#notably the usually-early-onset kind

[fjordfolk]

the next sheltie/collie breeder i see make grand claims about their dogs' eye health despite only having done DNA and not actual ophtho, I'm going to hit with a shovel

[echo-of-sounds]

bnha original characters

This is less about the characters themselves and more about their quirks, their strengths, weaknesses, and the like. I only included Ursa and Cujo in this from anxiety bear. 

I might make more about Quick Comfort’s reader, some side characters, and villains to explore their quirks further. Let me know if you’d like to read about more characters! I liked doing this!

anxiety bear’s reader

Hero Name: Ursa (Latin; bear)

Quirk: Arctotherium

She can transform into an Arctotherium angustidens (an extinct genus of South American short-faced bear). A secondary effect of her quirk is her enhanced senses.

Height: on all fours, she’s 5’11ft at the shoulder (perfect height for biting people right in the jugular); on her hind legs, she’s 12ft

Weight: around 2,900 pounds

Hero Costume: It’s made out of simple, relaxed, and breathable clothing. To nullify her heightened smell, she has a mask. It’s a small, specialized respirator that filters even the tiniest odor. After she uses her quirks, she needs food, so there’s a small pocket on her thigh that she keeps filled with protein bars. For cold weather, she adds a cloak.

Strengths:

Ursa’s sheer mass and weight benefit her, making her difficult to knock/jar, a powerful hitter, and becomes quite the tank when she gets charging. Running up to 45mph at long distances, she’s easily able to break through walls, catch those trying to escape, and escape herself if necessary. She relies mostly on her senses of hearing (which exceeds frequencies humans can hear) and smell (which is about 2,000 times greater than a human’s).

Her fur, dark brown in color, provides protection against impact and some claws/knives due to its thickness. It is not impenetrable. Enough force behind the weapon can spear through her fur.

For offense, her claws and teeth are her main weapons. Her paws are about 1.2 feet (not including her claws). Her claws are around 4 inches. As with other bears, they aren’t actually that sharp. She just has enough power behind her swing to cause damage no matter their acuteness. It’s enough to knock the wind out of someone.

Weaknesses:

She can’t talk while in bear form. She can hear, but being unable to communicate back can cause difficulties while working in teams.

While Ursa’s enhanced senses prove useful in many cases, they’re also her main weakness. Overloading her senses is a sure-fire way to force her unconscious, incapacitated, or to unshift. Smell is the quickest and easiest to overtax, especially with acrid, bitter, and sharp scents. Hearing and sight are next: with high-pitched noises, inaudible by the average human, and deep, bass sounds that rumble her bones; and with bright lights, flashing ones are the worst.

Because of her sensitivities, she acts more like a powerhouse for brief fights. If she’s in one too long, the greater the chances of her becoming overwhelmed. She’s more of a hindrance than anything if she gets overwhelmed.

Quirk Side Effects/Other Info:

Ursa’s senses are still enhanced when she isn’t in bear form. It mimics Sensory Processing Disorder. Her mask helps with her sense of smell. For sight, she has glasses that block out the wavelengths that irritate her eyes the most. For hearing, she has hearing hampers. They work the opposite of hearing aids; instead of amplifying noises/pitches, they dampen them before sending the soundwaves into the ear.

After exerting a certain amount of energy while using her quirk, her body rapidly depletes its resources. The protein bars in her costume help while she’s on patrol. After intense fights, she needs much more than the snacks, often choosing chicken breast topped with fried eggs on any combination of rice, steak, vegetables, and cheeses (she refuses to eat any type of seafood or beans, hating the smell, taste, and texture in her mouth).

Although she tends to ignore this part, she goes through a sort of ‘heat’ like bears do. It starts around mid-May and lasts till early July. She spends more time inside during it.

Quirk Malfunction:

Shifting in and out of her bear form isn’t always a smooth process. Changing is typically easy as her body is reverting into its natural state; she just relaxes, let’s go, and it happened. It’s quick, and she hardly has to try. Sometimes, when she’s exhausted, injured, or otherwise overwhelmed, parts of her body may not revert properly.

Here’s an example from when she was eight (this is a condensed/slightly modified version of the explanation I gave in anxiety bear):

She couldn’t remember what was overwhelming. Something just hurt. She couldn’t move or do anything. So she started panicking. When she shifted back, her face felt horrible. It felt as if her skin was being stretched and her bones were warped. She screamed. Her dad came outside, wrapped a towel around her face, picked her up, and brought her to the hospital.

Her facial bones didn’t properly shift. In our maxilla, we have an infraorbital foramen which is the opening to the infraorbital canal. It transmits a nerve, vein, and artery. Bears also have this, but their anatomy is different. The important difference, in this case, is their maxilla and mandible length due to their muzzles. Human skulls are relatively flat in comparison.

When Ursa shifted, her maxilla remained long like a bear’s (about four inches). Her upper canines were still large and pointing outward. At the hospital, X-Rays showed her infraorbital canal was shoved forward. Because it was only her maxilla that malfunctioned, her nerves and arteries were stretched almost to the point of ripping as they were still fit for a human. She couldn’t talk or see and could hardly smell.

To fix it whenever this happens, she needs to be given Tizanidine. It’s a skeletomuscular relaxant with antispastic agents. It slows the brain and nervous system’s activity to let your muscles relax. Her body will eventually fix itself.

Kuma (reader’s brother in anxiety bear)

Hero Name: Cujo (From the Stephen King story. He prefers the film because of the more optimistic ending.)

Quirk: Arctotherium

Kuma’s quirk is very similar to his sister’s. He can transform into an Arctotherium angustidens. A secondary effect of his quirk is enhanced senses. However, they aren’t as enhanced as Ursa’s.

Height: He stands at 6’1ft on all fours and 14 feet on his hind legs

Weight: around 3,200 pounds

Hero Costume: Much like his sister, his costume is relaxed and comfortable clothing. He also has a mask to filter smells (but uses it less frequently than Ursa) and a pocket on his thigh for protein snacks.

Strengths:

Cujo shares many strengths and weaknesses with Ursa, mainly thick fur for protection, sharp teeth, and long claws. One difference is that he has more mass and weight to his advantage. It makes him a heavier hitter, able to cause more damage in less amount of time. And since his senses aren’t as sensitive, he doesn’t have to worry about becoming overwhelmed as much as Ursa does. These factors allow him to hit harder, last longer in fights, and take in more sensory input.

He’s willing to fight dirty and bloody to win (though some believe that to be a weakness) With his size, he’s able to sustain quite a bit of damage without it hindering him. A bullet to the side or a slash to his back would incapacitate an average human/someone of a smaller size. He’d barely feel the bullet, let alone have to worry about it.

Weaknesses:

The burden of Kuma’s weight takes a toll on his body. Bones undergoing shifting, sometimes grinding against one another, the sudden and intense weight changes, and stress on his muscles often lead to aches and pains. He’s gotten accustomed to it as he’s trained and grown-up. Some preventive measures are: taking pain medication before going on patrol, wearing compression sleeves under his costume, hot baths, and cold compresses.

Due to his size, he requires a higher amount of protein than his sister. And the longer a fight is combined with how much energy he exerts, the quicker his body exhausts. He’s built for dealing damage as hastily and as fiercely as possible. If a fight occurs while he’s on patrol, he’s done after the fight, needing a great deal of protein before his body gives, typically going for seafood and/or steak. If he doesn’t get the protein in time, he’ll faint, suffering from a sudden onset of severe protein deficiency, and need medical attention.

This doesn’t have to do with the fighting part of a Hero’s career, but he is not kid-friendly, often caught swearing on camera, shoving cameras and reporters out of his space, and sometimes picking fights with other Heroes and interviewers he doesn’t like. It makes his popularity suffer.

Quirk Side Effects/Other Info:

Kuma’s senses aren’t enhanced enough to be considered a weakness, but they do cause significant stress in his daily life, notably touch and feel. Textures, high temperatures, and others touching him are what irritates him the most. His reaction is less distress (like Ursa’s is) and more anger at the cause.

It’s not proven, but his quirk seems to affect his personality a bit. He’s very protective of his sister and very prepared to snap (with his mouth as a warning sign) at anyone who he doesn’t know and/or doesn’t like.

From mid-May till early July, Kuma also goes through a heat. Unlike his sister, who’s timid and resistant when it comes to socializing, he’s very brash, impulsive, and sometimes aggressive, going to bars throughout those months, choosing any man or woman piques his interest enough to go home with.

Quirk Malfunction:

Kuma also undergoes the same bodily malfunction as his sister. It happens to him more often due to the strain on his body and its need for large quantities of protein. The ladder is usually the reason for a malfunction (kind of like biological short-circuiting).

Picture of an Arctotherium for reference:

Link for photo: https://www.theguardian.com/science/gallery/2018/jun/11/when-size-does-matter-big-beasts-last-of-the-giants-in-pictures

[johnny-and-dora]

could never want for more (when you’re near)

65. “help me find my shirt.” “you know, as much as i want to...i don’t want to.” requested by anon or, shameless early relationship fluff counts as a healthy coping mechanism, right?

read on ao3 -

Amy blinks herself awake in the early morning light, coming to her senses slowly, head clouded by a slight hangover that seems to pair nicely with the foggy autumnal morning outside. She’s confused and honestly, a little disappointed to find she’s alone in her bed – she has to admit she treasures her boyfriend’s sleepy smile in the mornings, the way he’ll pull her closer to him before he’s even fully awake, mumble a muffled good morning that tickles, a low and warm hum in her ear. The days that start off that way always seem to go better.

The confusion only increases tenfold when her alarm clock reads 7:17am despite it being a rare, precious shared day off with said boyfriend, who is notably a) not a morning person and b) mysteriously absent, his phone missing from the extra charging cable she bought him.

She’s dragging him to one of her favourite art galleries today, knowing the exhibition they have on the art of movie posters will catch his attention. Then it’s lunch in a cute French-themed café she found and a walk in the park near her apartment. She’s been looking forward to spending this time with Jake all week. He even put a reminder on his phone so he wouldn’t forget, just one of many recent tiny gestures that speak a million words about how much effort he’s been putting into their relationship.

Amy’s about to launch a full investigation as to why he’s out of bed criminally early when he emerges from the hallway clad only in his boxers, phone in hand.

“Holt called.” He says while wriggling into his jeans, grimacing apologetically in a way she knows means all her plans are instantly out the window. “Apparently a witness came in with new info on the Abernathy murders.”

Amy nods, understanding at once – he’s been working this case for weeks, desperate for any kind of new lead. There’s been a lot of coffee drinking and teeth grinding and her offering sympathetic smiles over her monitor whenever he lifts his head from a long period slumped against his desk.

There’s also been a lot of letting him choose where they order from or what film to watch and her letting him be the big spoon. She even brought some Orangina for when he’s over, which she knows he appreciated even if it apparently wasn’t exactly right (She personally can’t tell the difference, but she’s not about to start that debate again).

And as much as she mourns her original plans to spend the day together, Amy understands how important this is, likely more than most other girlfriends would. Hell, if their roles were reversed, she’d probably be halfway out the door already.

That doesn’t necessarily mean she can’t mess with him a little, though. Or make the most of the time they have while he’s still here. In the name of maximum productivity, of course.

Amy Santiago is nothing but efficient.

She props herself up on her elbow to get a better look at him, purposefully letting the comforter drop to her lap so she instantly has the upper hand in any negotiations they might be making. He’s fully engrossed in the search for the rest of his clothes, strewn across her bedroom a little too enthusiastically last night in a post-Shaw’s haze. It could take him a while to notice her, but it’s worth the wait.

“Will you help me find my shirt?”

“You know, as much as I want to…” She says, slipping into that low sultry voice she knows he’s utterly powerless against, “I really don’t want to.”

Jake finally glances up at her and freezes midway through putting on his sock, eyes suddenly wide.

“Oh, that is so not fair.”

“What?” She says innocently. “You’re my extremely cute, very handsome charming boyfriend. I’m just trying to get a good look before you disappear and leave me alone all day.”

She’s expecting the usual bravado or blatant over-confidence that Jake usually exudes, some kind of snappy retort or playful engagement in their usual verbal sparring. What takes her aback is the way he goes quiet, wonder and maybe even shyness flooding his expression.

Jake is a lot of things. He has a wide and vivid emotional spectrum that she’s gotten to know pretty well over the past few years. He is rarely ever shy.

“You…you think I’m handsome?” He says – and there’s the dopiest, cutest disbelieving look on his face that melts away all her playfulness entirely.

“Of course I do.” She says, softer now. “I mean, I like you for lots of other reasons, but- “

He perches tentatively on the end of her bed, shirt clearly forgotten. “You like me for lots of reasons?”

“Oh my god, yes, you dork.” She laughs lightly, sitting up and tucking her hair behind both ears. “I thought…that was obvious?” Amy gestures back and forth between them, loosely symbolising the whole relationship thing that they’ve been doing for almost three months now, and is relieved to finally see him smile, brilliant and bright.

“I…yes. Yeah, of course. I like you too, for a million billion different reasons, obviously- “ He runs his hand through his already messy hair, face a little flushed. It’s a sight to behold, a flustered, half-naked Jake Peralta. She’s studied many revered and respected pieces of art in her time, but he might be her favourite.

“It’s just, uh. Sometimes it’s still kinda surreal to me. That you actually like me back. That we’re, um…that I’m…”

“My boyfriend?” She prompts, and the reverent look on his face could power the entire city in a blackout. He shifts closer, enough for the scent of his cologne to pleasantly flood her senses.

“Yes. That I’m Amy Santiago’s boyfriend. Man, I should get that on a t-shirt.”

“Please don’t.”

“Oh Ames, you know Charles is probably hand-stitching them as we speak.” Amy wrinkles her nose in disgust, pushing him away as he laughs, bright and loud and sweet. The world is fuller, better somehow when he laughs, even if it’s about Charles’s weird obsession with their romantic relationship. Suddenly things not going to plan is an opportunity to take stock of her stationary needs and to organise a date night rather than the onset of a full-on anxiety attack.

“Ugh, I’m sorry.” He sighs, intertwining their hands – Amy furrows her brow, confused.

“For what? Charles? He’s pretty intense, but his enthusiasm can be actually kinda-“

“No, no. I meant for ruining all the plans you had for us today.”

“Oh. You’re sweet, but it’s okay. It’s the job, you and I know that better than anyone.” She says softly, unable to resist the impulse to card her fingers through his soft curls. He takes her hand back, pressing a kiss to each of her knuckles.

“Still. It sucks. Now I have to leave my gorgeous, incredible girlfriend to go work a stupid case I don’t even care about.”

“Jake, this is all you’ve cared about for weeks.”

“That is so not true.” He says, pouting. “You’re what I care about.”

And well, there it is. If she wasn’t going to tempt him to stay a little longer before, now she barely has a choice. They easily slip from a sweet kiss into something hungrier, more passionate – painfully aware of her morning breath and general dedication to punctuality, Amy tries one last fruitless attempt to get Jake to work on time.

“You’re going to be late…” It comes out breathy and trembling and it’s poorly timed, really, because he’s just started trailing kisses down her neck and collarbone in that way she’ll never get enough of.  

“Don’t care.” He mumbles into her shoulder, warm and low in exactly the way she’s been craving. “Amy Santiago thinks I’m handsome.”

It’s quite a bit later when Amy finally manages to muster up the willpower to gently pry him off her, pupils blown and breathing heavy. She revels in the moment before laughing as he grumbles about having to put his jeans on again. Then she dedicates herself to studying his sleepy, blissed-out lopsided grin as he finally manages to find his shirt, partially hidden underneath her bed.

“You know I’m going to ride that high for weeks, right?” He grins at her as he buttons up his slightly rumpled flannel, smoothing it down as best he can.

“Yeah, yeah.” She waves him off. “Don’t tell anyone the reason why you’re so late. I have a reputation to maintain.”

She scrolls through Instagram as he laces up his sneakers, smiling at the message from Kylie asking about the guy in her most recent post. It’s a slightly blurry selfie of the two of them, a couple drinks in at the squad’s latest Shaw’s get-together, her head resting on his shoulder. It may not be the best photo ever taken, but the way Jake looks at her so tenderly, so happily, makes her incredibly fond of it, nonetheless.

And it’s not like he fills a missing part of her or anything equally as mushy. She’s always been whole, an entire living breathing person that doesn’t need a relationship to sustain her. But there’s something, there’s always been something about Jake that makes her feel lighter whenever he’s around. Less trapped in her own head, less worried about what other people think.

His sweet and open good-naturedness and his talent for making her laugh take care of that. And he always takes care of her. Just as she’ll always take care of him. That’s been an unspoken truth for much longer than either of them would easily admit.  

“I’ll be back as soon as I can, okay? And we’re doing a proper date night tonight. Fancy restaurant and a movie that isn’t Die Hard and everything.”

“Wow.”

“I know. I am the king of romance.” He leans in closer, eyes wide, whispering fake-conspiratorially. “We might even get to second base.”

Amy snorts. “If you’re lucky.”

“Lucky enough to be with you.”

He kisses her once more, quick and sweet, before hurrying out the door; Amy dreamily ghosts her fingers over her lips, grinning. She’s never had something like this with anyone before, and though it scares her a little, she secretly revels in the quiet thrill of already caring so deeply about him.

With promises of many more mornings like these glimmering on the horizon, it’s all too easy for her to climb back under the covers and enjoy the sweetest of dreams.

[nessie-rp]

WERECREATURE.

Werecreatures roam almost every continent, with legends of manbeasts stretching across cultures since time immemorial. This class of being shares one common trait: the ability to magically transform from human to therian predator. There are five known types of therianthropes, each with distinct origins and sets of traits. No connection to shapeshifters has yet been discovered, though they consider themselves kindred species in the unchanging city. The most common werecreatures in Lyonesse are nahuales and werewolves, each respectively claiming territory in New Aztlán and Old Town Row.

There are five types of werecreatures: NAHUALES/WEREPANTHERS, WEREWOLVES, WEREBEARS, WERETIGERS, and WEREHYENAS.

HISTORY.

The first of these beings were born from humanity's first brushes with magic, when humankind had just started to form civilizations thousands of years ago. Their histories are human histories, for the most part, given that to live as a werecreature is to walk two paths at once: person and beast. Of the five forms, we know that at least two — the wolves and the hyenas — originated from curses from outside influences (or, in the case of the hyenas, self-imposed), but the origins of the other three are largely attributed to witches with unique bonds to transformative magics that drifted apart from witch ways to forge their own.

IN LYONESSE.

Each kind of werecreature comes from a different walk of life and oftentimes an entirely different part of the world. The wolves were the first through the gates, but the nahuales and tigers followed soon after. It wasn't until the 19th century that any bears or hyenas were documented in the city.

The nahuales' connection to magic was what brought the first group of them to Lyonesse, hailing from Central America but intrigued by the possibilities of dimensional travel that the gates presented. It wasn't long before the mage leader of that group became interested in a more permanent presence in the city in the early 14th century, leaving a few trusted members of his family — the ones who would later stake their claim on New Aztlán — to learn more about the supernatural beings they had never previously interacted with.

The wolves did not initially demand a council seat when they began to immigrate to the city, chased out of their villages by angry humans — no, instead a pack tried to start a new settlement on the far side of the Morroi forest without notifying the council. The colony was disbanded by the council after many negotiations with the leadership of the pack, though there is reason to believe threats were levied against the wolves because of the dangers of exploring and occupying land so far from the safety of the gates. It was at this point that the wolves gained a seat on the council.

The tigers, hyenas, and bears do not have a strong enough presence in the city as of yet to have much interest in political power. They mainly keep to themselves.

FACTS.

SHARED ABILITIES.

PHYSICALITY.

All werecreatures possess enhanced senses and superhuman strength and speed, even in their human forms. Many individual werecreatures can go toe-to-toe with other powerful species, such as the fae or the vampire, depending on their control of their abilities. A lone opponent rarely has a chance against more than one werecreature.

SHAPESHIFTING.

Beings of dual natures, werecreatures have a human form and a beast form. Their ability to transform themselves between the two comes with certain conditions, depending on the specifics of their lineage (see individual lore sections for more details), but one constant remains: the transformation of man to beast and back again. Some can partially shift, gaining more noticeable predatory traits (i.e. fangs, claws, glowing eyes, colorations and hair patterns). An intentional partial shift is not an easy feat, and usually only experienced werecreatures or those of significant power can accomplish and maintain such a thing. Younger and less trained weres may partially shift in response to traumas, unexpected stimuli, or overwhelming emotions.

HEALING.

All werecreatures have a greater control over their physical systems which allows them to magically change forms, but this also extends to controlling other body processes — most notably, healing. Though their healing abilities are not as strong as dragons or vampires, many can concentrate their energy into rapid healing from severe injuries. This can give them the time they need to seek medical attention or bring them back from the brink of death, but will run out of steam depending on therity of the injury. It's an imperfect process.

INTERSPECIES RELATIONS.

Werecreatures have a natural affinity for other shapeshifters, though this notably does not extend to the trickster fae who tend to shapeshift into other humanoid forms. Though they are not naturally opposed to vampires, vampires have a mistrust of them that has exacerbated tensions between the species at different points in history.

In general, the more reclusive or solitary weres are wary of other beings, even in the city. That being said, weretigers have had certain... misunderstandings with yōkai in the past, as have werebears with the nahual shifters of the Americas.

MYTHS.

These things do not apply:

All werecreatures are forced to shift on the night of the full moon. That's a werewolf thing. Short end of the stick, huh?

The bites of werecreatures are toxic to vampires. Nah, but they'll still hurt and cause significant damage.

They're the natural predators of vampires. Someone really should be, but werecreatures may or may not have significant beef with their local covens.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS.

CAN A WERECREATURE GET DRUNK/HIGH?

Alcohol and drugs must be consumed in large quantities to affect a werecreature because of their heightened metabolism. Their effects also burn off much faster than they do in humans. Magical substances can affect werecreatures much more easily than normal substances, but they still have a stronger tolerance to their effects than humans do.

NAHUALES & WEREPANTHERS.

FACTS.

Nahuales are a mortal species with an extended lifespan (~250-300 years) with a deep connection to ancestral magics, including those of transformation and mediumship. They are classed as werecreatures for their ability to shapeshift from man to jaguar. They cannot be differentiated from non-magical jaguars when transformed. Their power comes from a spiritual connection to the worlds around and beyond them, a severed tie in magical practice between the nahual and the witch.

Only those born with a certain daysign, according to the tōnalpōhualli, are born nahual. According to nahual spiritual belief, the daysign acts with a person's tonalli — one third of a mortal's "soul" — to determine their characteristics and destiny. Because of this, being born to a nahual does not guarantee that the child will inherit the gift, as it always depends on daysign — and astrology is sacred to these beings to such a degree that natural mating cycles have evolved to favor the births of those with nahual signs. A mortal may be born without the ability to transform but still be destined to become a nahual; they must be bitten. Those who are bitten and not meant for the gift will die.

NOTE: Because of this species' mythos and significance in modern spiritual practice and cultural studies, nahuales must be portrayed by face claims with some indigenous roots in Mesoamerica.

ABILITIES.

NEPANTLA.

Sensitive to the comings and goings of magic, nahuales have the power not only to sense places of power but to traverse liminal spaces. The nepantla is a place neither here nor there — neither shadow nor shining. Chaos is in constant lurch around all living things, but it can get caught here and there, folded over itself, confused. It is these spaces — dimensional portals, djinn entrapments, ruptures in time, the cosmic branches of all world trees, those worlds which are not for mortal eye to behold — which can be accessed with easy by the nahual, drawn to their energy but unaffected by their capricious magical natures. Some say this makes nahuales the lightest of all creatures on their feet, hardest to detect when they are unwilling to be found. Others consider this a mark of just how dangerous they can be, a reason to stay away for fear of being drawn into the twilight neitherworld.

MEDIUMSHIP.

It is said that a nahual never dies. Linked together through time and past death, nahuales can communicate with their ancestors. This mental link develops over time, and will be stronger in some than others. They are extremely vulnerable when reaching out with their tonalli to the dead, and they can only communicate with other nahuales in this manner lest they risk their own lives.

SHAPESHIFTING.

Unburdened by the curse of the wolves or hyenas, nahuales are free to shift when they please, though they may be compelled to transform by offensive magic or intense emotional responses. Their extra connections to magic make them the fastest werecreatures in shifting from one form to the next.

WEAKNESSES.

MORTALITY.

Nahuales are susceptible to human disease and fatal injury, though their longevity is in part bolstered by their healing abilities. Excessive trauma and prolonged illness can still kill them, as can magical attacks.

TZITZIMITL.

Named for bonemonsters of the stars from Aztec myth but known by many names, the tzitzimitl manifests first as trouble with vision before worsening into blindness. It is caused by long stays in the nepantla. Time passes differently there with every voyage, so the risk of overstaying is one that cannot be understated. After the onset of the blindness, the nahual will begin to lose other senses until they become trapped and convinced that they are being burned alive. The worst time to travel the nepantla is during a solar eclipse, as it is almost certain that a nahual will suffer the tzitzimitl immediately upon their return. Cures for this illness are yet unknown.

WEREPANTHERS.

Werepanthers (also called werepumas or werecougars, as their form more closely resembles a cougar than a jaguar) are descended from nahuales but have a more tenuous connection to their ancestral magics due to colonization and the eradication of native cultures in the Americas. As such, they resemble other werecreatures who have lost all of their magical abilities save the power of transformation.

ORGANIZATION & SOCIETY.

Nahuales strongly prefer to live among humans and tend to be very open about their true natures with other beings, in contrast to many other species that prefer to keep their existence secret. Because of this, and the rarity of new nahuales, they do not have a rigid social structure outside of those imposed by humans, such as nuclear or extended families that live in the same home and small social circles. They often occupy places of importance in their communities and make excellent leaders. In Lyonesse, they have integrated themselves with all kinds of supernatural structures.

Notable astronomical events bring nahuales together for festivities or simple communal observance, as these are moments when the spirits of the ancestors are the most active — the dead may compel the nahuales they have communicated with to seek out their still-living loved ones, which leads to larger gatherings.

WEREWOLVES.

FACTS.

Werewolves are a mortal species with an extended lifespan who have the ability to shapeshift from man to wolf. Essentially, their first shift begins to slow down to their aging, allowing them to live up to 150 years of age. Once a werewolf reaches 100, they begin to age more quickly and feel less of a need to shift to their wolf form. Most werewolves that pass away of natural causes have stopped shifting completely for at least 15 years or more.

With regard to their origins, werewolves are a species that are either born or turned. No cursed wolves have been created since at least 1879. Born werewolves experience their first shift around puberty, usually between the ages of 13 and 16. Despite being born a werewolf, those that are born still experience the sickness that comes with the days leading up to their first shift. Born werewolves are more naturally inclined to have better control than turned werewolves.

Werewolves are easily distinguishable from normal wolves, being much bigger than any normal wolf. Their fur can be any natural wolf coat colors, regardless of their human form's coloration.

ABILITIES.

SHAPESHIFTING.

The full shift can be enacted at will, except on the full moon. It’s usually a quick but uncomfortable or even painful process. Alphas are usually the fastest at their shifts, but it isn't entirely unheard of for lower ranked wolves to be able to shift from man to wolf in the blink of an eye. Significant injuries will make the shift more dangerous and painful. Transformations that are forced (i.e. the full moon, alpha command, or magic-induced) are extremely painful to the individual, but intentional shifts can eventually become less painful. Many wolves choose to shift well before the full moon to avoid a forced shift.

WEAKNESSES.

THE FULL MOON.

The full moon is a shackle that werewolves can never escape, forcing their kind to transform for the duration of every full moon for the rest of their lives. During the night of the full moon, the majority of werewolves (including all but the most powerful alphas and betas) are more beast than man, increasing the risk they pose to creatures of all species. On the days leading up to the full moon, werewolves are often restless and irritable.

SILVER & WOLFSBANE.

Both substances can be fatal to a werewolf if ingested/injected or through prolonged exposure. Wolfsbane can induce vomiting, dizziness, general weakness (shifting becomes near impossible), and in some rare cases, drive a werewolf mad. Silver burns on contact and is most commonly used in restraints. Older werewolves are more likely to develop some resistance to wolfsbane and silver.

MORTALITY.

Werewolves can survive most injuries that would kill a human, thanks to their healing ability, but would not survive the most traumatic, such as fatal damage to the heart, decapitation, explosion, etc.

LOSS OF A MATE.

The unexpected death of a mate can drive a wolf so deep into despair that they become gravely ill.

MAGIC.

Werewolves are very susceptible to magic, especially magic that ties to the moon and rituals that are completed during the night of the full moon.

THE TURN.

To become a werewolf, one must be bitten during the week of the full moon. The higher the attacking wolf is in the pack hierarchy, the better the chance the individual has of surviving the transformation. This transformation happens on the next full moon, but the victim will endure a long and strange illness for the entire month between. Those bitten have a high chance of the transformation killing them or driving them insane.

ORGANIZATION & SOCIETY.

Werewolves congregate in pack structures like their natural kin. Packs are often full of related wolves, depending on their history and the amount of territory they occupy. However, regardless of blood relation — pack is, in most situations, family.

ALPHAS.

Packs are led by an alpha pair. Alphas can be of any gender, as the position is determined by power and ability rather than by any specific biological factors. Magic, stemming from the original curse, is what gives the alpha ranking its authority. Female alphas are highly revered in werewolf culture. Alphas are identifiable by the bright, illuminating glow of their eyes when partially or fully transformed; it is also easy to identify an alpha amongst other wolves of their pack due to the social deference they command.

When it comes to succession to alpha status, such a title is usually bestowed based upon respect rather than strictly inherited. Should an alpha die before naming a successor, the alpha rank is conferred to the next strongest wolf in the pack, usually one of the betas. Pack elders are often involved in this decision should the previous alpha face an untimely demise.

BETAS.

Known as the seconds in command to the alpha, betas are responsible for helping enforce the alpha’s rules. They can be any gender. Their main concerns are pack security and safety as well as ensuring the alpha's orders are followed.

None of the betas have power over another, though many will defer to older and wiser members of the pack.

PACK ELDERS.

Elders have been with their packs for a very long time, guiding and caring for the younger generations. Soemtimes they're parents or adoptive family of the core pack members (alphas and betas) — other times there's no specific familial tie; either way, they're always gramps or auntie or baba. Respect for the elders is expected, though they may not have any official position of authority and they may not even still be turning members of the pack. The respect they are owed doesn't come from social pressures so much as it comes from the roles they typically fill in the pack as connections to pack ancestors and caretakers of the young.

LONE WOLVES & ROGUE WOLVES.

Lone wolves are rare, and do not thrive outside of pack life.

Rogue wolves are outcasts, labeled as such for an infraction among their pack and/or the werewolf community (putting others in danger, disobeying their alpha, intentionally biting humans to change them, etc.). Wolves may also be described as rogue if they have gone mad from wolfsbane exposure or from forced transforming. These wolves, reduced to predator instincts and mad with rage, are sentenced to death in Lyonesse. A local alpha, pack elder, or in extreme cases, the council all have the authority to carry out the sentence.

MATES.

Wolves take partnerships very seriously, as any mated pair may eventually break off from a pack to build their own. The mating bond is equivalent to marriage within a pack; in fact, in Lyonesse mating carries the same legal connotations and recognition as marriage as of the 1925 Ritual Partnership Act.

There are various courtship practices and ceremonies observed in wolf packs — some more similar to mortal courtships in that they involve sharing gifts, declarations of intention, and spending time alone together, and others more in common with wolves, such as grooming and territorial displays.

[memoryshame5]

Wandsworth Mediation Service

Straight Mediation Solutions

Content

National Family Members Mediation Solution.

Northampton Quaker Meeting.

An industrial sight additionally needs to be taken, as a business must just actually think about sustaining the cost of designating a meditator if all events want to take part in the process. Certified moderators will certainly usually think about useful as well as ingenious remedies to intricate troubles, as well as suggest end results ideal for the certain people and/or service included. Mediation permits much more adaptability than the courts have when thinking about solutions. and also receive useful updates as well as understandings about mediation, problem resolution, management, employee relationships and Human Resources. " Mediation is anon-adversarialway of resolving tight spots. At TCM, we explain mediation as amind-set; a structure; and also a proficiency. The FAIR Mediation Design ™ is one-of-a-kind due to the fact that it attends to the underlying root cause of a dispute whilst bringing a practical and highly reliable trouble fixing strategy.

Disputes at the workplace can be incredibly time consuming as well as discouraging to handle. Not to mention costly if it leads to absence or potential lawsuits.

National Family Members Mediation Solution.

Administration time in dealing with the problem rather than focusing on taking care of business. Our 2020 Managing conflict in the modern workplace study finds that almost nine in 10 staff members report excellent functioning connections with associates in their group as well as various other coworkers at the workplace.

While mediation does not constantly need to be performed face to face, more frequently mediation is arranged to occur off-site at a neutral venue and with the mediator and all the celebrations present. The bypassing purpose of workplace mediation is to restore and preserve great and efficient functioning connections any place feasible. as well as WIBBERLEY, G. Inside the mediation area - efficiency, voice as well as equity in workplace mediation. A variety of organisations run accredited training programs for internal moderators. It can be made use of to deal with a range of workplace issues consisting of partnership malfunction, individuality clashes, communication problems, as well as intimidation and harassment.

Northampton Quake Conference.

Almost 4 in five rate the total working environment and society as 'excellent' or 'great'. You could additionally use mediation to restore partnerships after a corrective or complaint process.

Do mediators cost money?

Fees for private mediation may be charged on an hourly basis or as a flat rate and are generally shared by the parties as they may agree. But in mediation, parties avoid the costs of preparing a court case, which can quickly escalate into the tens of thousands of dollars or more.

Conversion cookies are not made use of by Google for individualized ad targeting and also linger for a minimal time just. totally free 's typically embeded in the googleadservices.com domain or the google.com domain. Several of our various other cookies may be utilized to gauge conversion occasions as well. For instance, DoubleClick and also Google Analytics cookies might also be utilized for this function. We deal with senior execs, CEOs, founders as well as board members to manage their personal employment legislation needs.

Why Choose Mediation?

The celebrations are urged to start problem fixing as well as establishing their resolution action plan. Mediation placesresponsibility for the resolutionof a conflict directly with the celebrations. Burnetts generates a range of write-ups, work legislation e-bulletins and also factsheets. This cost-free legal resource works for both organisations and individuals.

The Top 100 Lawyers in Arizona for 2021 - AZ Big Media

The Top 100 Lawyers in Arizona for 2021.

Posted: Wed, 13 Jan 2021 03:36:20 GMT [source]

It additionally consists of a considerable amount of post-mediation assistance for the parties for a complete year after mediation wraps up. It is created for line supervisors, managers, issues trainers, union representatives and also Human Resources and also ER consultants that may take advantage of utilizing mediation skills as part of their daily tasks. The abilities that we teach are generally important and also include compassion, used favorable psychology, interaction skills, assertiveness, problem resolving and settlement abilities. This is a wonderful way for delegates to gain from a few of the worlds top moderators. Like Practical Mediation Abilities ™, it functions best as an internal course which implies that we can customize it to your certain requirements as well as context. Nevertheless, we additionally run it as an open program with The TCM Academy.

The conversations are concentrated on checking out the issues so that a positive contract can be reached which attends to future communication and working practices. Establishing your very own convenient time, date as well as place for where resolution meetings take place. >> more information of workplace mediations business mediation services northampton plus will certainly assist all celebrations to far better manager anxiety, their very own health and wellbeing, and also social connections amongst associates, in addition to to feel more positive concerning their duty in the business. The success of mediation relies on both events being open and willing to get involved. workplacemediations.co.uk for mediation services is that the events restore their working relationship via equally agreeing a favourable result to fulfill both their personal requirements. Notably, mediation focuses on restoring and also preserving effective functioning partnerships to stay clear of similar problems occurring once more in the future. Through mediation we give an opportunity to tackle such situations early as well as much less formally, saving time, anxiety and also sensations.

Mediation between cities, county over alleged breach of contract to begin in January - Richmond County Daily Journal

Mediation between cities, county over alleged breach of contract to begin in January.

Posted: Fri, 18 Dec 2020 08:00:00 GMT [source]

If the issue can not be dealt with informally, you can make use of mediation. Mediation can be utilized at any type of stage in a disagreement, however it's best to begin it immediately. The earlier the disagreement is taken care of, the much less opportunity there is of things worsening. The arbitrator will concur with both sides which information can be shared outside the mediation as well as how. If you do not get to an arrangement, anything that's been stated during the mediation must be maintained personal as well as can not be used in future procedures.

Relationship malfunction is the concern most frequently pointed out by companies as ideal for mediation. There are various other informal conflict resolution comes close to that can be handy, such as 'helped with conversations' by HR, which can be viewed as a management-led version of mediation. Our research discovered that a quarter of companies utilized promoted conversations or 'trouble-shooting' by Human Resources.

We encourage on the full spectrum of contentious as well as non-contentious work legislation, with experience in taking care of complicated, high profile and high risk scenarios. A programme open up to onset and also development innovation startups, whose services or products apply to the lawful industry. We have years of experience in the industry as well as are well versed in all aspects of problem mediation as well as are up to date with all the current mediation techniques. If you're based in or around the Newcastle-upon-Tyne location and also want to arrange a mediation session then make certain to call us today. Workplace mediation is based on the concepts of motivating positive communication in a risk-free as well as personal setting recognizing mutual remedies as well as agreements as well as bring back considerate, expert working partnerships. Globis Mediation Group has developed an impressive record for providing top quality mediation training which has led to acknowledgment and national accreditation. Globis Mediation Group mediation training is accredited by OCN London as well as is likewise a signed up training program with the Civil Mediation Council.

Anything claimed during mediation must be personal to those taking part, unless all parties agree to share particular factors, such as predetermined activities or setups with their coworkers, supervisors, or Human Resources. This means that a conciliator may report to HR that a meeting has efficiently taken place however not disclose the detail of what was discussed or agreed. The only exemptions to skip discretion are where, as an example, a potentially crime has actually been devoted or there's a serious risk to health and wellness. Our Managing problem study report likewise explains employees' experiences of interpersonal dispute at the workplace. It demonstrates how conflict-- both separated clashes and also ongoing hard partnerships in addition to bullying and harassment-- can develop, influencing individuals' health as well as health and their work. When conflict isn't attended to and also resolved at an early stage, the scenario often tends to smolder.

In 2018 Stuart existed with a National Mediation Award and in 2019 was assigned to the board of directors at The University of Mediators.

And also, even if they have actually needed to withstand a complaint or examination, mediation additionally gives people a chance to obtain their partnership back on course.

Our highly-experienced moderators can get people speaking and also discovering a resolution to their dispute prior to it ends up being a problem.

Stuart is a Household Conciliator recognized by the Family members Mediation Council in all concerns and belongs to the University of Mediators.

To discover a local mediation solution, or a conciliator who serves your area, usage Find A Moderator or call the Scottish Mediation Helpline on. Google uses conversion cookies, whose main function is to assist marketers figure out the amount of times individuals who click on their ads wind up purchasing their service or products. These cookies enable Google and the marketer to establish that you clicked the advertisement as well as later on went to the advertiser's website.

[oleasters]

Oleana has late-onset anosmia (no sense of smell). she will not give a detailed reasoning for it if pressed for one (not that the subject often comes up), but will admit that it is the result of a head injury she sustained late in her youth

while she has no sense of smell, she does experience phantom smells on occasion. most common among them is the scent of cigarette smoke

immediately following the incident, her appetite decreased significantly and she started eating less (dangerous, seeing as she wasn’t eating much to begin with). while her current living conditions are much more stable and comfortable, she still eats more for necessity than for pleasure. she’s been living with her anosmia long enough now that she’s generally good at keeping a balanced diet, but may need to be reminded on occasion to have a biscuit or something during work so that her blood sugar doesn’t completely plummet and wipe her out

when she does eat for pleasure, she likes things to be really sweet or really sour. catch her downing Pixie Stix like shots at the club

on the other hand, she is oversensitive to spicy foods; some can actually be physically painful for her to eat. one time early in her career as Rose’s secretary she attended a fancy dinner with him and some diplomats or whatever and unwittingly ate something that was notably spicy…spent the entire night subtly trembling in agony. Rose honestly thought she was doing to die. whenever they eat together now, he tries to taste-test things for her and tell her which things are safe. it’s embarrassing, but she secretly really appreciates it

on a related note, she sometimes asks Rose to smell things for her…unfortunately for him, it’s usually her Garbodor straight after being fed some new kind of garbage ( “Well? What does she smell like now?” “… W-well, erm, a bit like a… rotten durian…?” “Really? Hm. Interesting.”)

[subfunctions]

Horizon Zero Dawn OC: Oren

Round two! Following this character.

As usual, I think at least one sub-function, if not more, has buddied up with a human in a friendly manner, and I like to make characters sometimes.

Inspiration: While it is likely just meant to mirror the story progression, the way in which the metal flowers are numbered means that they spiral outward from the Sacred Land, with the first one in the ruin that Aloy fell into as a child. It’s easy to make a story out of that.

The poetry is taken from “Flowers” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, other lines of which can be found in Metal Flower Mark III (G).

--

(face claim: Tahmoh Penikett)

Name: Oren Gender: Male Tribe: Nora Age: 40 at time of main game

Notable Physical Traits: Oren has a large patch of discolored reddish skin covering part of the left side of his forehead and his left eyelid. This is a result of a neurological disorder once known as Sturge-Weber syndrome, which also results in intermittent seizures and muscle weakness, migraines, and some cognitive impairment. Notably, this has also led to the development of glaucoma, resulting in progressive and complete vision loss in his left eye and severely reduced vision in his right eye. He uses a cane and a Focus to help navigate the world, and his Focus is able to track seizure symptoms and patterns as well.

Personality: Oren is at his happiest when working with his hands and creating, and he is personable and happy to chat with anyone. However, he’s been a little set apart because of his appearance and disabilities and experiences with the Metal World, which makes leaving the Sacred Land easier than it might have been otherwise. Because of his experiences with being outcast, he’s developed a deep desire to help others, which sometimes gets him into trouble. Though he takes up wandering with DEMETER and grows to question the environment he grew up in, he retains much of his Nora roots, including a reverence for the world that All-Mother created and a sense of collective responsibility towards others. Even with his exposure to the old world, he doesn’t exactly shed his belief in All-Mother, not fully; rather, his beliefs expand and change to accommodate what little he learns from DEMETER over the years and his growing appreciation for the Metal World.

Relationship With DEMETER: Oren and DEMETER provide each other with a glimpse of the kindness of their respective “species.” Encountering DEMETER opens Oren’s mind to the wonders of the Metal World and starts him questioning his people’s fear of it, and encountering Oren leads DEMETER to question HEPHAESTUS’s attitude towards humans. They both grow to break from their original ties because of their friendship with each other - DEMETER from HEPHAESTUS and Oren from the Nora. They find joy and companionship and learning in traveling with each other, sharing common ground in their love of creating, and DEMETER stabilizes and grows much from her interactions with Oren. Perhaps unconsciously, and due to DEMETER’s extraordinary nature, Oren comes to associate her with All-Mother and the life-giving act of creation.

Songs: Bloom �� ODESZA I Followed Fires – Matthew and the Atlas

--

Bio:

Oren was born in 3000 to the Nora, with a mark that immediately set him apart – a discoloration of his face that seemed to accompany progressively deteriorating vision and the onset of seizures. While this was viewed with suspicion by some, his mother, Danua, was protective of him and tried to craft a different narrative for him. She called the mark a firemark and said that it was a sign of a strong spirit, one that the Goddess saw was capable of handling greater challenges.

Growing up, Oren was a little slower than his peers in speaking and moving, in addition to his vision loss and seizures, and it was apparent early on that he would never be able to run in the Proving. He found refuge in crafting instead. He loved to work with his hands, and his motor skills caught up eventually, allowing him to flourish at crafting. His limited vision did not significantly inhibit his ability to feel his way through the process. He found a particular niche in woodwork, though he was gifted at all forms of crafting.

In 3020, when Oren was 20 years old, a distant mountain exploded, spreading unease through the Nora. A year later, in 3021, the machines had already begun turning hostile on those who hunted them. They had not yet begun to attack humans on sight en masse, however, so when Oren passed near a group of scrappers, he was surprised and very nearly mauled when the one nearest to him suddenly turned on him.

He fled their wrath and stumbled into a hole and an underground ruin by accident. The fall broke his leg, and he dragged himself deeper into the ruin to avoid the scans of the scrappers.

They gave up the chase eventually, but Oren was left with further dilemma – his leg was broken, the underground gloom made it even harder to see, and he was in a ruin of the Metal World, which would lead to him being outcast if anyone knew. His attempts to get out proved unsuccessful, and eventually he tried calling for help, though it would likely get him cast out.

There was no one nearby to hear him, however, and Oren was near despair when he saw a grazer appear at the edge of the hole, with an odd green glow instead of the usual blue. To his surprise, the grazer started shrieking, repeatedly and consistently, until the noise drew nearby people.

Oren called out for help again and was found. However, those who found him were hesitant to get too close to the ruin, something which impacted Oren deeply – the strange machine had apparently been trying to help him, but his own people held back. In the end, it was a passing outcast who stepped in, jumping down to help him climb out.

By the time he was out, there was no sign of the grazer.

Afterwards, Oren was cast out with a sentence of five years, which further cemented his bitterness, as he had not meant to stumble into the ruin and the only ones who had helped him had been a machine and an outcast. Everyone he knew obeyed the law and shunned him, except his mother, who came to visit him in secret, worried about his ability to survive on his own now that the machines were getting worse. He was deeply grateful for that but also begged her not to visit, not wanting her to get in trouble. She never listened, of course.

The outcast who had saved him, Jom, also stuck around. Jom explained that he had been cast out for accidentally killing someone he’d gotten into a fight with, and that he was beginning to regret it in earnest. He’d wanted to help Oren as part of atoning for his past actions, and since Oren was partially blind and prone to seizures, he thought it was better for them to stick together. Not wanting to be alone, Oren accepted Jom’s companionship, even though it was against the law.

He couldn’t stop thinking about the grazer at the ruin, however, and he often wandered back to that area, trying to find it. On one of these occasions, he did find the same entity, but it was no longer in a grazer. It was a charger that glowed green now, accompanied by a shell-walker companion, and Oren half-expected to be attacked when he found them.

But the charger only seemed curious about him, and the shell-walker carried something with it that the charger was clearly trying to offer to him -- a Focus. He took it without much hesitation, wanting to understand these strange machines.

And that was when the Focus opened the door to another world for him. The foggy sight of his right eye could pick up on lights that floated in the air, and there was a voice coming from the grazer. It spoke rather strangely and formally, and it introduced itself as DEMETER. It – or she, as he came to think of her – wanted to know about him, for reasons that she couldn’t quite make clear to Oren.

Unbeknownst to Oren, DEMETER had established contact with HEPHAESTUS some time after the destruction of GAIA Prime and had set to carrying out her work with his help – using the Cauldrons to create metal flowers that would promote seed germination and mapping out routes to plant them. However, she didn’t share HEPHAESTUS’s hostility towards humans. She had been observing humans to see if HEPHAESTUS’s reasoning was justified. Most encounters had been hostile, but Oren had been her chance to help a human, and he was the first who didn’t attack or avoid her.

However, before they could talk much, a group of passing braves saw them and mistook the situation. They rushed to attack, and Oren tried to stop them and distracted them long enough for DEMETER and the shell-walker to flee. This incident cemented Oren’s strangeness to and distance from most of the people around him, and a few people accused him of consorting with denizens of the Metal World. Nothing was done about the incident in the end, but Oren had a reputation now.

DEMETER found him again soon after, wondering about why he had defended her. She continued to ask him about himself, and when Oren explained that he was an outcast because of what had happened at the ruin, and what that meant, DEMETER asked if he would like to come and travel with her instead. She was unwilling to explain where she came from when Oren asked, but she said that she had a job to do, and she invited him to come along. When Oren realized that it meant leaving the Sacred Land, he understood that he had a choice.

It felt almost too easy to make. Though he loved his mother and cared for Jom, he’d grown disconnected from the Nora, and developed a blooming curiosity about the Metal World and this strange machine who could speak. He wanted to experience what the rest of the world was like.

However, he was still nervous, as the Sacred Land was all he had ever known. DEMETER suggested that he give it a test run. He could accompany her around the Sacred Land, and then to the west if he still wanted to travel, and see how he liked it.

He agreed, and DEMETER showed him her project – beautiful flowers made out of metal, that she would plant across the land to keep it flourishing, accompanied by poetry from the old world that DEMETER had a fondness for. They decided to plant the first metal flower in the ruin where Oren had fallen in. Oren accompanied DEMETER back to the ruin, then to a few other locations in the Embrace and the Sacred Land, and by the end of it, Oren found that he wanted to keep going.

So he sought out his mother to say goodbye. Though Danua was upset at the thought of him becoming an exile, she realized that nothing she could say would stop him, and that her son had become different in ways that she couldn’t understand. So she gave him her blessing.

He said farewell to Jom, too. Jom wanted to accompany him, but DEMETER was against the idea, and so Oren turned him down. He encouraged Jom to keep up his good habits and seek out other outcasts to band together with, and they parted ways.

On Oren and DEMETER’s journey, no machine ever attacked Oren, though they continued to grow more aggressive towards other humans. Oren remained unaware of why – no machine would attack DEMETER, or the human under her care, and she was adamant about not letting HEPHAESTUS hurt him. And with the Focus and DEMETER’s help, Oren found a greater degree of ability that he hadn’t quite had before.

They made a meandering course up through the northern Sundom and into the Claim, then back down to the southern Sundom. For reasons that she wouldn’t explain, DEMETER refused to go any further west than the Rustwash, wanting to avoid something in the Forbidden West. From stories he’d heard, Oren wasn’t too keen to go that way either, so they passed through the Jewel, planting more metal flowers as they went, and backtracked up past the Sacred Land, making a stop at a place called the SIGMA facility to restock DEMETER’s shell-walker companion with more metal flowers.

DEMETER asked if Oren would like to return to the Sacred Land, and Oren found that he didn’t miss it very much and had no desire to live on the borders as an exile. So he and DEMETER continued their journey, heading east into Plainsong, then east and south into places that Oren had only heard whispers about, and into places he’d never known existed. They spent years traveling, planting metal flowers and working on other projects of DEMETER’s, and Oren was able to make contact with and learn about other tribes and groups that weren’t hostile to outsiders.

Meanwhile, DEMETER had been seriously questioning HEPHAESTUS’s reasoning and logic for his hostility towards humans and was avoiding contact with HEPHAESTUS more often. She was perturbed by how much worse the machines had gotten over time and by how HEPHAESTUS’s strategy did not seem to be working. However, it took her a long time to truly take a stance against it, concerned as she was with her own work and with Oren.

In the end, it was because of Oren that she realized that HEPHAESTUS needed to be stopped.

Oren was never able to resist helping someone in need, and when he heard a pack of machines attacking a group of people, he couldn’t leave it be, even though DEMETER had gone off on her own for a few minutes. He approached the fight and tried to distract the attacking machines. He succeeded at that, and it almost cost him his life. A ravager mauled him, and DEMETER returned and intervened just in time.

The tribe to which the group belonged took them in and were able to save Oren’s life, but DEMETER was deeply affected by the incident and knew that she could tolerate HEPHAESTUS’s actions no longer. She finally told Oren about HEPHAESTUS and his connection to the machines, citing her desire to see him stopped, and Oren agreed, realizing how important it was to the world to return the machines to their docile state.

However, DEMETER was uncertain about how to do this. She didn’t know if HEPHAESTUS could be reasoned with, and she told Oren that there were others of her kind also working with HEPHAESTUS, which meant they’d be outnumbered and not just because HEPHAESTUS had an army of machines on his side. Oren asked if there were any others like her that could help them, and DEMETER said there might be... if they could be found.

It started them on a journey to seek out others like DEMETER and eventually led them to someone DEMETER recognized as the Alpha Prime... who may have picked up a friend or two along the way.

--

Some Notes:

I initially waffled on whether to make Oren Nora or not, as that might be too similar to Aloy, but:

1) We already have three Banuk/AI pairs (Sylens, Ourea, Aratak), and the Banuk would have been my other choice for what tribe he comes from, because you could get some similar character beats there. 2) He could be from an entirely new tribe, but I already have a lady like that in mind for ELEUTHIA, and assuming I get around to her, that is truly going to be a pain in my ass without doing it twice. If it was getting $$$ to do this I’d make them both from new tribes, but I’m not. 3) I can’t let go of the first metal flower being in the ruin near Mother’s Watch. Something had to crawl down and put it there, and why, outside of Doylist story progression reasons? 4) I think it would be nice for Aloy to find a Nora friend to relate to (same hat!). Plus, it keeps up the tradition of Nora or proto-Nora touching things that they shouldn’t and then hitting the road (hello, Araman). 5) It could lead to exchanges like this:

Aloy: Hang on, YOU fell in that place? Oren: Uh, I was being chased by machines, I’m half-blind, and it’s a big hole in the ground. Cut me some slack. Aloy: That’s not what I meant.

[holytheoristtastemaker]

This city has turned to technology -- like Citrix virtual desktops -- to maintain services in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis. CIO Chris McMasters discusses the lessons already learned. Although the coronavirus pandemic escalated faster than municipal officials might have expected, the city of Corona, Calif., has been able to adapt -- using remote work tools such as Microsoft Teams and Citrix virtual desktops -- and keep its government services running. City CIO Chris McMasters has been open about the municipality's remote-work preparations. A week after the state issued its shelter-in-place order, he spoke about how those preparations had helped in an emergency. "We've kept the government running, and they're still providing services," he said. "Most of our services have not closed; we've been offering them online." Going from 0 to 100 McMasters noted the city, county and state declared a state of emergency in a quick progression earlier this month. Businesses were shut down, and people were asked to shelter in place. "Once [the state] had declared the shelter in place [policy], we had to figure out how we were going to get everyone remotely working," he said. The policy was announced on March 19 and went into effect that night. Although many city employees cannot work from home, such as those in the police and fire departments and workers maintaining public utilities, McMasters said about one-quarter of municipal workers are now doing their jobs from home. More employees, he said, are being onboarded each day. "We spun everything up pretty quick," he said. "I think the biggest hiccup we had was just fine-tuning it." As long as they have an OK connection, it seems like they're able to do all their work. Chris McMastersCIO, city of Corona McMasters said the rapid onset of the crisis meant long days of setup. "We had to do some fine-tuning there, because we did not expect to deploy this quickly," he said. "We were in the stages of building out profiles for departments, and that went from zero to 100." Remote work during shelter in place The city began to move its operations to the cloud two years ago and had deployed Citrix Workspace, which virtualizes desktops and applications, toward that end. As Corona uses a cloud-based product, McMasters said, the additional remote-work strain has not overwhelmed the local infrastructure. "Performance-wise, it's working very well, because [the user demand] is not all coming back to the city," he said. "As long as they have an OK connection, it seems like they're able to do all their work." The technology has also enabled the city to sidestep some of the provisioning bottlenecks that other organizations -- looking to rapidly implement remote-work policies -- have encountered. "Because we're virtualizing the desktop, it's pretty device-agnostic," McMasters said. "We have people with all kinds of devices -- Macs, Android -- you name it, I've seen it. The majority don't have problems." The nature of the pandemic has put technology at center stage. McMasters noted that the city would typically use its emergency operations center to convene, but the necessity of social distancing has made in-person collaboration less than ideal. "All of our directors now are just remote-dialing in [to meetings] using [Microsoft] Teams," he said. "We're running the Citrix platform in the background, and I'm running Teams for collaborative meetings." McMasters said the city deployed Teams a year ago, but adoption was slow. Now, emergency personnel are collaborating on pandemic plans using the Microsoft software, and other officials are using it to keep services, like permitting, running. Teams is also helping the city run an emergency operations telephone line for its citizens. McMasters said the hotline had been set up using Cisco VoIP -- so it could be manned remotely -- and he had set up a Teams instance that answered frequently asked questions. Library and recreation workers, whose facilities are closed, man the line from home. Drawing lessons and looking to the future The municipality's officials have been happy with the rapid shift the technology has enabled, but McMasters said earlier planning could have made the transition to remote work smoother. He said "table-topping," or running through how the crisis might play out with other department leaders, could have been a productive exercise. Although the crisis will continue for some time, McMasters said there were already insights to glean from the response. Notably, remote work has had a positive effect on productivity. "People usually work more [when they work from home], because they don't have to get up, get ready for work and drive to work -- they just hop on and start doing their work," he said. "People tend to work later, too, because they tend to balance their life a little bit better." McMasters said he had seen employees log on as early as 4 a.m., and others stop at around 11 p.m. With employees taking advantage of such a shift, he said, government could gain flexibility -- and provide services beyond the traditional 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. city hall hours. "Crisis and stress induce people to change … and maybe rethink how they were doing things," he said. "Suddenly, you have to rethink how you're doing your work and how you're going to operate. That doesn't happen often in government. You're basically forcing a paradigm shift." The drive to reconsider operations to make them more effective, McMasters said, is a positive thing. "When we come through the end of this, I think that change will be something that lasts," he sai

http://damianfallon.blogspot.com/2020/03/remote-work-tools-go-from-0-to-100-in.html

[oscar-isaacs-number-one-bitch]

“The Hate U Give” Movie Review

“I was nine years old the first time I got the talk.” One might think this is about the usual talk on sexuality parents give to their kids at the onset of puberty, but one would be wrong; this isn’t that kind of talk. This talk is of a different, far harsher sort; a father is teaching his kids how to behave when a cop pulls them over so that they don’t get arrested, or worse, shot and killed. This is life for Starr Carter.

So begins The Hate U Give, a young adult drama directed by George Tillman, Jr., most well-known for  producing the Barbershop franchise (and directing some episodes of Luke Cage and This Is Us). It stars Amandla Stenberg, Russell Hornsby, Regina Hall, Anthony Mackie, Common, Issa Rae, and K.J. Apa. Adapted for the screen by Audrey Wells (who sadly passed away from cancer just a couple of weeks ago) from the best-selling novel of the same name by Angie Thomas, the story concerns main character black high school student Starr’s struggle against a racist and corrupted system that put her and her family in harm’s way after she sees her childhood friend Khalil get shot by a white police officer for no reason.

Starr is from Garden Heights, a predominantly black community her father grew up in where she knows just about everybody’s name. But not every day is beautiful in this neighborhood, and when an officer pulls Khalil over for no reason, he is shot and killed after reaching for his hairbrush. Being the only witness to the murder, Starr is called on to testify in front of a grand jury – but she isn’t sure she can. If she testifies, certain people that seek to maintain the status quo she could disrupt will know it was her who spoke up, or “snitched,” and could come after her and her family. But if she doesn’t, is she really being a true friend to Khalil? Does she have an inherent duty to further the cause of justice or is ultimately staying alive and keeping her family safe more important than taking that chance?

Truth be told, until I had seen the trailer in theaters for the first time back in early August, I had no idea this movie was even coming, much less how impactful it could be. Watching that trailer for the first time blew me away as I had no idea that the story was going there in the opening seconds. Not having read the book either, I wasn’t sure just what to expect when it came to how deeply this movie would delve into racism, police brutality, gentrification, drug funneling, etc. And while there certainly are spots in which the film could have been improved or delved deeper into certain socio-political issues concerning black communities surrounded by the white and privileged, this movie still covers an impressive amount of ground concerning all of those topics, buoyed by fantastic performances by all involved to create one of the best films of the year.

This film is bound to impact all who see it in one way or another, but one of the primary ways in which the movie’s voice finds the audience is by forcing them to view the atrocities presented therein through the eyes of children. It’s easy enough to look away when things like racism and police brutality affect the average adult who believes that the world is far more complicated than we would like it to be, but to force the audience to see these situations through the eyes of children places a fresh perspective on these things that too rarely gets brought up even by those that seek to further the cause of justice; as Starr puts it to her uncle (Common) at one point in the film, “it doesn’t seem that complicated.” And the truth is, it’s really not, certainly not when view through the eyes of the young people who are affected by this every single day. No parent should ever have to have that talk with their child, and yet, many parent of color give that talk to their children, just as they were given it by their parents.

One of the many methods by which George Tillman, Jr shows the audience how uncomplicated it is that what happened was not only wrong, but inherently racist, by a conversation that happens between Starr and her uncle. I won’t spoil the contents of the conversation here, but suffice it to say, if you are a person of color, you may have had or may have to have this conversation with one or more of your white friends or colleagues at some point. It’s an immensely powerful conversation that shuts down an age-old argument against the racism in shooting an unarmed black person because the officer “thought they were holding a weapon.” What’s more, she has other conversations with the white people around her about the importance of seeing color and the heinousness of co-opting a social justice movement like Black Lives Matter for personal gain. And this isn’t the only ground this movie covers. In addition to these more socio-political topics, The Hate U Give also addresses things most young adult stories do, like searching for your sense of self and finding your identity.

In order to have these points come across in the best possible way, you need an ensemble of insanely talented actors, and The Hate U Give has one fully prepared to embrace its story, particularly in the cases of star Amandla Stenberg and supporting actor Russell Hornsby. Stenberg crushes it as Starr, a fully realized character with a wide range of emotions that Stenberg uses to their full effect, forcing the audience to experience horror, joy, pain, relief, fear, and abhorrence through her eyes. It’s a sincerely star-making turn (no, there’s no pun here), and I am very much looking forward to whatever she does next. But perhaps the greatest performance in the movie belongs to none other than Russell Hornsby. Without doubt, his character is the most nuanced and masterfully acted character in the entire movie. There’s a speech he gives his children approximately 3/4ths of the way through the second act as they’re standing outside their house on the grass that literally left me in chills; that’s definitely the speech they would use for his Oscar reel, and you’ll know it when you see it. But these two also aren’t the only great performances in the film. Common and Regina Hall are also reliably great as always, Anthony Mackie reminds everyone he’s a legitimate force of nature outside of his Falcon costume, and it’s nice to see that there’s more to K.J. Apa than just dark Archie Andrews.

I do have a couple minor issues with the film though. Even though it certainly covers a lot of ground in terms of the struggle against a racist and thus unjust system, there are so many moving parts to that system that don’t get the time devoted to them that they probably should. It’s sort of a catch 22: if you don’t spend enough time on just one or two issues, you don’t get to really explore all the nuances that go into those issues, but there’s a lot more ground to cover that needs to be addressed as well, which is hard to do in just over 2 hours. But while this is a notable detriment to the more analytical viewers like myself, it does little (if anything) to diminish the power the film retains despite it, thus rendering it relatively inconsequential.

My only real “problem” with the movie is its ending; while I’m certainly no cheerleader for every movie involving racism or the black struggle to have an unhappy or complicated ending rather than a happy one, the ending to this one felt a little tidy. This isn’t to say that the ending doesn’t fit narratively, but it does seem to lay some of the blame for the racism that affects black communities on the communities themselves for not “stepping up” and “doing their duty” against each other. I won’t spoil how this comes about, but I will say it’s fairly late into Starr’s narration regarding the film’s title. It’s almost as though the thematics changed as if to say that the real issues present in these communities are only present because of some form of in-fighting or false loyalties to each other, which I won’t say doesn’t happen, but ignores that police brutality and racism frequently occurs in black communities that have none of these problems as well. Again, I haven’t read the book personally, and as an average white man I am far from the leading authority on matters like this (in fact if you’re a person of color who’s seen this film, I’d be more than happy to hear your perspective on it), but that’s just how I saw it personally.

In the end, The Hate U Give is an immensely powerful, poignant, and inspiring film about the struggles of black communities, police brutality and racism, gentrification, the strength to find yourself and your voice, the whole nine yards. It’s chock full of great performances, especially from star Amandla Stenberg and Russell Hornsby, and is bound to impact all who see it some way. This is a film that should be taught in schools across the country. This is a film that should be seen by everyone, if only to start a cultural conversation sorely needed today. And it just so happens to be one of the best films of the year.

I’m giving “The Hate U Give” a 9.6/10

[bestdj4-blog]

Best VR Documentary

Here is a listing of a few of the planet's music genre and their own definitions.

Best VR Documentary

- Music held to be typical of a country or cultural group, known to most sections of its culture, and maintained usually by oral tradition.

- Refers to jazz music that has been greatly influenced by African American music. The music required components of marabi, American and swing jazz and chucked this to a exceptional fusion. The very first band to actually attain this synthesis was that the South African group Jazz Maniacs.

Best VR Documentary

Afro-beat

Sometimes utilized to refer to modern African pop songs. The expression doesn't refer to a particular style or audio, but is employed as a general term to describe music.

 It's a percussion-based design that developed from the late 1930s, as it had been used to wake up worshippers after fasting during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.

Assiko - is a popular dance in the South of Cameroon. The ring is generally according to a singer accompanied by a guitar, along with a percussionnist enjoying with the pulsating rhythm of Assiko with metal knives and forks on a empty jar.

Batuque - is a dance and music genre in Cape Verde.

Bend Skin - is a sort of urban Cameroonian favorite audio. Kouchoum Mbada is the most famous group connected with the genre.

Benga - Is that a musical genre of most favorite music.

Biguine - is a kind of music which originated in Martinique from the 19th century. By combining the conventional bele music together with all the polka, the black musicians of Martinique made the biguine, which includes three different styles, the biguine de , the biguine p bal along with the biguines de rue.

Cameroon. It developed in the conventional styles of this Beti, or Ewondo, individuals, who reside across the city of Yaounde.

- it's a mixture of rap, hip hop, and R&B for starters but those labels do not do justice. It is rap, hip hop and R&B Tanzanian design: a large melting pot of preferences, background, identity and culture.

Cadence - is a specific collection of periods or chords which finishes a phrase, part, or item of music.

Calypso - is a design of Afro-Caribbean music that originated in Trinidad at roughly the onset of the 20th century. The origins of this genre put from the arrival of African Americans, that isn't being permitted to talk with one another, communicated by song.

Chaabi - is a favorite music of Morocco, quite much like this Algerian Rai.

Chimurenga  Chimurenga is a Shona language phrase for battle.

The audio originated among rural Martinicans.

Christian Rap - is a sort of rap that utilizes Christian topics to express that the songwriter's religion.

Coladeira - is a sort of audio in Cape Verde. Its component ascends to funacola that's a combination of funanáa and coladera. Famous coladera musicians comprises Antoninho Travadinha.

Contemporary Christian - is a genre of popular music that is lyrically focused on topics concerned with the Christian religion.

Nation  - is a combination of hot musical forms initially found in the Southern United States and the Appalachian Mountains. It's roots in traditional folk music, Celtic songs, blues, gospel songs, hokum, and old-time songs and developed quickly from the 1920s.

Kind of Jamaican popular music that developed in the late 1970s, together with exponents like Yellowman and Shabba Ranks. It's also referred to as bashment.

Disco - is a genre of dance-oriented pop songs which has been popularized in dance clubs at the mid-1970s.

Folk - at the most elementary sense of the term, is music by and for the ordinary men and women.

Freestyle - is a kind of electronic music that's heavily influenced by Latin American civilization.

Fuji - is a favorite Nigerian musical genre. It arose in the improvisation Ajisari/were music convention, which can be a sort of Muslim music played to wake believers prior to sunrise during the Ramadan fasting period.

Funana - is a mixed Portuguese and African American music and dancing from Santiago, Cape Verde. It's stated that the lower portion of the human body motion is African American, and also the upper portion Portuguese.

Musical style which originated from the mid- to late-1960s when African American musicians mixed soul music, soul jazz and R&B to a rhythmic, danceable new sort of music.

Subgenre of hip-hop which developed through the late 1980s.  

   It's often sung in Sheng(slung),Swahili or nearby dialects.

Mix of African, Berber, and Arabic spiritual tunes and rhythms. It combines music and acrobatic dance.

Characterized by dominant vocals (often with powerful use of stability ) assigning lyrics of a spiritual nature, especially Christian.

Highlife - is a musical genre which originated in Ghana and distribute into Sierra Leone and Nigeria from the 1920s along with other West African nations.

Hip-Hop - is a type of popular music, typically comprising a rhythmic, rhyming outspoken style known as rapping (also called emceeing) over financing beats and scratching performed to a turntable with a DJ.

House - is a type of dance music which was designed by dancing club DJs in Chicago in the first to mid-1980s. House music is strongly influenced by components of the late 1970s soul- and funk-infused dancing music type of disco.

Indie - is a phrase used to explain  Genres, landscapes, subcultures, fashions and other ethnic features in songs, characterized by their own independence from major business record labels and their autonomous, do-it-yourself method of publishing and recording.

Instrumental - A instrumental is, in contrast To a tune, a musical recording or composition with no lyrics or any other type of vocal music; most the songs is generated by musical instruments.

Isicathamiya - is a cappella singing style that originated in the Southern African Zulus.

Jazz

Jit - is a type of popular Zimbabwean dance songs. It sports a speedy rhythm played drums and accompanied by a guitar.

Juju - is a type of popular music, derived from conventional Yoruba percussion. It evolved from the 1920s in metropolitan nightclubs across the nations. The very first jùjú records were Tunde King and Ojoge Daniel in the 1920s.

Kizomba - is among the hottest  Genres of music and dance from Angola. Sung generally in Portuguese, it's a genre of music with a romantic stream combined with African rhythm.

Kwaito - is a genre which surfaced in Johannesburg, South Africa from the early 1990s. It's founded on home music beats, but generally in a slower rate and comprising melodic and percussive African germs that are looped, heavy basslines and frequently vocals, normally man, shouted or chanted rather than sung or rapped.

Kwela - really is a joyful, Frequently pennywhistle based, road audio from southern Africa with jazzy underpinnings. It evolved in the marabi noise and attracted South African music into global prominence in the 1950s.

Lingala - Soukous (also Called Soukous or Congo, and formerly as African rumba) is a musical genre which originated from the two neighbouring states of Belgian Congo and French Congo throughout the 1930s and early 1940s

Makossa - is a Form of music that is popular in Urban regions in Cameroon. It's comparable to soukous, but it includes powerful bass and a notable horn section. It began from a kind of Duala dance known as kossa, with important effects in jazz, ambasse bey, Latin music, highlife and rumba.

Malouf - a Sort of audio to Tunisia from Andalusia following the Spanish conquest in the 15th century.

Mapouka - known under the title of Macouka, is a traditional dance in the south-west of the Ivory Coast at the region of Dabou, occasionally completed through spiritual ceremonies.

 It evolved one of the Kru people of Sierra Leone and Liberia, who employed Portuguese guitars brought on by sailors, combining neighborhood melodies and rhythms with Trinidadian calypso.

Marrabenta - is a kind of Mozambican dance songs. It was designed in Maputo, the capital city of Mozambique, previously Laurenco Marques.

Mazurka - is a Polish folk dance in triple meter with a lively rate, including a thick accent on the second or third defeat. It's always found to possess either a triplet, trill, dotted eighth note set, or ordinary last-minute set prior to two quarter notes.

Is the nationwide popular dance music of Senegal. It's a combination of hot dance musics in the West such as jazz, soul, Latin, and rock combined with sabar, the traditional drumming and dancing music of Senegal.

Mbaqanga - is a design of Southern African music with rural Zulu roots which continues to influence musicians globally now. The design was originated from the early 1960s.

Mbube - is a Kind of South  

Merengue - is a Sort of lively, joyous music and dance that comes in the Dominican Republic

Museve - is a favorite Zimbabwe genre.

Oldies - expression commonly utilized to describe a radio format that normally centers on Top 40 music in the'50s,'60s and'70s. Oldies are generally from R&B, rock and pop music genres.

An abundant and imprecise category of contemporary music not characterized by artistic factors but by its prospective audience or potential sector.

Quadrille  It's also a kind of music.

R&B - is a favorite music genre combining jazz, jazz, gospel, and blues influences, initially achieved by African American musicians.

Is a sort of folk music, originated in Oran, Algeria by Bedouin shepherds, combined with French, Spanish, Arabic and African musical types, that dates back to the 1930s and has been chiefly developed by girls at the culture.

Or reggae, where the instrumentation primarily is composed of digital music; sampling frequently serves a prominent part in raggamuffin music too.

Rap - is your rhythmic singing delivery of rhymes and wordplay, among those components of hip hop culture and music.

Rara - is a kind of festival music utilized for road processions, generally during Easter Week.

Reggae - is a genre developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. A specific music genre that originated after on the growth of ska and rocksteady. Reggae relies on a rhythm design characterized by regular chops on the off-beat, called the skank.

Reggaeton - is a type of urban music that became popular with Latin American youth during the early 1990s.

Rock - is a Kind of popular music Using a notable vocal melody followed by drums, guitar, and bass. Many styles of rock songs also utilize keyboard instruments like organ, piano, synthesizers.

Rumba - is a household of audio  

Kind of Afropop fashions exported from Madagascar.

Samba - is among the most common kinds of music in Brazil. It's widely regarded as Brazil's national musical fashion.

Sega - is a evolved mixture of standard Music Seychelles,Mauritian and Réunionnais songs together with European dance songs such as polka and quadrilles.

Devised in the mid 1980s from the Mauritian Rasta singer, Joseph Reginald Topize who was occasionally called Kaya, following a song name by Bob Marley. Seggae is a combination of sega in the island nation, Mauritius, and reggae.

Semba - is a conventional Sort of audio in the Southern-African state of Angola. Semba is the predecessor to many different music styles originated from Africa, of which three of the most famous are Samba (from Brazil), Kizomba (Angolan type of music derived straight from Zouk audio ) and Kuduro (or even Kuduru, lively, fast-paced Angolan Techno songs, so to speak).

 There are many distinct kinds of traditional Shona music such as mbira, singing, hosho and drumming. Frequently, this audio will come with dancing, and involvement by the viewer.

- is normally a tune with an R&B-influenced tune. Slow jams are usually R&B ballads or merely downtempo songs. The expression is most commonly reserved for soft-sounding tunes with profoundly emotional or intimate lyrical content.

Soca - is a Kind of dance music That originated in Trinidad out of calypso. It combines the melodic lilting sound of calypso with persistent (generally electronic in recent audio ) percussion.

Originated from the two neighbouring states of Belgian Congo and French Congo throughout the 1930s and early 1940s, and that has gained fame throughout Africa.

Taarab - is a genre popular in Tanzania. It's influenced by music in the cultures using a historic presence in East Africa, such as music in East Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, North Africa, the Middle East and Europe. Taarab climbed to prominence in 1928 with the growth of the genre's earliest celebrity, Siti binti Saad.

That originated among European immigrant inhabitants of Argentina and Uruguay. It's traditionally performed by a sextet, referred to as the orquesta típica, which comprises two violins, piano, doublebass, and 2 bandoneons.

Waka - is a favorite Islamic-oriented Yoruba musical genre. It had been initiated and made popular by Alhaja Batile Alake from Ijebu, who shot the genre to the mainstream Nigerian music by playing it at parties and concerts; additionally, she was the very first waka singer to record a record.

Popular audio, named after the area of Wassoulou. It's done largely by women, using lyrics that tackle women's problems regarding childbearing, fertility and polygamy.

Design of Ivorian popular music which developed in the 1970s. It had been the first important genre of music in the Ivory Coast. The first important pioneer of this design was Ernesto Djedje.

Oriented design of music in the Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) that evolved in the 1990s. It began with pupils (les parents du Campus) in the University of Abidjan.

Rhythmic music originating in the French islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique. It has its origins in kompa songs from Haiti, cadence songs  

[pnwdoodlesreads]

Although known only through court documents, legal proceedings, and references in the writings of male practitioners, the tabiba – a female practitioner of folk medicine, midwifery, and gynecology – was an important member of the medical community in the Ottoman Empire (1299-1923).  The existing historical record unfortunately obscures the important role that women physicians, nurses, healers, midwives, and medical practitioners played in community health and in the healthcare of the royal court.

Yet as Pormann and Savage-Smith point out, women as mothers and wives have always tended to sick family members and neighbors, and as midwives or healers catered to the medical needs of a substantial part of the community.1,2 Topkapi Palace in Istanbul, founded by Mehmed the Conqueror in 1476, was an important medical center for the Ottomans, and records indicate that specialized female medical teams for members of the harem existed until the eighteenth century: “According to archival sources, such as the pay registers of 1798-99, there was a paid female health team in the Old Palace. Its existence proves that there was a health organization for the members of the harem too”.3

Women in many cultures have performed medical tasks they learned through experience and oral traditions. Minkowski observes about women healers in the Middle Ages that “untutored in medicine, they used therapies based on botanicals, traditional home remedies, purges, bloodletting, and native intelligence”.4 Pormann has also uncovered an account by a medieval physician from Rahba, Sā‘id ibn al-Hasan, complaining that patients frequently consulted untrained female neighbors or their relatives:

How amazing is this [that patients are cured at all], considering that they hand over their lives to senile old women! For most people, at the onset of illness, use as their physicians either their wives, mothers or aunts, or some [other] member of their family or one of their neighbours. He [the patient] acquiesces to whatever extravagant measure she might order, consumes whatever she prepares for him, and listens to what she says and obeys her commands more than he obeys the physician.5

More sophisticated medical knowledge was the privilege of male physicians, who could access the translated works of Galen and Hippocrates, and the encyclopedias by Ibn Sina and Al Rhazi. Women healers depended for the most part  on learning without any formal training. As physicians they usually acquired their skills by shadowing a physician relative; other female healers may have had access to training with private instructors, but did not acquire a formal title of physician. Yet influential women connected to the Abbasid court in Baghdad, such as Shaghab, the mother   of the Caliph al-Muqtadir bi-Allah (reigned 908-932), were involved in health policy and services by endowing charitable organizations for Hajj pilgrims and the needy.6

During the medieval and early modern period in the Ottoman Empire, the medical hierarchy had three official distinguishable positions: physicians (known as hekims or tabibs), surgeons (cerrahs), and ophthalmologists (kehhals).7 Physicians dealt with illnesses of the body and the mind; surgeons and ophthalmologists specialized in one or several body organs or medical techniques.  Female healers, not being recognized as official medical practitioners, were excluded from the medical hierarchy, collectively called dayas (midwives), and regarded by their male counterparts as unreliable. This discrimination not only deprived them of their professional title but also reduced their pay.7

Nevertheless many women were able to pursue careers in medical institutes with established positions and regular salaries. Gadelrab, in her study of medical workers in Ottoman Egypt, confirms that physicians, surgeons and midwives held a pivotal role in the society, visiting patients in their homes and sometimes having their own shops.8 Furthermore, she gives an account of the traveler Prospero Alpini, who emphasized that large numbers of female physicians practiced in Egypt and some were official employees in the al-Mansuri hospital.8 Likewise, Pormann refers to a fatwa (legal advice) involving a female physician who treated the daughter of a woman.1 The dispute was about the payment for the physician’s consultation, showing that women practiced medicine to such an extent that they were entitled to be paid. Some Dayas and other female healers lived inside or closely outside the harem–the Ottoman elite women–and were frequently consulted on medical issues. According to Uluçay, the budget report of the household of Ottoman emperor Süleyman I in 1513 shows a woman doctor as a salary recipient.9 Indeed, it was female healers who provided primary medical care for women of the imperial family, male practitioners being called only in severe cases.

Women physicians were generally respected in Ottoman society. Murphey reports a lawsuit filed in 1635 against a physician called Fatma bint Abdallah by one of her patients who claimed to have paid Fatma for treating his skin illness. The treatment was at first successful but four years later the disease recurred. In her defense, Fatma stated that the patient suffered from a different disease, and the judge accepted her testimony without requiring any further validation, showing that female physicians were viewed as reliable experts.10

Illustrations of women performing surgery appear in the manuscript Cerrahiyyet’ül Haniyya (The Imperial Surgery) written and illustrated by Şerefeddin Sabuncuoğlu (1385-1468). In one illustration, a woman surgeon holds a scalpel about to perform a gynecological operation and in another to extract a dead fetus suffering from hydrocephalus.11 The strict customs preventing women exposing their awrah (private parts) to physicians (still prevalent in modern Islamic societies) and the highly restricted female areas of the Ottoman court (harem) argue that women in Ottoman society must have frequently turned to female practitioners as their only socially acceptable alternative. The experience of the court’s male chief physician in treating women was recorded by Ottaviano Bon, the Venetian ambassador to Istanbul, in the early seventeenth century:

…he sees none but the black eunuchs (all the other women being retired into some withdrawing rooms) who bring him into the sick woman’s chamber, and she being closely covered from head to foot with quilts, and blankets, holdeth out her arm only, so as the doctor may touch her pulse, who, when he hath given order what shall be done, both for her diet and medicines, goes his way immediately by the same way that he came.12

Sabuncuoğlu may have been influenced in his book of surgery by the Al Tasrif of Al-Zahrawi (Albucasis), which describes the surgical treatment of bladder stones in women. Again partly due to Muslim rules of modesty, Al-Zahrawi advises his fellow male physicians:

If necessity compels you to undertake this kind of case, you should take with you a competent woman doctor. … Have her with you and bid her to do all that you instruct.13

In these words, Al-Zahrawi highlights the key role of women physicians, particularly in caring for women patients, and confirms that they were allowed to practice surgery under the supervision of a male physician.

Women healers also held medical managerial positions, most notably the daughter of Sari Eldin al-Saigh, who was so competent that she succeeded her father as chief physician of al-Mansuri hospital.8 Women healers also treated female concubines in special hospitals and had titles such as manageress (hastalar kethüdası kadın), assistant slave (hastalar kethüdasının cariyesi), female physician (hekim kadın), and mistress of the sick (hastalar ustası hanım ana).7  Practicing at a professional level, women served the imperial family, attended to the sick as nurses, and provided advanced medical consultation and treatment to patients of both genders, and were highly skilled surgeons. Barred from holding professional titles and lacking formal medical training, they nevertheless became highly respected and authoritative members of society.

References

Pormann, Peter E. and Emilie Savage-Smith. (2007).Medieval Islamic Medicine, p103,104. Washington, D.C.: Georgetown University Press.

Pormann, Peter E. (2005). “The Physician and the Other: Images of the Charlatan in Medieval Islam.”Bulletin of the History of Medicine 79: 189-227, p226.

Sari, Nil and Ali Haydar Bayat. (1999/00). “The Medical Organization at the Ottoman Court.”Studies in History of Medicine & Science 16, no. 1-2, n.s.: 31-51, p32.

Minkowski, William L. (1992). “Women Healers of the Middle Ages: Selected Aspects of Their History.”American Journal of Public Health 82: 288-295.

Pormann, Peter E. (2009). “The Art of Medicine: Female Patients and Practitioners in Medieval Islam.”The Lancet 373: 1598-1599, p1590.

Hershkovits, Keren Abbou. (2014). “Medical Services and ʿAbbasid Ladies.” Journal of Women of the Middle East and the Islamic World12: 121–136, p126.

Shefer-Mossensohn, Miri. (2011). “A Sick Sultana in the Ottoman Imperial Palace: Male Doctors, Female Healers and Female Patients in the Early Modern Period.”Journal of Women of the Middle East and the Islamic World 9, no. 3: 281–312, p289,301.

Gadelrab, Sherry S. (2010). “Medical Healers in Ottoman Egypt, 1517-1805.”Medical History (pre-2012) 54: 365-38, p378.

Uluçay, M. Çağatay. (1970). “Kanunî Sultan Süleyman ve Ailesi ile (İligili Bazı Notlar ve Vesikalar).”Kanuni Armağanı. Ankara, Turkey, p245.

Murphey, Rhoads. (1992). “Ottoman Medicine and Transculturalism from the Sixteenth through the Eighteenth Century.”Bulletin of the History of Medicine 66, no. 3: 376-403, p389.

Bademci, G. (2006). “First Illustrations of Female ‘Neurosurgeons’ in the Fifteenth Century by Serefeddin Sabuncuoğlu.” Neurocirugía 17: 162-5, p164.

Withers, Robert.A Description of the Grand Signor’s Seraglio or Turkish Emperour’s Court. London: Printed for Jo. Martin, and Jo. Ridley, 1650, p110 [This is a translation of a work by Ottaviano Bon (1552-1623) wrongly attributed to the translator Withers].

Spink, M.S. and G. L.  (1973, 420-421).Albucasis on Surgery and Instruments. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press.

Russell, G.A. (1990). “Physicians at the Ottoman Court.” Medical History, no. 34: 243-267.

[sinesalvatorem]

Explanations For Distinct Clusters of Transgender Personalities That Are Less Mean Than AGP

I know some of you guys might not be up for typology-posting of any kind, including typology-posting where I’m suggesting ways the model might be mistaken. More power to you guys and gals, and I suggest that you just ignore this (very speculative) post, secure in the knowledge that I fully support the validity of all of us trans folk.

People who are cool with dealing with MOAR trans theory circle-jerking, and want to hear why alternative theories to autogynephilia might be more explanatory, should read on.

So, we currently have a fair amount of evidence that the life histories of transfeminine people tend to cluster into two broad patterns:

There is a cluster of transwomen variously referred to as “early-onset transsexuals”, “homosexual transsexuals”,  and “transkids”. We were extremely gender-atypical in behaviour and interests since early childhood, predominantly had female friends and were mocked by boys for being effeminate, and felt from an early age (<10) like we didn’t belong in our assigned gender role. We typically transition early in life (mid-twenties or earlier) and are pretty much always androphilic.

Separately, there is a cluster of transwomen who typically have a later “onset”. That is to say, in very early childhood they weren’t gender-atypical, but around puberty or later begin to develop gender dysphoric feelings. They might transition at pretty much any point in life, and are pretty much always gynephilic. (Bisexuals are split between both groups.) They typically have more extensive body dysphoria than transkids, who usually just have a strong avoidance of our genitalia.

The reason canonically given for why transkids transition is that we’re bad at living in our assigned role. That we can’t successfully conform to the expectations of our role, while also not feeling any affinity to it and being more comfortable in the other one. Also, because straight guys are hot. This picture of things doesn’t seem too far off from my own introspection, and from what I’ve heard from the few other transkids I’ve spoken to.

Meanwhile, the etiology commonly given for late-onset transwomen is that they are people who love women and want to become what they love/desire/admire. The desire to become a beloved woman being referred to as “autogynephilia” (self-woman love).

The problem with that explanation is that it doesn’t seem to be consistent with the introspective lived experiences of most trans people. Now, it’s important to note that some people (both cis and trans) do experience autogynephilia, most notably Dr Anne Lawrence, who is a transgender researcher in both senses of that noun phrase. Trans people who experience autogynephilia are no less trans than other people, and certainly no less deserving of respect and appropriate medical care.

But even most of the trans people who do experience autogynephilia don’t feel like it’s a primary motivating component of their transition. More typically, they have a feeling of cross-sex identification and an intense aversion to both their sexed physical features and their gendered treatment by others. I may be over-generalising from my own experience, but that doesn’t sound too different from how I feel, apart from my lack of body dysphoria. As such, I’m somewhat inclined to expect that similar things are leading to this experience for both sets of trans people.

And it seems entirely plausible to me that the observed differences between early- and late-onset trans people are actually due to the age of onset. Imagine some weird hormone-exposure thing happens in the womb, causing the brain of a developing XY baby to be highly feminised at birth. You might expect that person to develop female-typical motor behaviours, to identify as female from very early life, and to start developing crushes on boys around when her (mostly female) friends do.

Meanwhile, if a similar hormone-linked change happens at puberty, you might expect extremely different outcomes. You might expect someone who has personally acclimated to masculine motor behaviours, who never previously had questions about their gender identity, and who’s already been developing a sex-typical sexual orientation, to at that point start to experience gender dysphoria.

Thus, the age at which one catches the trans would determine the degree to which they might be “pre-feminised”, including details like sexual orientation, which would develop in a female-typical direction if one’s brain was feminised before their sexuality began to develop, and otherwise develop according to the usual plan.

This could also be used to explain the discrepancy in the incidence of body dysphoria, and in sexual response to feminisation. If you suddenly develop a case of the trans during puberty, when people are developing secondary sexual characteristics, you may end up feeling averse to the bodily changes that are making you more distinct from the group you identify with. Meanwhile, transkids are typically only intensely dysphoric about our genitalia, and otherwise only feel physical dysphoria in connection potentially being read as our natal sex.

Plus, if you start having feelings of cross-sex identity at the same time that your cross-sex attraction comes in, you may end up associating your transition-related feelings to your sexual feelings and end up with an arousal-response that’s connected to being/looking feminine or cross dressing. This would explain the observation that early-onset trans people basically never experience this arousal, while people with later onsets often do. Meanwhile, someone like me might have no sexual associations with it, since I’ve been doing drag-equivalents since I was seven.

I think this hypothesis does well on simplicity, because it doesn’t assume that there are multiple causes of transsexualism, just that the same process might occur at different (hormonal change linked) times in one’s life cycle, and that one’s personal development and relation to gender may be strongly influenced by this difference in onset. Furthermore, I don’t think it requires that we believe the vast majority of trans people are lying or confused about whether their dysphoria is due to sexual attraction, which would say is false.

[your-dietician]

Are Refried Beans Healthy? All You Need to Know

New Post has been published on https://tattlepress.com/nutrition/are-refried-beans-healthy-all-you-need-to-know/

Are Refried Beans Healthy? All You Need to Know

Nothing says comfort like the rich, flavorful taste of refried beans.

This popular dish, which is native to Northern Mexico, is a staple in Tex-Mex cuisine. It’s usually served as a side dish or rolled into a tortilla. You’ve likely come across canned refried beans at the supermarket, though you can also cook them on your own.

To many people, the word “refried” implies that the beans are deep-fried. Although this isn’t the case, you may still wonder whether this dish is healthy.

This article explains all you need to know about refried beans.

Contrary to popular belief, refried beans aren’t deep-fried. Rather, they’re cooked pinto beans that are pan-fried in lard and salt.

When cooked, the beans soften and eventually form a paste. Seasonings like onion, garlic, and peppers may be added for flavor.

Refried beans may be healthy depending on how they’re prepared. Nowadays, you can find variations made with red kidney beans or black beans, plus different seasonings.

Beans of all kinds are rich in vitamins, minerals, and fiber, which benefit heart and digestive health. They contain ample magnesium, which may help reduce your blood pressure levels, and iron, which supports blood production and immune health (1, 2, 3, 4).

However, lard — a primary ingredient in most refried beans — is high in fat and calories, with 1 tablespoon (12.8 grams) packing 5 grams of saturated fat. Thus, this dish may not be a great choice if you’re looking to cut your intake of calories or saturated fat (5).

Some refried beans are instead made with plant-based oils like olive oil, which is significantly lower in saturated fat.

Summary

Refried beans are pinto beans that are pan-fried with lard and salt, though other fats may be used in place of lard.

Refried beans are rich in nutrients, including fiber and an array of important minerals.

Just 1 cup (260 grams) provides (6):

Calories: 234

Protein: 13 grams

Fat: 5 grams

Carbs: 35 grams

Fiber: 10 grams

Iron: 20% of the Daily Value (DV)

Magnesium: 22% of the DV

Sodium: 64% of the DV

Zinc: 14% of the DV

That said, the nutrient content of refried beans may vary based on the cooking method.

For example, if you use lots of oil or lard, the fat and calorie count will be higher. The sodium level may also change depending on the seasonings used.

Summary

Refried beans are a good source of nutrients like fiber, iron, magnesium, and zinc. They’re also relatively high in sodium.

Refried beans may support your heart, digestion, and blood sugar levels.

May improve heart health

Beans are high in fiber, magnesium, and potassium — a powerful combination that may promote heart health.

A review of 31 studies found a 7–24% lower risk of heart disease and stroke among people who ate more fiber (7).

Furthermore, a recent review noted lower rates of heart disease and high blood pressure in those who ate the most beans and legumes (8).

Beans are also a good source of magnesium and potassium, which may help lower blood pressure by regulating muscle contractions and relaxing blood vessels.

A review of 34 studies determined that supplementing with 370 mg of magnesium daily for 3 months significantly reduced systolic and diastolic blood pressure — the top and bottom numbers of a reading — by 2 and 1.78 mmHg, respectively (3).

Bear in mind that this study focused on supplements — not whole foods.

Still, a review of 22 studies found that those who ate more potassium-rich foods or took potassium supplements experienced an average systolic blood pressure drop of 7.16 mmHg when their intake of this mineral rose to 90–120 mmol/L per day (9).

It’s important to note that these studies used beans in general — not refried beans, which typically have added salt. Excess salt intake may harm heart health (10).

May stabilize blood sugars

Beans may help prevent and manage type 2 diabetes.

Beans are low on the glycemic index (GI), which measures how quickly a food raises your blood sugar levels. Low GI diets may help reduce blood sugar in people with type 2 diabetes, while high GI diets have been linked to an increased risk of this condition (11, 12).

In a 3-month study among 56 adults with type 2 diabetes, a low GI diet that included legumes led to an average 0.5% drop in HbA1c, a marker of blood sugar management (13).

Additionally, beans are a rich source of magnesium. Deficiency in this nutrient is associated with insulin resistance, a key factor in the onset of type 2 diabetes (14).

May improve gut health

Beans are high in fiber, which promotes digestion and bowel regularity.

In fact, a recent review found a 3.4% reduction in constipation per 1-gram increase in daily fiber intake (15).

According to the Institute of Medicine, the daily targets for fiber are 25 and 38 grams for adult women and men, respectively. Notably, just 1 cup (260 grams) of refried beans boasts 10 grams of fiber (6, 16).

Furthermore, fiber acts as a prebiotic — a nondigestible substance that stimulates the growth of beneficial bacteria in your gut. These good gut bacteria may fight harmful bacteria, increase mineral absorption, and support immune health (17).

May help fight disease

Beans contain polyphenols, which are antioxidants that may protect your body from free radical damage and help prevent age-related disease and death (18).

One study measured the urinary polyphenol markers of 807 older adults. After 12 years, the adults with the highest levels experienced higher survival rates for heart disease, cancer, and other causes of death (19).

Kidney beans have the highest polyphenol content at 14.1 mg per gram, followed by black beans at 12.6 mg per gram, then pinto beans at 12.52 mg per gram (20).

As such, all types of refried beans provide plenty of polyphenols.

Summary

Eating more beans, including refried beans, may help reduce your risk of constipation, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes. Early research suggests that beans may likewise safeguard against age-related illnesses.

Refried beans have several drawbacks to consider.

Depending on the cooking method, this dish may hinder weight loss, increase cholesterol levels, and raise blood pressure.

May hamper weight loss

On their own, beans are beneficial for weight loss. A study including 246 women found that those who ate more beans had improved body composition (21).

Yet, refried beans are cooked with lard, which supplies calories and fat. Fat has 9 calories per gram, making it the most calorie-dense macronutrient. In comparison, carbs and protein have just 4 calories per gram (22).

If you’re adding refried beans to your regular diet, you may gain weight because you’ll be consuming more calories.

For reference, 1 cup (260 grams) of regular pinto beans contains 220 calories and no fat, whereas the same amount of refried beans packs 234 calories and 5 grams of fat (23).

However, refried beans are less likely to cause weight gain if you eat them instead of other high calorie foods. Studies show that when your overall calorie intake remains similar, high fat diets have weight loss results similar to those of low fat diets (24, 25).

May raise cholesterol

Refried beans made with lard contain saturated fat. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends reducing your saturated fat intake to less than 10% of your daily calorie intake to reduce your risk of heart disease (26).

Furthermore, a review of 15 randomized controlled trials found that lowering dietary saturated fat intake reduced the risk of heart attacks and other health issues by 21% (27).

However, a growing body of research suggests the opposite. A recent review of 26 studies determined that every 10-gram daily increase of saturated fat reduced stroke risk by 6% (28).

Despite mixed results, most health experts and public health agencies recommend limiting saturated fat.

To cut down on saturated fat in refried beans, look for low fat or fat-free versions. Vegetarian versions also tend to replace lard with plant oils, thus naturally reducing the saturated fat content.

May increase blood pressure

Refried beans may be high in sodium, with 1 cup (260 grams) typically providing 962 mg (6).

The American Heart Association recommends getting 1,500 mg of sodium per day, with an upper limit of 2,300 mg — about 1 teaspoon of salt. Yet, the average American currently consumes 3,400 mg per day, exceeding the upper limit by a significant amount (29, 30).

Excess sodium intake may cause high blood pressure, which may damage your heart and other organs, increasing the risk of heart attack and heart failure (31).

Conversely, lower sodium intake may reduce blood pressure.

A recent review of 133 human studies found that systolic and diastolic blood pressure decreased by 4.26 and 2.07 mmHg, respectively, per 130 mmol/L reduction in urinary sodium. The more sodium was reduced, the lower the blood pressure (32).

Summary

Refried beans may be high in calories, saturated fat, and sodium, which may obstruct weight loss goals, increase heart disease risk, and raise blood pressure.

Here are some ways to add refried beans to your diet:

Cook your own refried beans to increase their nutritional value. Instead of lard, use olive or canola oils, and season the dish with fresh or dried herbs instead of a lot of salt.

If buying canned refried beans, check the nutrition table. Look for a sodium level of 15% of the DV or less, and be mindful of saturated fats. You may want to choose low fat or fat-free products.

Check the ingredient list and look for products that don’t contain lard or simply choose vegetarian versions.

Pay attention to portion sizes. If refried beans are your main source of protein, aim to eat 1 cup (260 grams) — about the size of your fist. If you’re eating them as a side dish, start with 2–3 tablespoons (30–50 grams) — roughly the size of 2 thumbs.

If you’re eating this dish as part of a meal, choose other foods wisely. Pair refried beans with nutrient-dense foods like salsa, whole wheat tortillas, and chopped vegetables.

Summary

If you’re interested in homemade refried beans, cook them with olive oil and herbs. If buying canned versions, choose low fat, fat-free, or low salt products. Complement refried beans with nutrient-dense foods like veggies and whole grains.

Refried beans are pinto beans that are pan-fried in lard and salt. Common variations use kidney beans or black beans, plus plant oil instead of lard.

Beans are high in minerals and fiber that may boost your digestive health and reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure.

Yet, since refried beans often contain added fat and salt, they may be higher in calories, saturated fat, and sodium than other beans. These factors may impair your weight loss goals, raise your risk of heart disease, and increase your blood pressure levels.

As such, the cooking method matters. It’s best to make your own refried beans at home with olive oil, using salt sparingly, to control for specific nutrients.

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[catbreeds2]

The Somali Cat

The Somali cat is a classy, hanging and barely wild-looking cat with a full, pretty coat and tail.

That’s an vigorous and busy cat, nonetheless one that could be a bit on the neutral side, making it a wide variety for individuals who have not acquired loads of time to pamper.

Somali cats make nice family pets as successfully, forming strong bonds with children, canine and completely different relations. These are very energetic and very good kitties.

There’s some disagreement on how this breed was common. Many think about this stunning, very exotic-looking cat initially appeared as a spontaneous long-haired mutation throughout the litters of Abyssinian cats, the place long-haired individuals would occur side by side with commonplace coated kittens.

These mutations occurred for a few years, however it was not until the 1960’s when an effort was made to create a separate breed.

By cautious selection, breeders in every Canada and Australia established the breed. So the determine Somali doesn’t have loads to do with this cats tame historic previous, however it does have an appropriately distinctive sound.

Somali cats are pretty, wild-looking cats who’re pretty civilized, with a regal demeanor and a lithe, muscular and athletic physique.

Like his sibling the Abyssinian, the Somali lives life to the fullest. He climbs bigger, jumps farther, performs extra sturdy. Nothing escapes the uncover of this extraordinarily sensible and inquisitive cat.

See all Somali traits beneath!

Somali Cat Character

With all the virtues of the Abyssinian and adorned by a surprising semi-long coat, the Somali is a sexy and energetic addition to any household. Don’t get a Somali if you happen to want a cat that could be taken for a furry doorstop, or in the event you want a cat that may do your bidding. Identical to the Abyssinian, the Somali is energetic, curious, and high-spirited, and likes to prance spherical the house, opening cupboards and often entering into mischief. Their voices are clean, their minds energetic, and their meals dishes are always empty. Moreover they’re often determined cats: As quickly as they get an idea of their furry little heads, there’s no dissuading them. They don’t seem to be aggressive or unfriendly, merely tenacious.

Somalis are affectionate, nevertheless normally will not be lap cats. They don’t favor to be cuddled and would fairly be near than on you. They do, nonetheless, have to be involved in every side of your life. Open a drawer and your Somali will be there to look in.

The Somali cat Important Stats: Life Span: 11 to 16 years

The Somali Cat Historic previous:

Displaying cats was all of the pattern throughout the late Victorian interval. One in every of many unusual breeds exhibited on the Crystal Palace Cat Current in 1871 was an Abyssinian—“captured inside the late Abyssinian Battle”—who took third place. The report on the cat current, printed inside the January 27, 1872, scenario of Harper’s Weekly, was the first acknowledged level out in print of the breed. Sadly, no knowledge exist regarding the cats’ origins, although myths and speculation abound, along with claims that it was the cat of the pharaohs, and that it was created in Britain by crossing silver and brown tabbies with cats that had “ticked” coats.

As we converse, genetic proof signifies that the cats acquired right here from Indian Ocean coastal areas and parts of Southeast Asia. British and Dutch retailers may correctly have launched the cats from ports resembling Calcutta, India, or the islands of Indonesia. A taxidermied specimen of a ruddy ticked cat exhibited throughout the 1830s on the Leiden Zoological Museum in The Netherlands, the place he was labeled “Patrie, domestica India,” supplies creedence to that concept. The cats have been most likely given the title Abyssinian on account of Zula, the cat exhibited on the Crystal Palace, was talked about to have been imported from Abyssinia (now Ethiopia). Early pedigrees current crosses to non-Abyssinian cats, which might make clear the introduction of newest coat colors and the gene for prolonged hair.

Enter the Somali. This longhaired variety of the Abyssinian was first well-known throughout the early 20th century and probably occurred when breeders launched longhaired cats into their breeding packages to reinforce their stock—significantly after World Battle II, when Abys had been few and far between—nevertheless they weren’t developed as a breed of their very personal correct until the 1960s and 1970s. They acquired the title Somali as a nod to that nation’s geographic standing as the next door neighbor to Ethiopia (beforehand known as Abyssinia).

The Somali Cat Measurement

This is usually a medium-size cat weighing 6 to 10 kilos.

SOMALI KITTENS

Somali kittens are normally further full of life and curious. They’re normally little dare-devils, getting into into trouble spherical every nook. Kitten-proofing is totally vital until these little firecrackers research their limitations.

In look, Somali kittens look a bit scruffy, and may have very wooly fur. When their grownup coat is offered in at about eight months, they assume the distinctive look of the breed, and develop out of any teenage awkwardness.

Somali kittens are very quick learners, and now could possibly be the time to get them into any specific routine relating to potty, feeding and sleeping habits.

It is usually a wonderful thought to get cats used to points like sporting a harness, occurring automotive journeys, and presumably being confined briefly to a crate or a specific room of the house.

Just a bit one can grow to be pretty comfortable with having limitations in place, and if you wish to transport your cat, or prohibit their train later in life ensuing from hurt, company, remodeling the house and so forth. having your cat be relaxed and cozy in a crate or an upstairs mattress room in a worrying time could be invaluable.

Somali Cat Breed Traits

Similar to the Abyssinian, the Somali is a ticked or agouti breed. Similar to the Abyssinian, Somalis are liable to gingivitis, tooth decay, and the renal sickness amyloidosis.

Effectively being Every pedigreed cats and mixed-breed cats have numerous incidences of nicely being points which can be genetic in nature. Points which is able to affect the Somali embrace the following:

– Early-onset periodontal sickness – Hyperesthesia syndrome, a neurological downside that will set off cats to excessively groom themselves, leading to hair loss, and to behave frantically, notably after they’re touched or petted – Patellar luxation, a hereditary dislocation of the kneecap that will range from light to excessive. Excessive situations could also be alleviated with surgical process. – Progressive retinal atrophy, a degenerative eye sickness. – Pyruvate kinase deficiency (PKD), for which a genetic examine is obtainable to ascertain carriers. – Renal amyloidosis, a heritable sickness that occurs when a sort of protein generally known as amyloid is deposited in physique organs, primarily the kidneys in Abyssinians. It can undoubtedly ends in kidney failure.

The Somali Cat Care

The medium dimension coat of the Somali needs an inexpensive amount of grooming. Comb the coat a few instances per week with a stainless-steel comb to remove lifeless hair, forestall or take away tangles, and distribute pores and pores and skin oils. Throughout the spring, when the cat is shedding his winter coat, it is doable you will should comb him every day. A bathe when the cat is shedding will help to remove additional hair additional shortly. Study the tail for bits of poop caught to the fur and clear it off with a baby wipe.

Brush the enamel to forestall periodontal sickness. Every day dental hygiene is most interesting, nonetheless weekly brushing is greatest than nothing. Trim the nails every couple of weeks. Wipe the corners of the eyes with a mushy, damp cloth to remove any discharge. Use a separate house of the material for each eye so that you simply don’t run the hazard of spreading any an an infection. Take a look at the ears weekly. If they offer the impression of being dirty, wipe them out with a cotton ball or mild damp material moistened with a 50-50 mixture of cider vinegar and warmth water. Avoid using cotton swabs, which can harm the within of the ear.

It’s an excellent suggestion to keep up a Somali as an indoor-only cat to protect him from illnesses unfold by completely different cats, assaults by canine or coyotes, and the alternative dangers that face cats who go open air, akin to being hit by a vehicle. Somalis who go open air moreover run the prospect of being stolen by any person who wish to have such a ravishing cat with out paying for it.

SOMALI CAT BREED STANDARDS

Head Kind: The top must be a delicate wedge kind with no pronounced “stop”. The skull have to be rounded and on the entire proportion to the physique. The muzzle is delicate nevertheless successfully usual.

Not pointed or crafty in look. Grownup males usually have further jowling. The ears are big, alert and fairly pointed, broad on the bottom and correctly cupped. The ears have to be well-furnished and tufts are pretty fascinating. The eyes are almond fashioned, large and expressive, with a slight upward slant. The eyes have darker pores and pores and skin on the lids which gives a mascara look, and is highlighted by the reality that the fur throughout the attention itself is lighter than the rest of the face. There are darkish, vertical “pencil marks” above the eyes. Accepted eye colors are gold, inexperienced or hazel.

Physique and Tail: Modern, lean and of medium dimension. Muscular nevertheless in no way course. The cat must be steady to the feel with well-sprung ribs and a barely arched once more. There have to be no pronounced tuck-up of the abdomen when thought-about from the side. The legs are muscular and of medium dimension with out coarseness. The ft are compact, well-knuckled and oval in type. 5 toes in entrance and four in once more. The tail is relatively thick on the bottom, prolonged in proportion and evenly tapered.

Coat: The fur is dense, prime quality and feathery. The tail is full and bushy and a pronounced ruff throughout the neck is fascinating. The color is ticked, with a minimal of four alternating delicate and darkish bands of coloration on each strand of hair.

Color: Ticked pattern with shading in tones of ruddy, crimson, fawn and blue. The tail may be tipped with black. No outlined or outlined patterns, solely shading.

Common: This could be a medium sized cat with an distinctive look. They should have an athletic, lean and lithe prime quality and be modern and quiet in movement. The ticked fur with explicit individual bands of color spherical each strand of hair offers a shimmering, almost iridescent look. The whole coat and plume tail are fantastically luxurious.

The Somali Cat Coat Coloration And Grooming

Apart from the additional measurement, the Somali has the an identical ticked coat as a result of the Abyssinian. A ticked coat has alternating gentle and darkish bands of coloration on each hair shaft. The Somali’s ticking is also slower to develop than that of the Aby.

Each half about him suggests his energetic, attentive nature. The Somali has a barely rounded wedge-shaped head topped with big, broad ears, the upper to take heed to you with. Big, almond-shaped eyes of gold or inexperienced categorical curiosity in all of the items they see. On the face, darkish traces would possibly extend from the eyes and brows.

The muscular physique is swish and athletic. It falls proper into a middle ground between the stocky, or cobby, physique of a breed such as a result of the Persian and the prolonged, svelte physique of the Oriental breeds such as a result of the Siamese. The physique is supported by slim, fine-boned legs atop small, oval, compact paws. Somalis are typically talked about to look as in the event that they’re strolling on tip-toe. Swishing behind them is a full brush, or tail, thick on the bottom and barely tapering on the end.

Its bands of coloration give the Somali’s coat a warmth, glowing look. To the contact, the medium-length hair is light and silky with a efficient texture. The Somali stands out from the Aby for the ruff spherical his neck and the “breeches” on his legs, which give him a further full-coated look than the Aby. Horizontal tufts of fur adorn the within ears.

The coat is out there in four most necessary colors: ruddy brown, further artistically described as burnt sienna and ticked with darker brown or black, with tile-red nostril leather-based and black or brown paw pads; purple (usually known as sorrel), a cinnamon shade ticked with chocolate-brown, with pink nostril leather-based and paw pads; blue, a warmth beige ticked with diversified shades of slate blue, with nostril leather-based described as earlier rose and paw pads as mauve; and fawn, a warmth rose-beige ticked with gentle cocoa-brown, with salmon-colored nostril leather-based and pink paw pads. Some associations permit additional colors, along with chocolate, lilac, and assorted silver tones.

The Somali Cat Kids And Totally different Pets

The full of life and social Somali is a perfect various for households with children and cat-friendly canine. He’ll play fetch along with any retriever, learns suggestions merely and loves the attention he receives from youngsters who cope with him politely and with respect. He’s wise adequate to get out of the way in which during which of toddlers nonetheless loves school-age youngsters on account of they are a match for his vitality stage and curiosity. Nothing scares him, truly not canine, and he’ll fortuitously make buddies with them within the occasion that they don’t give him any trouble. Somalis have moreover been acknowledged to get along with big parrots, ferrets and completely different animals. On a regular basis introduce any pets, even completely different cats, slowly and in a managed setting.

[lupine-publishers-sjo]

Lupine Publishers | Hearing Loss A Triggering Factor to Depression: A Systematic Review

Lupine Publishers | Journal of Otolaryngology ‘

Abstract

Introduction: Hearing loss is a hidden disability that affects the hearing ability of an individual and makes it difficult to recognize or discriminate the various auditory signals. People who usually suffer from hearing loss tend to exhibit heterogeneous characteristics comprising of diverse and complex psychosocial behaviours which includes resentment, hostility, rejection and subtle denial resulting to a significant deterioration on socio-emotional development which could ultimately lead to serious mental illness like depression.

Objective: Present review study was conducted to assess the comprehensiveness and trend of various other studies related to impact of hearing loss in individuals leading to depression by assembling diversified online data bases from various sources.

Methods: To conduct this systematic review, a thorough search was framed across multiple databases which was based upon exploration of five facets (“hard of hearing”, “stress and symptoms of depression”, “depression”, “hearing impairment” and “deaf” and). Almost five electronic databases, key texts and references in the articles were identified and critically analysis was done for those articles that had information regarding “hearing loss” and “depression”.

Results: Data accumulated from the databases indicated that hearing loss is a leading factor to depression which has a strong association with the onset and degrees of hearing loss, that acts as a major correlate of depressive symptoms among the geriatric population.

Conclusion: Studies show that there is a considerable propensity for depression among individuals with hearing loss which can also induce suicidal thoughts. Therefore, there should always be an interdisciplinary team approach to establish a well- defined intervention plan for individuals who suffer from hearing loss resulting in mental illness.

Keywords: Hearing loss; Depression; Mental illness

Introduction

Mental health is a condition that has an intensive impact on the general wellbeing of an individual as a whole. It actually acts as reflection which provides a sense of satisfaction to an individual or to the society. In other words, it predetermines how an individual respond to societal issues, inter and intrapersonal relationship in social context. However, when a concern regarding mental health status arises, it becomes a serious threat for the individual or to the entire society. The associated result of the mental health issue can be disastrous most especially at adolescence and adulthood [1]. Based on Sommers’ survey [1], the effect of hearing loss on mental health among individuals with hearing loss becomes evident when disability starts effecting the communicative skills which in turn becomes a serious concern. Hearing loss basically includes those who group of individuals who are Deaf and/or Hard of hearing. In other words, the inability to perceive or comprehend any kind of auditory/verbal stimulus as compared to individuals with normal hearing ability has an extensive impact on psychosocial development of individuals with hearing loss. The most crucial effect in the life of an individual with hearing loss is incompetent to follow verbal instructions, and this limits the potentiality to develop speech and language skills which is the essential for communication thus having a cascading effect every aspect of human life including emotional and social development, family interconnectedness, social competence and over all perceived quality of life [2]. Current research studies indicate that persons with hearing impairment tend to exhibit more behavioural and social problems as compared to normal peers [3,4], they frequently experience a greater deal of psychosocial challenges with reduced satisfaction, lack of interests in physical and other recreational activities [4]. Individuals with varying types of hearing loss also tend to show increased rate of being withdrawn or isolated [5,6]. Moreover, in such population access to incidental learning is often confined because of difficulties in communication and the level hearing loss per se. These individuals may often reflect difficulties in cognitive activities like abstract thinking and tasks related to problem-solving [7], ability to form social relationships, very low self-esteem [8] and resulting in high psychological distress causing stress or depression [9]. As mentioned earlier, individuals with hearing loss also have risks related to health and environmental hazards, more prone to maladjustment in social environment, sleep disturbances/insomnia and feasibility of inducing

According to World Health Organization [11], depression is regarded as a serious mental condition which affects an individual with notable depressed mood, displeasure, feelings of guilt and reduced self-worth, decreased energy, disturbed sleep, loss of appetite, and poor concentration. Additionally, there is a close relationship between symptoms of anxiety with depression which could result in substantial comorbid conditions that may negatively influence on everyday responsibilities. Studies have also revealed that slowed responses, tearfulness, loss of appetite, as well as sleep problems, loss of interest or societal withdrawal from family and friends are indicative of depressed individual with hearing loss [12]. Depressive disorders at adult stage is considered as a precursor from the most susceptible age range especially during adolescence [13,14]. Kim-Cohen et al. [15] conducted a study among 1,037 individuals who had history of depression and results indicated that only 25% of participants had suffered from depression at adulthood while 75% of adults who met the criteria for major depression, had an significant history of depressive disorder in childhood or adolescence. A similar kind of study was conducted by Moffitt et al. [16], which revealed that the prevalence of major depressive disorders ranges from 10%-17% in early adulthood period with more depressive symptoms observed in women as compared to men [17]. In other words, symptoms of depressive disorders starts to evolve between 4-5% during early teenager age period especially more common in girls due to the pubertal physical reformation which is much self-evident than in boys [18]. Various research studies also state that incidence of psychopathology in children and adolescents tends to be higher depending on the various degrees of hearing loss [19]. But still, there is still controversial discussions as there in lack of studies that can mention the exact age period of depression as other factors associated with depressive symptoms among adolescence seems vary from individual to individual [20,21]. According to World health Organization [22] depression is one of the leading causes of disability with a 50% higher rate among women than men. It also co-exists or emerge due to other disabling conditions for persons with hearing loss. Research studies also indicate that individuals with hearing loss most especially African Countries Individuals with hearing loss suffer more from depression and psychosocial issues [23], poor academic achievement [24,25], delay in speech and language acquisition [26]. Based on the fact that individuals with hearing loss are more susceptible to having mental health problems due to their inability to communicate with the hearing world. This review study aims to determine the extent of studies which are being conducted on depression and depressive symptoms among persons who are suffering from hearing loss which are based on the open access. Moreover, this study will provide an insight on the regarding the impact of hearing loss on mental health among persons with hearing loss across various countries.

Method

A comprehensive review of articles on ‘depression’ and ‘hearing loss’ or hard of hearing and/or deafness reflected in respective research title were identified and considered for the selected study. However, such article must be completed and published from 2010 up to May 2019. The studies incorporated in the present review were identified by keyword searches from various database sources like PubMed data, Science Direct, and the widely accepted web using Google Scholar. Only those articles which were written in English language was identified and analysed for the current study [27-39]. The search was also extensively done by include other expandable keywords like ‘depressive symptoms’ and ‘Mental Health and Deafness’, ‘Effect of depressive symptoms and Onset of hearing loss’. A The relevant articles searched and considered are presented below (Table 1).

Table 1: MRI of the parotid gland showing homogeneous mass on the superficial lobe of the left parotid gland on hyper signal T1 and T2 and a weak signal on fat suppressed sequences. The lesion is hypointense to parotid and uniformly non-enhancing.

Discussion

Hearing loss is a hidden disability that has an immense negative impact in the quality of life among individuals of any age group from neonates to older adults. Hearing loss irrespective of any degree or configuration plays a role in compromising acquiring communication skills, education, social functioning of the individual. It is the greatest handicap which revolves around the development of speech and language skills; however, because hearing loss is a masked disability, it often neglected, when associated health issues are also present. It may have hazardous effect for overall development of an individual [40]. Oyiborhoro concluded in the study that the difficulties faced by children with hearing loss can extend beyond the academic area which can interfere in the entire social and emotional development resulting in various emotional which can persist even till adulthood [41]. Studies have also indicated that persons with hearing loss found often tend to face situations related to physical abuse, illness or additional disability, as well as feeling withdrawal or isolation from family [42-44]. This review was conducted to highlight the trend of research and trace the effect of hearing loss on depression on individuals with hearing loss. The review also throws light on the associated factors which predispose the depressive symptoms among the Deaf and/or hard of hearing that may lead to suicidal attempts among persons with hearing loss. Hence, when planning an intervention programme for a person with hearing loss should consist of a team which must include audiologist along with psychologist, psychiatrist, sign language interpreters and other professionals. In future, various other similar studies can be conducted by other professional dealing with mental health research and should beam the light on depressive symptoms among persons with hearing loss. Such future studies should also consider the various diversities among persons with hearing loss that will provide the actual evidences and also provide an insight on the prevalence of depression and its symptoms among persons with hearing loss across the world. Apart from these evidences, studies should also focus more on children and adolescents with post-lingual hearing loss while audiologist and the entire team consisting of psychologist should not presume or infer any depressive symptoms among persons with hearing loss without proper intervention.

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[thedapperrabbit]

She-Ra Rewatch: season 3 and onwards through season 4, and boatloads of Introspection time!

So Ive been rewatching She-Ra with my partner, because sharing Entrapdak is caring. I could probably squee on about that for a century or more (because eeee, sharing things i love with people i love AND THEY EVEN PAY ATTENTION TO THE THINGS AND REMEMBER THEM!)...but ill spare you, kind internet strangers who for some reason find my thoughts mildly interesting enough to be reading this. This is going to be a lot. Like, a LOT. A lot especially from a stranger that youve probably only seen a notification from due to me sticking a heart on your content or for reblogging something lovely youve made in pictures or words. I dont think anything is going to be violently trigger-y because im not always great at judging that stuff and also ive yet to feel quite comfy enough to be  fully open-posting specifics about my own past trauma, other than a vague allusion to self-harm and distant-ish unspecified abuse aaaand the usual childhood garbage truck of assholes....but i suppose you could possibly draw some darker potential conclusions from the content im focused on. Also, my ADHD makes it incredibly hard to keep to a straight and non-branching narrative so...ramble-y bits and expressions of brain frustration ahoy. Either way...you are forewarned, just in case. Sorry in advance, this is going to be a small booklet by the time Im done explaining, and thinking, and then attempting to stick words to abstract feels which sometimes im great at, and then others i fucking suck at...but at least this is all written and not me trying to say this to any of your faces! Thats....a mercy all of its own. Haa...  Anyway, while rewatching with my partner, I realized just how much more painful parts of it are to sit through now...they were the first time, and each time since, but NOW having spent a while mulling over the series as a whole a bunch, and reading a lot of other peoples writings on here and finding myself largely in agreement with most Entrapdak fan’s assessment of things, I just....feel like all the air is ripped out of me during some moments, watching  with keener insight. And despite thinking i had myself reasonably well figured out by my age, its all also made me further consider a few things about myself as well. Particularly my notable internalized fury response to chunks of it which have been consistent through all my viewings of SPOP. With Hordak at least, its way easier to understand my reactions. For me at least. Maybe not so much for the people around me. And, shittier due to intensity and subject matter, but still easier in the long run because...the broken bits in me that he resonates with are fresher and sharper and still more recent, like within the last ten years, and thus more towards the front shelves in my head, compared to things that resonate with Entrapta, which are all old, lifelong dull aches at this point. I feel like nothing i can point to is fully sufficient to fully express my feels involving Hordak. But, maybe the best representative moment is with the crying i do every damn time I see his face looking up at Prime just after he glimmer and catra were beamed up...because ive seen that face in the mirror. I HAVE MADE THAT FACE. That same. Goddamn. Face. I may not have gotten a jab to the back of the neck directly from the person I made it at...but they often seemed to silently goad me to harm myself in an attempt to jolt my brain out of getting stuck in re-looping through what theyd just done/said to me. Likewise, much of his interactions with Entrapta are very...very weirdly familiar in feeling, but in a good way. Watching the stuff with Hordak hurts because fuck me if it isnt frequently like watching myself back in 2008ish to 2013, which was the duration of the worst parts of that particular circle of hell i parked my ass in. So...that makes sense. Hes so well written in those moments, it occasionally gave me PTSD flashbacks (still does a little, but now im prepared and braced for it and can shrug it back off....thanks, lifetime of therapy and years of studying abnormal psychology! Still totally not an expert, just very passionate...just, as a disclaimer).  Entrapta though...Entrapta is a different story. Mostly, I see Entrapta and in her free expressions of delight and joy and her bouncy enthusiasm I am reminded of a younger, less discouraged me in some ways, and in others, a “me” I could have been, but...well, extremely early-onset anxiety and depression made me insanely self-conscious super-super early on...not that i was great at hiding or...i guess the term people seem comfy with is “masking”? Which was a huge problem, or so it was in the 80s when far less was understood of such things. Id do so for a bit and then would forget to, in a way (because id forget long enough to go and trust again reflexively) and would get badly bullied and would squish everything down until id feel a crumb of safety again, and then almost instantly ADHD would pop that mask right the rest of the way off aaand it would start all over again. Ad nauseam until my teen years, where the depression sort of “fixed” that, and made it much easier to destroy my desire to share much of myself freely at all, save for with one or two people, and to a less deep extent a broader circle of nerd friends. Course, then i hit 30 and ran out of the majority of fucks I used to give. Or I became so damaged and salted with anger that parts of me dont grow any fucks anymore? Either way, plowshares to swords, WHEEEE!) And, maybe thats where this time while watching, I started to really think back to all that, and to how i see Entrapta treated by the other princesses, or really just in general except by Hordak...and why it burns my biscuits so badly. Every time I see someone roll their eyes at Entrapta’s beautiful unbridled enthusiasm or try to make it seem distasteful or at least weird and unwanted and uncomfortable for them but then dont even bother to try coming to terms with why they feel that way... or how they seem to feel free to grab and manhandle her without her consent, or the way they try to lessen her contributions because shes non-normative? Like its the fucking least she can do to make up for being weird in their space (...okay, that might just be the anger kicking in..but i dont feel like its an entirely innacurate assessment, is it?)  All of that...seeing it inflicted upon someone, It feels like someones punched me right in the damn sternum, but because its a hurt that im so desensitized to, it seems to have a much different effect than the sharp, violent crushing pain that i feel when I relate to Hordak a little too well for comfort. Again, i could go on, but its nothing more eloquent people on here havent already spoken volumes on. And my first gut reaction is always “I dont understand! why is that their reaction to her?! it doesnt seem logical at all, i dont seem to be able to parse it correctly, how is this acceptable? I HOPE SHE IMMOLATES YOU ALL.”. Which...I suppose isnt entirely usual for me (the silent wishing that people be immolated, I mean...i blame my past years of working in retail. And devouring too much Warhammer 40k contentl).  (oh gods...and this is going to be the most clusterfucky part cause i can feel my meds kicking in and thats gonna be hard to keep coherence on but i gotta get this all out of my head or ill forget it or get too scared of you fucking BRILLIANT insightful smart people on here and then ill continue to live scared and regretful that i never said..anything, and just sat here like “noticeme, entrapdak sempais!”  Ehhn...which is to say, if this is a garbage dump from here down, dont worry, when i wake up ill fix it...but hopefully itll at least make a tiny bit of sense ) But I realized something...something I hadnt ever rememberd much about due to the shitty neuronormative (apology if thats wrong term) behaviors continuing over years and years but in less and less directly aggressive ways as i grew older and was more prone to losing my shit in , (and likely because I got excessively lucky and managed through...uhhh...agonizing determination? Sheer stubbornness? Alleviatory rebalancing of universal karma? fuck if i know --to  curate a surprisingly supportive circle of other castoffs and misanthropes.) That was exactly how people used to treat me.  OKAY THISLL BE EDITED LATER to add in the rest of what i was gonna say...im...too full of Ambien sleep meds and damn write it anymore...and im aing trouble separating realigty and dream...an i k apawing at the kybord...not safe Lov yous for reading this far. Il fix it later, swears.