rocket- they know vaugely of each other, but not enough for an opinion, (could have been siblings if zuka adopted subspace but alas...)

The Broker- Has probably sent her one too many threatining calls to make sure she stays away from harming medkit. she doesn't interact with him otherwise.

[everybodyknows-everybodydies]

okay so before I can talk about some things I have to establish some other things, and I'm shaking all the bees out of my brain today with great vigor, which means, without further ado: a brief overview of How Does Restoration Work (according to people named Mouse who are me)

point zero: for the most part, simplistically, each school of magic can be thought of as a manipulation of something. enchanting and conjuration fall under different strains of manipulation of souls, illusion as manipulation of the mind, and so forth. restoration is manipulation of the body.

now first (and this might be stating the obvious lol, but I have to state it): it does not work 1:1 exactly like it does in-game. people do not actually have the handy-dandy HP bar, illness/injury does not translate to a single number ticking downwards, and healing is definitely not just "make number go back up" in a matter of seconds. when you're at a point where a hypothetical HP bar would be nearly depleted, anything that's fast is not going to have the kind of long-term payoff that you need, but it might get you somewhere safer so you have the time to dedicate to actually properly healing.

secondly: in order to fix something, you have to know how it works. magic is a tool; any tool is only as effective as whoever is wielding it. it doesn't take a lot of knowledge to close a paper cut that didn't even bleed, but a severed tendon is going to be a very different story. an accomplished healer must have extensive knowledge of the body and its various systems in order to ensure their healing attempt is not going to inadvertently cause a whole slew of other problems. doctors today go through over a decade of schooling and training; in the US at least you're looking at a minimum of four years of premed, four years of med school, and three to seven years of residency. personally I think healers should also be the school of magic that requires the longest time spent learning because... there IS so much to learn! an additional note is that restoration has the benefit we do not of being magic, though: I think that in a world where healing is executed largely through the hands with magic, it stands to follow that you are not going to want to physically open someone up every time you need to check something inside the body, and so for my purposes this leads us to healers cultivating a specialized, passive sense of the bodily interior through touch. I've described this previously as a bit like echolocation as magic is channelled through the body and allows the healer a sort of "sixth sense" of precisely what's going on and where, though an in-universe analog might be a highly-refined version of "detect life".

(but Mouse, one might say, that's not a restoration spell! correct! the classification of magic is arbitrary! now put a pin in that thought because it will be important at a later date. not today though stay with me here.)

thirdly: as any tool should not be alone in the toolbox, magic can be used as a supplement or supplemented by mundane resources. if you have the time for it, an open wound will benefit from being stitched together to hold shape before applying magical healing, resulting in the need to produce far less scar tissue than a wound that you try to heal without closing it first. you still need to know how to use a tourniquet, how to handle a dislocated shoulder, how to drain an abscess, etc. just like you wouldn't whip out your power tools to hang a single photo frame, you have to know when to rely on magical healing and when to take whatever steps you can non-magically.

fourthly: magical healing has limits. manipulation of the body is not an all-powerful solution. no deus ex machina healing here. the two major restrictions are (1) the body's natural capabilities, and (2) the body's preexisting material. a body is capable of much more than we generally achieve in day-to-day life and nobody is running at 100% capacity 24/7 (because you would die, very fast). restoration can amplify measures that are already in place, such as stimulating platelet clotting/fibrin production over a cut to scab it over rapidly - and then, if taken further, providing the energy for tissue repair to move entirely from cut to scab to scar. crucially you will note that you cannot skip a stage! the healer is using what the body already has available, just allowing it to happen on a compressed timescale by boosting the energy available and providing external direction. there is a LOT of potential regarding what a healer could be capable of just by stimulating production of different hormones or shuffling brain chemistry alone. but! to reiterate! restoration is manipulative, not additive: a healer may be able to reattach a limb if they get to you in time, but they can't grow you a new arm out of nothing.

fourthly, subpoint: magical healing has cost, for both the healer and the patient. the more severe the injury/illness is, the longer it will take to heal and to recover fully from the expedited healing process, and thus the more energy the healer has to expend. a healer is limited most sharply by the depth of their own magicka reserve; practicing to expand the amount of magicka one has access to is just as fundamental a skill as learning anatomy and physiology. this is why most healers don't work alone! being able to literally split up the work - I'll take the broken leg; you focus on the slipped rib - reduces the probability of running out of magicka mid-patient and allows for fewer required follow-up sessions to ensure recovery is proceeding the way it should.

(fourthly, sub-subpoint: this is also why Colette Marence, the only professional healer in Winterhold, deserves a significant raise and a vacation and if anyone asks "is there a healer around" somebody ELSE can take care of it for once-)

fifthly: potions! we know that alchemical concoctions are a separate beast entirely from magic as executed by a mage - namely, I point here to spell absorption/spell reflection not being triggered by drinking a potion. this could take us down a separate rabbit hole about alchemy tapping into the innate magicka stored in reagents and the way THAT works, but for now the relevant question is: how does a healing potion differ from a healing spell? primarily the difference is capacity for intent and direction: a healer, being a person, can focus in on the specific site of injury and identify exactly what's wrong and exactly what steps need to be taken to fix it most efficiently. a potion does not have this capacity for specificity and is instead subject to the direction of the body's natural systems. ingested, it will be dispersed through the digestive system and through the bloodstream; applied as a salve it may work faster, but this usage is limited to external injuries. strong healing potions therefore are great for boosting your natural healing capacities long enough to get you to an actual healer for more serious cases, and may be all someone relies on for less serious cases - similar to using over-the-counter medication for a cold versus going to see a doctor for bronchitis.

tldr: restoration IS a perfectly valid school of magic, and just because it emphasizes mundane knowledge alongside esoteric magical knowledge does not make it any less fascinating or worthwhile. thank you <3

[dear-ao3]

can you pls do an f1 race summary from this weekend i'm literally living for your f1 lore stories

ABSOLUTELY

ok so while i will not go into Everything from this weekend (cause there was a lot) i will do my best to talk about the last 10 laps because wow.

so!

here's what you need to know:

heading into the last race of the year (abu dhabi), the standings for the constructors championship were as follows:

red bull: 822 mercedes: 392 ferrari: 388

so while redbull had secured the win several races ago, ferrari and mercedes were still duking it out for 2nd (keep in mind, were talking several million dollars difference in prize money here)

heading into the race the two teams were about even. charles leclerc was starting p2 on the grid with his teammate carlos sainz starting an abysmal p16 after crashing in practice (this is the same guy who ran over the manhole cover in vegas and narrowly avoided getting royally and permanently fucked). on the mercedes side george russell was starting p4 (mostly thanks to lando norris fucking up his qualifying lap but landos abu dhabi race is another story entirely) and lewis hamilton was starting p11.

heading into the final 10 laps the two teams were neck and neck for second in the constructors championship. but, carlos sainz had once again been fucked over by ferrari strategy because while he had already pitted once, he was on hard tires both times (you have to run two different compound tires during the race as per rules) so he still needed to pit again to put on a set of medium tires. so while he was hovering around p10ish, ferraris baller strategy of "wait for a safety car to pit" was looking grimmer and grimmer as no one crashed into each other and therefore there was no safety car. so heading into the last 10 laps, it was pretty clear that carlos was not getting any points to help the team (points are scored if you end p10 or higher), leaving it all down to charles leclerc.

sainz ended up pitting on the last lap and finishing in a horrendous p18 (tho technically it was a dnf because of the tire thing).

charles leclec was chilling up in p2, about 16 seconds off of max verstappen (the least important person in this story). behind charles was george russell, lando norris, then sergio perez.

lap 47. perez tries to pass lando norris. he is unsuccessful and they bump into each other. its kind of unclear who causes the accident (the announcers debated fiercely over it) but lando gets pushed off the track, still ahead of perez. race control debates it and end up giving perez a 5 second time penalty.

perez passes norris, then moves on to pass russell. hes now in 3rd. but, he still has the 5 second time penalty, meaning that if he wants to be on the podium he needs to be at least 5 seconds in front of george russell. perez zooms on, now trying to pass leclerc.

lap 58. the last lap. george russell is in 4th (but will end 3rd because of perez's time penalty) and hamilton is in 9th. this will put mercedes just 3 points ahead of ferrari and they will take second in the constructors championship. charles leclerc, who has been getting fucked left right and center up the ass with a fork by ferrari strategy all season long says fuck it what do i have to lose. he has no chance in hell of passing verstappen (who is still 16 seconds ahead of him) but he may have a shot at knocking russell back to 4th (with perez's time penalty) and if he knocks russell back to 4th, ferrari will just narrowly take second in the constructors championship.

so, with all the rage of a man who was deemed ferraris golden boy but hasn't won a single race all year, charles gets on his radio and says the following:

"tell me the gap between checo (perez) and russell. if theres less than 5 seconds ill give him the place (?) and i will let us switch for the last sector. hes got 5 seconds anyway."

the gap between russell and perez is 2.7 seconds. at this rate, russell will still get third and mercedes will take second.

ferrari doesnt exactly tell charles to let checo take p2, but they also don't tell him to not let checo take p2. and boy, charles has already been through the wringer this season, its the last race, he might as well give it everything hes got.

and right now, everything hes got is to let checo pass him, increasing the gap between him and russell. because, 5 seconds will be added on to checos finishing time, and, if he is more than 5 seconds ahead of russell when he finishes, this will keep russell in fourth place. charles will still take p2 with checos time penalty and if all goes according to plan he will be able to singlehandedly secure ferrari second in the constructors championship.

its so genius that you wonder why the ferrari strategists didnt think of it themselves.

but alas, the plan does not work. checo only finishes about 3.7 seconds infant of russell, meaning that with his penalty russell still takes p3, and allowing mercedes to come second in the constructors championship by only 3 points.

charles, rightfully, is fucking pissed. hes done the job of himself, carlos, and the strategists and it still isn't enough to pull out p2.

after the race is over and charles curses spectacularly that they come in 3rd overall, he thanks everyone at ferrari for "this difficult season" (he doesnt sound very thankful at all) and ferrari don't really even acknowledge him

if you want to hear his radios from the last lap they are here

[aro-culture-is]

Aroallo culture is constantly feeling like a degenerate

I have... more than a few things to say on this topic, but I will restrain myself to the two major points that have caused me to delay posting this.

For one: Internalized sex negativity ahoy!

In all honesty? I genuinely do not understand how sexual attraction without romantic attraction (or any other form of attraction, really) is supposed to be bad. I genuinely cannot tell you how wild it is to think that sexual attraction, one of the instincts that has generally been selected for among all sexual species similar to us, is somehow... morally incorrect? How much must we hate ourselves, see ourselves as the monster in a bedtime story, for the invisible Thought Crime of feeling like another person is attractive? It's okay. Literally the only "bad" is if your actions in response to a feeling are performed in malice or cause harm, and even then there's nuance that requires thought and communication, not mind-reading and assuming others will be disgusted.

Sincerely, please please please look into sex positivity. Read about it. Follow sex positive accounts, movements, and people. Let yourself feel in response, and ask yourself what does and does not speak with you. Engage in the topic. You don't have to believe it right away, but I promise you, it is well worth your time to expose yourself to resources that teach you another perspective that does not demonize the vast majority of the world in some strange and non-productive way, producing shame and little to show for it.

Secondly... degeneracy.

What a very, very loaded word. To summarize some points from Wikipedia, in terms of fact: the concept of degeneracy in this usage originates from the 19th century theory of social degeneration. The concept of heredity had yet to be fully understood in social degeneration's 18th century development, and this movement largely believed that habits of parents changed their child's biology. This, in turn, was used to explain a perceived decline in civilization. It took little time for the theory to appear in medical and zoological works, with the intent to explain why different ethnic groups exist. You may recognize this concept by a directly related one: eugenics.

The theory of degeneracy first grew fame when used to explain racial differences, and quickly spread from the medical field to psychiatry (ie, mentally ill individuals will produce more severely mentally ill children, and therefore should not continue their lineage) and criminology (particularly when combined with phrenology). It was associated with authoritarian political attitudes such as militarism, scientific racism, and support for eugenics. The development of degenerate theory both partially predates and partially follows the works of Gregor Mendel in describing the theory of evolution, and frankly, largely based its so-called scientific backing on incorrect understandings of evolution and poor science, using such understandings to prop up eugenicist beliefs.

Why do I say all this? I think it is very, very important to recognize the sociopolitical bullshit that props up the absolute pseudoscience that social degeneracy revolves around, and to state that anyone who truly believes in degeneracy does not actually have the best interest of other's in mind or heart except that of the current in-groups. if people in your life are using these theories and words, I want to empower you with knowledge that they are, scientifically and historically, very much in the wrong. I want you to be able to look at their words, and understand the context behind their beliefs, even if they themselves do not.

also, real talk: if you can, form other social networks. join a club, play social games, go to community events, anything it takes to experience people outside of those who give you this message. it'll do wonders for you to build social circles outside of that stuff.

tl;dr:

the origins of the theory behind the word "degenerate", as used today, are scientifically bullshit, politically and socially motivated, and largely were used to justify eugenics. i would recommend not trusting people who genuinely believe in degeneracy to have anyone's best interest at heart but their own, and that you are perfectly normal and fine as you are.

[storyofmychoices]

International Day of Women and Girls in Science

Celebrating three of the loveliest ladies: Olivia Hadley, Merida Rhys (@lilyoffandoms), and Casey MacTavish (@jerzwriter)

The interviewer sat down with Olivia, Merida, and Casey in the comfort of the diagnostic office, which the boys had since been required to vacate, despite one Ethan Ramsey grumpily insisting that it was his office and he would do no such thing. But today was not about him or any of the men. Today was about the girls! (As all days truly should be.)

Interviewer: Thank you all for joining me today. It's my pleasure to sit down with not one but three young, successful, and distinguished women of science in medicine. Olivia, you're a pediatrician, and Casey and Merida, you both work as diagnosticians. How did you find your passion for medicine?

Olivia: Well, for me, it started when I was a little girl. I loved diagnosing and caring for my bears and dolls. I took my toy stethoscope everywhere, set on saving the world. Now, it's about wanting to make a positive impact in children's lives. The joy of helping them grow up healthy and happy is truly a gift.

Casey: I've wanted to be a doctor as long as I can remember and was drawn to the diagnostic side of medicine early on. The challenge of solving complex medical cases and uncovering the root cause has been a driving force for me.

Merida: Likewise, the puzzle-solving aspect fascinated me. Being a diagnostician allows us to dive deeper into medical mysteries—be a detective of sorts—it's a constant learning experience.

Interviewer: In the fast-paced world of medicine, how do you manage work-life balance, and do you have any advice for others aspiring to do the same?

Olivia: Two words. Self-care! It's definitely about prioritizing self-care and making time for things that are important to me. I've particularly found yoga helpful and have a therapy yoga group once a week with the children at the hospital. I've been trying to convince these two—*tilts her head toward her two friends*—to join me in some cat and warrior poses, but let's just say, my enthusiasm hasn't quite rubbed off on them.

Merida: You know we love you, Liv, but—

Casey: —yoga gives me more stress.

Olivia: *laughs softly* I'll convert them one day. But seriously, it's important to make time to care for yourself. My advice is to remember that you can't take care of others if you don't take care of yourself first.

Casey: The work-life balance is a perpetual juggling act, especially in diagnostics, where cases can be unexpectedly demanding and schedules become unpredictable. Time management and setting realistic expectations are key. It's also important to have a support system, both at work and home and don't be afraid to take a break for a few minutes when you need it. Even a short break can make a difference.  

Merida: In the diagnostic world, there's this constant pursuit of answers to solve the puzzle. To maintain balance, I've learned to compartmentalize. When I'm at work, I'm fully engaged, and when I'm off-duty, I prioritize personal time. My advice is to find what works for you and not feel guilty about taking breaks. Balance is subjective, and it's about finding harmony that aligns with your values and what you need.

Casey: It doesn't hurt to have great friends to fall back on either.

Merida: I can't argue with that!

Olivia: Group hug! *wraps her arms around her friends pulling them in*

The three laugh and tease each other before settling back into the interview!

Interviewer: Edenbrook Hospital is known for its collaborative and supportive environment. How does that dynamic play out in your day-to-day work?

Olivia: Pediatrics often involves collaboration with various specialists to provide comprehensive care. Having a hospital with a culture that encourages teamwork is crucial for our young patients. Sometimes, even the little ones end up with rare and difficult-to-diagnosis illnesses. When that's the case, I'm glad that I have Merida and Casey to reach out to for help. 

Merida: Absolutely. In diagnostics, collaboration is key as well. We consult with each other and different departments to ensure we're considering all angles when tackling a case. We need to make sure we keep an open relationship with all departments so we know they'll be there when we need them. 

Casey: Working in diagnostics, it's really a team effort. Nothing is done solo. We're in it together. It's like having a second, third, or even fourth set of eyes and brains. We share our thoughts and insights, debate until we reach an agreement, and ultimately work together to provide the best care for our patients.

Merida: *laughs* Debate! That's a good word for what occurs between Ramsey and Carrick. But, you're right, at the end of the day, all we do is for the best of our patients. 

Interviewer: Women in science are often underrepresented. How do you navigate this space and inspire the next generation of female medical professionals?

Olivia: Representation matters. By excelling in our respective fields, we hope to show aspiring female doctors that they belong and can thrive in the world of medicine. For me, I want all the little girls I work with to know they are capable of greatness even now when they're so young. 

Merida: It's about breaking stereotypes. We're not just doctors; we're diagnosticians and pediatricians—capable professionals contributing significantly to the medical field. We always look for ways to better ourselves and our field. We work together and support one another.

Casey: Exactly! Collaboration and support are absolutely essential, not just between ourselves and our teams but with younger medical students. Mentorship is crucial. Encouraging young women to pursue careers in science and medicine, providing guidance, and showing them that they can succeed are vital for creating lasting change.

Merida: We were honored to be invited to a local high school last week to speak with some science classes to try to encourage women in the sciences. 

Casey: We've also spoken as guest lecturers at Boston College. It was inspiring to see so many students at the start of their medical journeys.

Olivia: Speaking of starts, I don't think you can ever be too young to be inspired for a future in medicine. I was lucky enough to attend a career day at a local elementary school. It was really cute to see so many potential future doctors running around in their play lab coats! Seriously, I don't know how you two deal with adult patients all day when you could be spending time with little cuties!

Merida: It takes a special person to connect with kids the way you do, Liv. I've seen it firsthand. I think Casey and I are better suited for the medical mysteries of the adult world. Kids need someone with your warmth and patience. You've found your calling, and we've found ours. It's a good balance. The world needs both!

Olivia: Love you! Both of you! I think supporting each other is the best way we can help each other and foster a positive environment for future female doctors and scientists.

Casey: Too often women in the workplace are pitted against one another. Medicine is no exception.

Merida: Overcoming that and moving forward with a mindset of supporting and encouraging each other makes the workplace a better place for all and better for our patients.

Interviewer: Your support of each other is beautiful to witness. You three are not only inspirational doctors but also exemplars of enduring friendship, a bond I'm certain benefits all who walk in the doors of Edenbrook.