#op is bodily an adult

[the-crystal-femmes]

Would anyone have advice on how I can explain to my mother that her treatment of my sysmates is not okay and that she needs to treat them like people and not problems because they reside in my head? Real sick of her treatment towards Pearl in specific

For context she essentially treats Pearl like a maid or some shit. Doesn't ask nicely for zem to do anything and instead demands or makes a nasty remark. We have chronic fatigue as well as a slew of other mental problems that make it hard for us to do things. The others also have trouble fronting fully.

My mother thinks she can demand Pearl to do it on her time and not ze's own time. Pearl cannot choose when ze fronts and works on the time the body let's her front + if the body is physically able to do things.

I want to explain that it isn't okay for her to demand Pearl do something and that we would prefer she be respectful and patient.

My mother is so less than respectful to the others as well but I notice this theme is more prominent with Pearl since ze is the one who does chores.

*Edit for typo but the point should still be there

- Yellow Pearl

[pandemic-info]

What Is Long COVID? Understanding the Pandemic’s Mysterious Fallout > News > Yale Medicine

Originally published: April 15, 2024. Updated: June 4, 2024

Just weeks after the first cases of COVID-19 hit U.S. shores, an op-ed appeared in The New York Times titled “We Need to Talk About What Coronavirus Recoveries Look Like: They're a lot more complicated than most people realize.”

...

Unlike most diseases, Long COVID was first described not by doctors, but by the patients themselves. Even the term “Long COVID” was coined by a patient. Dr. Elisa Perego, an honorary research fellow at University College in London, came up with the hashtag #LongCOVID when tweeting about her own experience with the post-COVID syndrome. The term went viral and suddenly social media, and then the media itself, was full of these stories.

Complaints like "I can't seem to concentrate anymore" or "I'm constantly fatigued throughout the day" became increasingly common, seemingly appearing out of nowhere. With nothing abnormal turning up from their many thorough lab tests, patients and their physicians were left feeling helpless and frustrated.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has defined Long COVID as the "continuation or development of new symptoms three months after the initial SARS-CoV-2 infection, with these symptoms lasting for at least two months with no other explanation." This deliberately broad definition reflects the complex nature of this syndrome. We now understand that these symptoms are wide-ranging, including heart palpitations, cough, nausea, fatigue, cognitive impairment (commonly referred to as "brain fog"), and more. Also, many who experience Long COVID following an acute infection face an elevated risk of such medical complications as blood clots and (type 2) diabetes.

In April 2024, an estimated 5.3% of all adults in the United States reported having Long COVID, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Data from the CDC suggest that Long COVID disproportionately affects women, and individuals between the ages of 40 and 59 have the highest reported rates of developing this post-acute infection syndrome.

...

Inderjit Singh, MBChB, a YSM assistant professor specializing in pulmonary, critical care, and sleep medicine, and director of the Pulmonary Vascular Program, is actively engaged in clinical trials aimed at uncovering the fundamental underpinnings of Long COVID.

...

Through this work, a significant revelation emerged. They observed that patients grappling with Long COVID and facing exercise difficulties were unable to efficiently extract oxygen from their bloodstream during physical exertion. This discovery identifies a specific cause underlying the biological underpinnings of Long COVID.

... Dr. Singh, along with other researchers, is focused on the identification of blood-based markers to assess the severity of Long COVID. For example, a research group, led by Akiko Iwasaki, PhD, Sterling Professor of Immunobiology and Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, and director of the Center for Infection & Immunity at YSM, most recently created a new method to classify Long COVID severity with circulating immune markers.

Further investigations conducted by Dr. Singh's team identified distinctive protein signatures in the blood of Long COVID patients, which correlated with the degree of Long COVID severity. Researchers identified two major and distinct blood profiles among the patients. Some of them exhibited blood profiles indicating that excessive inflammation played a prominent role in their condition, while others displayed profiles indicative of impaired metabolism.

...

Researchers currently believe that the impairment of a spectrum of key bodily functions may contribute to these diverse symptoms. These potential mechanisms include compromised immune system function, damage to blood vessels, and direct harm to the brain and nervous system. Importantly, it's likely that most patients experience symptoms arising from multiple underlying causes, which complicates both the diagnosis and treatment of Long COVID.

...

The last word from Lisa Sanders, MD:

I’m the internist who sees patients at Yale New Haven Health’s Multidisciplinary Long COVID Care Center. In our clinic, patients are examined by a variety of specialists to determine the best next steps for these complex patients. Sometimes that entails more testing. Often patients have had extensive testing even before they arrive, and far too often—when all the tests are normal—both doctors and patients worry that their symptoms are “all in their head.”

One of our first tasks is to reassure patients that many parts of Long COVID don’t show up on tests. We don’t know enough about the cause of many of these symptoms to create a test for them. The problem is not with the patient with the symptoms, but of the science surrounding them. If any good can be said to come out of this pandemic, it will be a better understanding of Long COVID and many of the other post-acute infection syndromes that have existed as long as the infections themselves.

[69constellationsinatrenchcoat]

✨Welcome to 69 Constellations* in a Trenchcoat✨

*alters (our increasingly misnamed system blog, we don't have 69 alters.)

Welcome to CC's little corner of the internet. We go by Constellation, or the Consellation Collective. Formerly 69consellationsinatrenchcoat (lmao dumbass typo) & 69ottersinatrenchcoat

We have medically recognised dissociative identity disorder (DID), diagnosed PTSD, autism, ADHD, and a variety of chronic illnesses… we're a bit of a medical problem.

We tend to post a mix of things we enjoy and informative content.

.°˖✧ Posting ✧˖°.

topics: DID, OSDD & other CDDs, mental health, psychology, disability & neurodiversity

Side topics are on another blog

We'll try to usually sign off in the tags with "posted by [emoji]"

.°˖✧ System Info ✧˖°.

We go by Constellation and use they/them pronouns. We're bodily an adult, bi, polyam (though we just say queer), and as far as we're aware, an INFJ 1w2 125 overall.

We post in British English, usually fkgkjgfkjk. Pls, stop saying we're spelling things wrong just because we spell colour with a 'U'.

.°˖✧ Syscourse ✧˖°.

If discussing system origins, we prefer to have measured and respectful discussions, or to avoid it all together.

We recognise that experiences with multiplicity and plurality vary drastically, and that spiritual multiplicity exists and is recognised in the DSM-V-TR, as are DID and OSDD.

Multiplicity is a controversial topic within psychological communities and that there are varying opinions on the existence of non-trauma sourced multiples.

We avoid the 'fandom' attitude to DID as we believe that we should not be watering system experience to the belief that it's fun to have alters, as it invalidates negative experiences. However, there is joy in this disorder.

As with every community, certain things shared in multiplicity spaces are completely false, and we disagree with on a fundamental level. For example, system hopping does not exist (alters, created by one mind cannot magically appear in another's mind unless that system has split an introject [factive] based upon that alter), selling alters is wrong, impossible and immoral, etc

To have DID, individuals must reach certain diagnostic criteria, including showing amnesia between personality states. Some clinicians argue that for a diagnosis of DID to be valid, one must also reach diagnostic criteria for PSTD, meaning you can't have DID without traumatic experiences - however, that does not mean plurality doesn't exist outside DID.

We want to see some solid research into all plural experiences (including those who report non traumagenic origins) but unfortunately there aren't many people doing the research.

There's enough evidence to suggest that plural experiences do exist outside of trauma and that suggests that something is psychologically 'unusual' with those who report plurality outside of trauma.

Traumagenic plurality and various non-traumagenic plural experiences are two different things, however there is overlap. Creating separate language for traumagenic multiples, and endogenic multiples is something we believe may help to create clearer divisions within the communitie; limiting confusion between when a systems is speaking about traumagenic experience, or endogenic experience.

A vast majority of young teens who identify as endogenic or plural without trauma are misinterpreting experiences as a teen by placing labels on things that may perpetuate harmful beliefs. We don't wish to dismiss anyone's experiences by stating that teens cannot be systems (they absolutely can be), however, certain parts of the online system communities, especially system related discords, can be harmful to developing brains and developing personalities.

That being said, we are a diagnosed DID system, and the majority of our posting will be about our experiences with DID, and we will, mostly, interact with trauma based posting. :)

TLDR: our syscourse stance is complicated and each alter in our system has different opinions on it — but basically we believe that endogenic systems do experience multiplicity, just in a different way to disorders like DID, OSDD and P-DID.

Remember, your brain doesn't finish the majority of its development until you're in your mid-twenties!

.°˖✧ Please don't follow if.. ✧˖°.

You are here with the intent to be homophobic, transphobic, queerphobic, sexist, etc. Please don't be an ass.

You are under the age of 16. This blog occasionally contains sexual content (no visuals), experiences and triggering content, and we want to keep you safe. We aren't entirely happy with minors interacting but, 17+ is fine.

Please do not interact with any of our content if you post screenshots to r/systemscringe. Yes, sometimes people do shit for attention, but mocking them publicly is not okay.

Our DMs are open :)

.°˖✧ Links to original posts we're proud of and/or want to revisit ✧˖°.

disclosing you're a CDD system can make you a target

lying to keep your system safe

hardware vs software; mental illness edition

our CDD flag redesign

abusive ppl

second hand gender euphoria

sometimes accessibility is an electric toothbrush

octocon (create an alter to get started)

answer to "you don't have 60 people in your head, you just like LARPing"

DID books

why it's so hard to find resources for OSDD 1b/1a

more on OSDD 1b/1a

"diagnosis" a poem

DID is more than alters

grumpy sock puppet (DID hydra)

We made our pfp and banner...and made a DID flag!

We try our best to include alt/descriptive text on our posts, and where possible we will link any elements/images we've used (usually in alt text) <3

[yawarakaizai]

hi lovely!!

can i request a really oblivious, kinda sleepy and gentle reader with any char that you prefer? (literally any!) her personality is quite similar to chii from chobits and hachi from nana for reference! thank chuu🌷

ⵌ GOLD SATIN DREAMER, GOLD SATIN HEART

SENDER Reader (Fem) RECIPITENT Jouno Saigiku (BSD) CONTENTS non-suggestive usage of 'daddy', fem pet-names, protective jouno, reader is babied but bodily an adult, crybaby reader, fluff, cuddling, nightmares NOTE You had a childlike wonder for everything in this world. You felt as free as a bird in the wild, a swan with its lover. You must dutifully wait for his return to you every day, and in his hands would always be a bouquet of only the brightest of flowers for his princess. COMPANY Gold Satin Dreamer

A/N thi s was a cute req ues t <33 i'v e actual ly never watched na na ;; !! onl y cli ps ( > ᯅ < ) !!! read er is more chii - like ,, i h ope th ats okay !!

You were something special, something out of the ordinary and peculiar. Not much made sense of you. Unreadable and always thinking, your mind felt of savouries and sweets.

The voice you kept soothing and as soft as the faux fur you huddled in for warmth on this cold winter night and you lingered at your own pace as butter melting on fresh, warm brioche.

Your clever hands skilled in the art of sewing, weaving and spinning yet there was only much you could do before your dwindling attention could move you along.

You've been in such way for as long as you can remember.

You fluttered and danced as you pleased - holding your tongue and sitting there quietly. An observer, is what you were.

There was little you found worth your time. Even littler that you found worth piquing yourself into.

You carried yourself with elegance, so much so that your movements seemed almost robotic. It wasn't something you were ever self-conscious about.

Until you'd end up upsetting someone with your distant, lost staring. Your apologies were monotone, as was everything else that you'd say. That was simply how you were.

You can not recall much of your childhood, you knew you had a mother and a father, but that was as far as your mind would remember.

Here you lay idle as Eurydice, with the tune of a lyre far off yet never out of your reach. You had everything you could ever ask for.

The howling wind left you shivering under the weighted, fuzzy blanket. You were not 'big enough' yet to figure out how to turn on the electric fireplace, even when you stomp your foot and proclaim you've grown two inches taller that week.

Your Jouno wouldn't allow you to push yourself.

He did it with good intentions in mind.

You may not notice it yourself, but your flimsiness caused Jouno great worry. See, he knew you were a big girl deep down. Just not yet big enough to do things on your own or do things alone.

When you would, you'd end up hurting yourself or almost hurting yourself.

Even if you've been alive and know you're as human as everyone else, nothing was ever able to stick with you for too long.

Forgetful, clumsy and oblivious to all dangers - your daddy worries for you.

He's argued with professionals whether you were ill or anything of the sort - yet all tests would return inconclusive. By the time he'd be explaining the details to you, your lashes were already fluttering shut with your heavy eyelids taking you away into the land of clouds.

You gaze at the dark clock hanging over the wide television hung diagonally from the bed. Jouno would be arriving home soon from work. He'd kissed you this morning and told you, " 9pm, not any sooner, not any later. "

He had also called you something sweet, but it slipped your mind.

'Darling', was it? No, it must have been 'princess'. He always calls you princess. But he uses 'baby' interchangeably too.

Like this, you'd keep yourself entertained for hours if your colouring books bored you and the dresses in your closet were too complicated to wear without daddy's help.

He didn't like when you'd rummage through things without permission.

One time, daddy had bought you makeup. Something that the big girls wear. You stacked up the cardboard boxes that daddy kept to store your princess shoes in and climbed high up to reach the shelf to find the stash of makeup.

It turns out that bold red lipstick was difficult to wipe off and also difficult to remove from white fabric.

Daddy left you kneeling in your time-out corner for what felt like hours. Your pretty tears tugging at his emotions until he caved in and ended up letting you off with a slap on the wrist.

You liked being a good girl, and he liked when you were a good girl too. In spite of his adoration of when you'd act up.

Your daddy was scary. He was cruel when you were naughty. You can't remember his punishment methods because they'd always change before you could begin to expect what is to happen.

It was getting too cold in the penthouse for you to even think of sleeping calmly. Shuddering, you counted the seconds left until you'd hear the joyous twisting of a key.

You'd snuck into daddy's room when you begun to miss him too much, hauling your favourite blanket with you but resting your face against daddy's pillow, the faint scent of him lingering on the covers.

You were a big girl, and big girls had their own rooms.

Which was an unfortunate shame that even though daddy spent so much into decorating you your own gorgeous pink room, he'd always lift his covers to find you there clinging to his waist.

He couldn't bare wake you.

As time ticked by, you found yourself waiting longer and longer. Absent-mindedly, you had begun to chew on your thumb.

Daddy had a dangerous job, daddy worked going after bad guys. But what if daddy one day slipped up and got caught? Or what if the bad guys caught up to him and killed him, and you would never, ever hear or see from daddy again.

You could feel yourself shaking but it was not from the cold anymore.

It was something that hurt your tummy and made your chest feel like an anvil had been dropped with intent to crush you against its heavy weight. Everything was loud, and scary and-

" Hey, hey, princess? "

Your felt your body be nudged left and right, a soft hold on your shoulder shaking you awake.

" Princess, It's alright. I got you, 'm here, daddy's here. "

Your foggy eyes opened barely enough to see your daddy sitting up by your side, your little night light was on and it displayed little slow, spinning stars around the room with a slow hum of an accompanying nursery rhyme to it.

It took you a while to process what was happening, but your caring daddy spoke for you.

" It was just a nightmare. It's alright, everything's fine. " His hand always remained somewhere on you. You didn't even notice that both your hands slid up from your sides to grasp around one of his. " Daddy.. " you mewled.

" Shh, shh. It's okay, such a brave girl. " He pulled you in close to him and soon enough, great shame and fear caught up to you.

Sensing your incoming tears, he swiftly sat up even further, pulling you into his lap where you'd rest the side of your face against his bare, scarred chest. You were on fire. Your increased body temperature must have woken him up, undoubtedly.

Your daddy had a gift of heightened senses. He'd lost his sight but as he tells you, it only helped him learn more.

This particular gift had the ability to charm you, care for you and embarrass you.

Oh, how you adored him.

" Mm, you weren't there. " Your thumb instinctively went to your mouth to chew, but his hand intercepted and held yours away from reaching your mouth, he said nothing about it but you knew how much he disliked your habit.

" Weren't where, princess? " He asked, rocking back and forth steadily, listening to the beating of your heart slow.

You hadn't sobbed, yet you still shed some silent tears from the nightmare. " You weren't with me, and I thought you died. "

Jouno felt he should laugh, but hearing how serious you were about it, he opted otherwise. " How cute of you, Y/N. " Softly laying back down, he kept you on his chest, reaching to throw the covers over your back.

With little words and little gestures, your daddy always knew how to cheer you up. Maybe you just did not ask for much or maybe you take into account everything daddy does for you that you aren't aware of.

He buys you clothes and toys, he takes you to see the latest movies, he tells you bedtime stories and places a kiss on your cheek before tucking you in for the night.

Alone, they were little things. Paired and grouped, they were more than you could have ever asked for.

" Sleep now, little princess. Daddy will fight off any scary thoughts. 'm not going anywhere, ever. "

His assurance continued, his sleepy voice whispering sweet nothings until you fell asleep in his arms, comforted by his warmth.

©yawarakaizai 2023 ﹒﹒ reblogs appreciated! requests open :3

[besaya-glantaya]

While the previous exorcism was fairly sucessful, new brain gremlins appear with repeated rewatches. So, here's another incomplete list of my rambling thoughts and favourite moments from the Red White and Royal Blue movie:

1. Breaking doors down to get a wedding cake through - actually a thing that happened. Well, almost. Prince William and Kate Middleton's gigantic 8-tier wedding cake was so large a palace door had to be removed to allow it through. Apparently the Queen was "unimpressed".

2. Henry snubbing Alex in the reception line at the wedding is hilarious. Way to ensure Alex doesn't fixate on you for the whole party, Henry. A+ job.

3. Alex drunkly navigating the wedding reception, swiping drinks, petting rich people and hiding foul smelling canapés behind furniture. Adorably comedic.

4. HeNnrrYyy!

5. Aww. I wanna see pictures of Jonathan the Shih Tzu too.

6. Shaan's scathingly dry wit is everything - I can see why he's such a great match for Zahra.

7. "No-one is more mystified than I" is another phrase I am stealing for people who exist purely to vex me.

8. Shaan shoving Alex bodily through the low hanging branches of a chestnut tree to stand beside Henry for a photo op. That had to be at least partially improvised on location.

9. Dogs in jumpers. This must be some British thing that I have simply failed to notice. Is this a thing Americans associate with the UK?

10. The ridiculously small child's costume that Alex is wearing for the puppet show in the hospital.

11. Alex saying "WRONG!"

12. Henry, on the phone, opening with "Good God, man, what have you done?" Honestly, is there any other response when your crush sends you a picture of a caged turkey, in their bedroom, in the small hours of the morning?

13. Nora strutting into the NYE party in that head turning, jaw dropping, red outfit. Stunning.

14. Henry's face after Alex tells him he's going to do "very bad things to him". Every single fantasy he's ever had about him and Alex is flashing rapid-fire through his brain and he just... overloads a lil' bit. Error code 54 [NETWORK_BUSY].

15. The emotional connection between Alex and Henry when they are making love in Paris. The eye contact, the unspoken communication. Ugh. Hats off to all involved - especially Robbie Taylor, the movie's intimacy coordinator - for creating this scene.

16. Alex, talking about being someone his father never had: "You can't know what that means." Henry responding with a heartfelt "I'm learning". Just... yes. All the yes.

17. In the mood for love might be one of the swooniest movies of all time, but it's heartbreakingly sad. It's a doomed romance - two people who are irrevocably in love but can't be together, trapped as they are by the pressures of societal expectations and their own psychological barriers. That this is a version of romance that Henry holds dear is telling and painful to think about.

18. Alex's bloodshot eyes when he's laying on his bed with Nora, hugging that cushion for dear life, pining hard for Henry. Did they do that scene after another intense emotional one? Were there lots of other teary takes of that same scene? Did they rub onions in Taylor's eyes? I need to know.

19. I often think that the core of who we are as teenagers - our hopes, our desires, the things we cherish - are the beings we settle back into as older adults after we're done trying to fit in or live up to other people's expectations. One of Alex's greatest gifts is helping Henry to reach out and reclaim those seemingly distant hopes and dreams. To dance with the person he loves, in a place of beauty that brings him peace.

20. I love the Perfume Genius cover of "Can't help falling in love". It hits you squarely in the feels.

21. God, the casting of this movie was a stroke of genius. Taylor and Nicholas truly become Alex and Henry on screen.

22. On the private air-field: Henry's little overwhelmed smile when Alex squeezes him in the tightest hug and tells him, "I love you, I'll be as patient as you need."

23. Immediately after 22, Alex leaning in for a kiss goodbye but pulling back quickly as he reads Henry's discomfort. Alex might not always understand Henry's reasons but (if he's paying attention), he's so very good at reading Henry's needs and responding to them.

24. In the aftermath of the email leak, Alex has been "hanging in there" - he's had people supporting him, with agency over how to respond. But Henry is understandably not OK - he's been put back in his box, and the Firm has taken over in all matters. There's one scene where you can see Henry shrinking, literally making himself take up less space at the table.  Poor baby.

25. Zahra to the rescue. Truly the MVP.

[mariacallous]

In 2022 I wrote an op-ed for NBC News Think about leg hair, of all things. The piece detailed a monthlong experiment during which I stopped shaving. Aside from one paragraph about bodily autonomy and Roe v. Wade, I thought it was a mild article. Boring, even.

The internet disagreed. Within an hour of publication, I started getting angry, all-caps emails. Then it started on Twitter. I was called everything from stupid and self-absorbed to a Sasquatch. I was accused of hating men and pressuring women.

The deluge lasted nearly two weeks. By the end of it, I had dozens of nasty emails, nearly a thousand social media notifications, and zero idea how to handle what I’d experienced.

Unfortunately, these instances of online harassment are becoming more common. In 2021, the Pew Research Center reported that 41 percent of US adults had experienced online harassment; the Anti-Defamation League reported an increase to 52 percent in 2023. Public and semipublic figures are especially at risk, as noted by recent studies on American journalists, Zimbabwean journalists, and female members of parliament in Sweden.

But the truth is, on social media anyone with an account can experience harassment. Here’s what to do if it happens to you.

Document Everything

Knee-deep in hate mail, I reached out to a former thesis adviser who’d written op-eds. How had he handled the trolls?

His reply: Document everything. If you have to report the harassment to a social platform or to law enforcement, you will need a body of evidence that proves the harassment.

Save the nasty emails in a special folder, either manually or by using keywords to filter and route all of the relevant mail automatically.

On social media, screenshot what people say. Doing this gives you lasting digital proof, which is important if the trolling comments disappear later on, either because the trolls deleted them or because someone reported the comments, which led to them being removed. Save all of these screenshots in a folder that can easily be shared with anyone investigating your harassment.

Documenting harassment is common advice, featured in resources ranging from writing-specific organizations like PEN America to wider organizations like the University of Chicago and the National Network to End Domestic Violence.

Don’t Respond

Another common piece of advice is “don’t feed the trolls.” In theory, if you don’t react to harassment, the trolls get bored and leave. Some have argued that this advice has failed us, as it puts the onus on the victim to stop the cyberbullying; it suggests that it’s not the trolls who need to stop but rather the victim who needs to turn the other cheek.

This is a fair critique; social media platforms should build better moderation systems and restrict users who breach standards on harassment. Ideally, events like the 2024 child safety hearing before US Congress will lead to changes that make the internet safer for everyone. In a perfect world, the onus is on Big Tech.

But internet safety is a work in progress, and in the meantime it’s on us to decide how we want to respond. Many of the accounts spamming me were obvious trolls. They had incendiary usernames and profile pictures. Looking at their comments, which were antagonistic at best, I knew I wouldn’t change their minds by responding. Nothing I could write would make them consider my point of view.

So I followed the American Psychological Association’s advice and let the storm pass. I logged off social media and routed the nasty emails into a special folder, out of sight. I spent my energy on things I enjoyed instead, no trolls involved.

Or Maybe Do Respond

Walking away isn’t the best option for everyone. If you choose to respond, there are both indirect and direct ways to address harassment. The former could include muting threads or blocking accounts. You could also report comments or users for behaviors that breach community standards, such as hate speech, threats, and bullying (which most platforms claim to prohibit). These options may prevent the same trolls from harassing you, or another user, in the future.

If you feel safe and want to respond directly, consider counterspeech, a strategy that addresses and undermines hate by redirecting the conversation in a constructive way. Some choose to reclaim hashtags, such as the K-pop stans who in 2020 flooded the #WhiteLivesMatter hashtag with K-pop videos.

Others create larger discussions around hateful posts, typically focusing not on the troll but on the content of their argument (so, not “You’re sexist” but “Saying XYZ is problematic because …”). This is exactly what I did, some six months after my experience, when I wrote about hate mail for HuffPost, focusing on sexism and the importance of dismantling it. Reframing the conversation helped me feel less powerless.

Though organizations like the United Nations recommend counterspeech, some research has suggested that it may be ineffective: While a 2021 study on anti-Asian hate found that counterspeech discouraged hate, another study on racism and homophobia saw mixed results.

Do Something You Enjoy

Whether or not you respond, give yourself time to work through your feelings. Do something you enjoy, like going to the gym, meditating, or playing your favorite video game. Anything goes!

Social support, in particular, is important for processing your experiences. This is because one of the goals of online harassment is to make you feel isolated; intentionally enjoying time with loved ones can combat this. An older 2014 study noted that social support can come from anyone in your life, ranging from your peers to your family. More recently, a 2020 study listed the myriad benefits of social support for those experiencing bullying, including increased confidence and decreased anxiety.

So text your friends and coworkers. Make dinner plans with family. Rant to your partner—or ask for a distraction. Any and all of these can help you feel less alone. You can also seek professional advice via a therapist or a cyberbullying hotline.

If you decide to take an extended break from the internet, ask a friend you trust to keep an eye on your social accounts. They can continue to take screenshots of new harassment and notify you if the frequency of incidents increases.

If the Harassment Escalates

If rude comments turn into stalking, hacking, doxing, or death threats, it’s time to contact the authorities and get legal assistance. Continue to document everything; you’ll want a body of proof to ensure you’re taken seriously. If you’re in immediate danger, call emergency services.

Practicing good cyber hygiene can help you protect your information. To deter hackers, use strong passwords, which are longer than 16 characters and include numbers and special characters. Don’t reuse passwords, and set up multifactor authentication to ensure that you’re notified if someone tries to log in to your account.

To deter doxing, stalking, and further harassment, adjust your privacy settings on social media. If possible, set your accounts to private until the storm passes. Also, depending on the platform, you should be able to limit the ability to reply to your posts so that only people you follow can republish your posts or leave comments. You can also just disallow comments entirely. If you have both professional and personal accounts, keep them separate so that work-related harassment is less likely to follow you home.

You may want to limit who can see your location data on social media, since many platforms tag every post with geolocation data unless you opt out. This is usually something you can turn off in your profiles’ privacy settings. Additionally, browser extensions like Privacy Party can help you keep your privacy settings on social media up to date automatically, so you don't have to think about it.

If things get so bad that you feel it's safest to minimize or erase your digital footprint, paid services like Delete Me can remove identifying information like your address, phone number, and social media activity from hundreds of online databases and data brokers. This makes it much harder for people to uncover this information in web searches. Services like Tweet Delete can automatically delete years worth of social media posts, replies, and likes—either wholesale or within a specific range—from your accounts.

Online harassment can be isolating and terrifying, but with a plan, you’ll be prepared to respond—and to mitigate its impacts on your life.

[quasiquack666]

The last of my current theories/thoughts I posted on Ao3!

This one is a pretty simple analysis of Kartein's power level compared to Pluton and Kayden. Kartein is actually super OP

Ao3 version of OP Kartein

— Preface:

Although this is an argument for why Kartein is more overpowered than Kayden or Pluton, I DO acknowledge that Kayden is superior in Offense and Pluton is superior in Defense. I will not be arguing that Kartein would beat them in their specializations, because that is pointless. I am instead arguing that Kartein is the overpowered all-rounder, which I believe is more impressive.

— Categories/Rankings:

First let's cover Categories of power and how relative Rankings will be interpreted

Categories • Offense: Destructive capacity • Defense: Bodily fortification • Shielding: Protective barriers • Spatial Isolation: Dimensional segmentation • Healing: Bodily repair • Force Control: Power movement • Miscellaneous: Soundproofing, Information Gathering, other skills

All revealed Awakener skills can be used in one of these seven classifications. For this analysis, let’s consider these categories as fairly comprehensive for how Awakeners use power, out of the abilities currently shown (up to 291).

Rankings • 5 points: Top 10 level • 4 points: Top 50 / Grande level • 3 points: Top 100 / Ranker level • 2 points: Adult Awakener level • 1 point: Rookie Awakener level • 0 points: New/Baby Awakener level

The jump between average adult Awakeners and Top 100 is probably pretty large, but there are no canon references for Top 1000, Top Million, etc. So for the purpose of this analysis references will be cut off at the Top 100. Just keep in mind that these points have exponential growth differences between them.

— Offense:

Kartein: 4 points Kayden: 5 points Pluton: 4 points

Kartein’s Offensive ability is not shown comprehensively in the comic so far, however we do have hints to how powerful he is. Supri and Muse discuss Kartein’s combat ability, where Kartein is stated as a Top 50 Ranker (262). Kayden vouches for Kartein’s combat ability and says he is stronger than he seems (267). Kartein is not intimidated by three of Astra’s minions attacking him at the same time (267). So I ranked him as a solid 4 points, within the Top 50 Rankers.

Kayden is ranked as 5 points, since he beat a Top 10 at full power (274) and is therefore comparable to them in the Offense category. Even if Astra had a slight nerf with Kartein’s power interference (274), it’s still accurate to say Kayden beat a Top 10. Kayden also battled Andrei (260), which might not have been a tie if Kayden wasn’t teaching Jiwoo a skill, as acknowledged by Schnauder (261).

Pluton is ranked the same as Kartein here, since in lower levels he wouldn’t have much business being Kayden’s competitor in a fight, which Pluton says he is (277). Pluton is also explicitly stated to be in the Top 50 Rankers (277).

— Defense:

Kartein: 3.5 points Kayden: 3.5 points Pluton: 5 points

Kartein’s abilities with bodily Defense are not elaborated on. But he seems to be about average for other Top 50 Rankers, or maybe Top 100, in order to survive even one hit from Astra (272). I will be conservative and put him slightly under Top 50 with 3.5 points.

Meanwhile, when Kayden makes his body vulnerable like with the attack at Andrei (260), he actually seems to be about the same durability as Kartein against a Top 10. The major difference being that Kayden was still at decent power while fighting Andrei, meanwhile Kartein was already exhausted while taking those hits from Astra. Based on that factor, perhaps it could be argued that Kayden’s bodily Defense is even weaker than Kartein’s, but for now let’s rank the same.

For Pluton, he is stated to have Defense that might surpass the Top Ten (278). Pluton also says his Defense is second to none (284). So a ranking at 5 points seems best.

— Shielding:

Kartein: 4 points Kayden: 3 points Pluton: 3 points

In the World Awakened Academy arc, Kartein Shields a whole stadium of students and teachers (and most of the school grounds) from the shocks of Andrei and Kayden’s battle. Garris Luterain remarks that Kartein’s Shields are known to be strong (213). So Kartein’s Shields are likely solidly within the Top 50 level, so 4 points.

Kayden has only used a Shield once(?), when he protects Jiwoo from the shock of his initial attack on Andrei (258). Although that implies his Shield can withstand Top 10 level attacks, I think it’s important to note the area of the Shield is very small, only just enough to cover Jiwoo’s body. This is entirely unlike Kartein’s level of Shielding (and Spatial Isolation at the same time), which covered more than a whole stadium and protected dozens of people from Andrei and Kayden. So Kayden’s Shielding ability is almost certainly weaker than his Offensive abilities, and likely weaker than Kartein’s Shielding. But Kayden’s Shields are still good enough to protect once against a Top 10 Offensive shockwave, so that at least puts him in Top 100 Shielding.

Pluton’s 3 points comes from the assumption that his focus on Defensive ability might have made him invested in Shielding ability too. This assumption could easily be refuted in upcoming Pluton chapters, so his 3 points are shaky. But his Shielding is probably not drastically weaker or stronger than Kayden’s either.

— Spatial Isolation:

Kartein: 4 points Kayden: 4 points Pluton: 4 points

Kartein’s Spatial Isolation is compared to Fiord’s, where Fiord says Kartein’s Spatial Isolation was spread to cover a much broader space than his own (213), which seems like the whole World Awakened Academy. Garris Luterain also says that Kartein’s Shielding (and implied Spatial Isolation) is very mighty (213). So it seems fair to place Kartein’s Spatial Isolation at 4 points, solidly within the Top 50.

There are two main instances of Kayden’s Spatial Isolation, against Supil Kang (134) and Vatore (184). With Supil and Vatore, Kayden’s Spatial Isolation does not seem weaker than Kartein’s and covers several city blocks. Solid 4 points again.

Pluton’s Spatial Isolation seems to at least be able to cover a few buildings (290). We didn’t get a very good view of the scope of the Spatial Isolation relative to Kayden or Kartein’s though, but Pluton’s is probably comparable if we had a better angle. Plus, Pluton’s is likely at least as good as Kayden’s to participate in high level battles.

— Healing:

Kartein: 5 points Kayden: 2 points Pluton: 2 points

Ah, now here’s where Kartein really shines!

We have many examples of Kartein’s Healing. Kartein was able to Heal Jiwoo’s core (140), a feat considered impossible (138). When he heals Duri’s eye puncture/scratch (166). When he Heals Subin’s grandfather’s injuries that have existed for many years (228). Healing Kayden to temporary full power (273), even on extremely low energy himself. Yeah, very safe to say Kartein is a Top 10 level in Healing. 5 mega points.

Then Kayden and Pluton rank at 2 points because there is basically no indication that either of them have decent knowledge of Healing ability. Kayden said that he did what he could after Jiwoo was tortured (129), but that did not seem like a lot. Either way, 2 points might be generous if neither Pluton nor Kayden ever developed this ability.

— Force Control:

Kartein: 4.5 points Kayden: 4.5 points Pluton: 4.5 points

Kartein says his Force Control is not weaker than Kayden’s (139). The assumption being that his Healing Force Control specifically is not weaker, since no other power of Kartein’s seems drastically better than Kayden’s. And it’s already established that Kayden’s Offense ability is Top 10 tier, along with Kartein’s Healing ability and Pluton’s Defense ability.

In the end, the debate was between settling them at 5 points for their best Force Controls or not. But it might be slightly more fair to strike a balance between all of their abilities, so I settled on 4.5 points.

— Miscellaneous:

Kartein: 2 points Kayden: 2 points Pluton: 2 points

There’s not many examples of these sorts of powers to really rank here. So placing them all in the same category as any other adult Awakener seems fair enough.

— Final Ranking Points:

Total Possible: 35 points

Kartein: 27 points Kayden: 24 points Pluton: 24.5 points

Also note that throughout this analysis, I have provided possibly generous estimates for Pluton since he has much less reference material. But in order to be on par with Kayden or Kartein at all (which he is implied to be as a competitor of Kayden), I assumed he had similar capabilities in most categories.

— Other Non-Ability Arguments:

Age. Kartein and Kayden are likely around the same age, based on appearance and experience. Pluton I could argue is the same age, or older, based on his comment that Kayden followed his footsteps in challenging strong Awakeners (278). Which may imply that Pluton was there first, hence older.

Based on age, Kartein’s ranking points become even more impressive. He accomplished being a great Offense, best Healer, good Shielder, etc all in about the same amount of time that Kayden made it to the Top Ten as a primary Offense. So while Kayden only really has one specialization, Kartein is excellent in several other abilities within the same rough time period.

— Personal Rant:

Even while going through the comic remembering evidence for this rant, I was shocked and impressed by Kartein’s abilities. Because dayum boi, he’s slaying hard. Sure, I could have been biased with some of the above assessments since Kartein is my fave bb, but I’ll let y’all determine if I was overly biased, or if these numbers add up.

Kartein kicks ass. He truly must have hyperfixated the hell out of all this. (Drumbeats on that neurodivergent Kartein headcanon). That, or Kartein is the real super genius of this generation.

Either way, Kartein is an incredible all-rounder with many Awakened abilities and not only a great healer. Even if he is also the Best Healer <3

[woman-for-women]

So usually I wouldn’t ask for advice of this genre, but I’m genuinely worried. I think my already abusive parents are catching on that I’m a trans guy. I seriously want to detransition but it almost feels physically painful. What do I do? For context, I’m pre-op, pre basically everything. I still look like a girl and stuff.

Hi! I'm sorry you're going through this. I would consider myself dysphoric/desisted, but not truly detrans because I didn't truly socially (de)transition or medically (de)transition. I have some suggestions (adapted from one of my earlier asks on this topic), but it might be useful to talk to detransitioned women to get another perspective.

Talk to a trusted adult in your life. It could be a parent, an aunt/uncle, a teacher, or an older sibling. The adults in your life generally want the best for your health and happiness. If your parents are abusive or you are afraid to tell an adult you are trans, you can just tell them you are distressed with you body/gender roles and want help.

Contact your doctor or a local gender clinic and ask if they can point you towards detransitioning resources (if you have medically transitioned)

Search online and see if there are any detransition support groups near you (unlikely this will pan out, but it's worth a try). If you happen to know anyone who has detransitioned, you can also reach out to them.

If you are able to, please look into counseling. If you are dysphoric, you can ask for a counselor that will help you explore your discomfort with your body/gender roles and reconcile your relationship with your body. I’d avoid any therapists who advertise themselves as LGBTQIA2S+ friendly: they may be well meaning, but their primary method of treatment for dysphoria will likely be transition. Therapists and other mental health professionals tend to have bios where they list their background and what they specialize in: I'd suggest looking for a therapist who is female, and possibly someone who is comfortable gender non-conforming (someone who doesn't see being unhappy with gender roles or gender non-conforming as being the same as being trans). I went to a counselor who was an older lesbian. You can also send an email to Gender Exploratory Therapy Association (GETA) to see if they can match you with a therapist.

If you can't go to counseling, I strongly recommend this DBT Workbook (the link is to a free PDF version). Dialectical Behavioral Therapy is a way to cope with distress and improve your distress tolerance through different techniques.

You can journal how you feel. It doesn't need to be fancy (it can be a notes page on your phone or some binder paper, but if journaling with markers and stickers and washi tape helps, you can do that too). Ask yourself what made you feel like you weren't or couldn't be a woman/girl? What does the thought of detransitioning make you feel? It can just be how you feel in general. If you're comfortable, you can also share your journal with a trusted adult or counselor. Or, it can just be for your eyes only.

Work on improving your integrity and comfort with your body. It helps you feel wonderful feelings, taste your favorite foods, see beautiful things... your body is not trying to hurt you or work against you. For example, your body is not menstruating because it is "punishing" you for not being pregnant (this is something I heard a lot growing up). Menstruation is just something female bodies do. It's vital to regulating your hormonal health, bone density, and weight. While yes, you can get pregnant and be a parent if you choose to as an adult, your body is not telling you to do anything. Your bodily functions are not a mandate. You exist for you!

Try to avoid seeing your body as a problem, or as fractured parts you want to fix: your body is just your body. Don't think of your body as a decorative object you need to change to please anyone. Your body exists for you and (most importantly) your body is you. Treating your body well is part of treating yourself well.

To improve your relationship with your body, I would recommend picking a sport or physical activity. Do something you like that makes you comfortable! If wearing a swimsuit fills you with dread, wear a more modest one or don't pick swimming. It can be as simple as walking, stretching, or yoga in your room. The point of a physical activity is not just to keep in shape, but to feel how your body is capable of doing whatever you want it to. Your body doesn't have to look a certain way for that.

Your image of your body and your comfort with being female might also improve if you take a social media break. I know it can be hard, but try to commit to a short break (a week, a month). Use this time to read, listen to music, draw, relax, exercise... whatever will keep you happy and healthy. Social media is saturated with images of sexualized, objectified, and impossibly thin women. It can be stressful to feel like you don't "measure up" to what the Internet tells you a woman is supposed to be. Take this time to remind yourself that you don't need to imitate these people to be happy.

I would also recommend you unfollow any social media accounts that make you feel bad about your body or talk about transitioning and gender all the time (you can always refollow later). Focus on how you feel about your body and yourself, not what other people promote.

What or how you decide to change socially, who you tell, or how you say it is up to you. You don't need to disclose why you're detransitioning either. You can just tell people you've decided it wasn't for you or that you'd like to go by your old name/pronouns. Don't let anyone, especially other transitioned peers, pressure you into doing or revealing anything you don't want to. If you have a friend group of trans peers your age, don't let them make you feel bad! You have the right to do what's best for you. If you have friends that aren't supportive of you doing what's best for you, it might be best to look for a new friend group.

If you've been happiest dressing in "boy" clothes or doing certain "boy" activities, none of that has to change when you detransition! Detransitioning should be about accepting that your natal biological sex is female. Being female is a neutral fact, like being brunette or being 167 cm. Being female has no bearing on what you can do, who you can love, what professions, hobbies, or interests you have... that's all gender. You don't have to change how you dress, think, feel, act, talk, etc. None of these things can disqualify you from being a woman or girl. Just be yourself and know there's no wrong way to be female.

Being a woman or girl can be scary. Menstruation sucks, sexual harassment sucks, sexism sucks. But there's light at the end of the tunnel, and that's other women and girls! Reach out to them. They are your lifeline. Build friendships. There are other women and girls just like you. You are never alone.

On that note, having positive female role models and consuming books/TV shows/movies/music by and about women can help you feel better about detransitioning and reconciling with being female.

Don't discount the wisdom of older women! They're not nags, shrews, or "Karens". They're female, too. Many of them have likely felt what you feel.

Detransitioning doesn't mean you need to feel a certain type of way on gender or trans issues. Don't let radical feminists, conservatives, or trans-rights activists bully you into saying or doing what suits their narrative. It's your life, so do what's right for you!

Lastly, here are some resources I would recommend, both about transition and detransition:

A Booklet on Gender Detransition

The risks of binding

Testosterone use and pelvic health

The LGB Alliance USA also runs a virtual group for adult dysphoric women every other Wednesday

Detransition may feel painful now, but I truly think accepting my body and working hard to deal with distressing thoughts like dysphoria has improved my quality of life a lot. It will take work, but freeing yourself from the expectations of gender and treating dysphoria like any other body dysmorphia (as that can be improved over time) is a lot better in the long run than trying to obsessively tailor every aspect of your life to be gender affirming to lessen your feelings of dysphoria.

The prevailing narrative told to dysphoric and trans-identifying teens is that you need to transition, you need to go on hormones, you need to do xyz or you will die. This is not true. Most dysphoric youth who do not medically transition end up as happy, alive adults. (If you are having suicidal thoughts, please tell a trusted adult or call a hotline). So I’m going to tell you instead what I was told, and what other lesbian, gay, and bisexual kids were told growing up: it gets better, and you are going to be okay <3

[iamvegorott]

Meeting A Magical Man Pt. 40

Part 1: Link Prev: Link Next: Link

“Honey, I’m home,” Marvin said as he and Chase walked into Henrik’s house. “Are we all good?” 

“Kitchen,” Henrik called out. 

“He doesn’t sound like he’s crying, so that’s good news,” Chase said with a weak chuckle as he and Marvin went to where Henrik’s voice had come from. 

“So how’s-” Marvin’s question stopped in his throat when he saw Robbie. 

“Holy shit.” Chase blurted out his curse. 

Robbie sat at the table, shoveling a big forkful of food into his mouth, eating away as if he’d never had food. He was much taller than the last time they’d seen him and was also now a fully grown adult with a hint of a beard on his chin and cheeks and the beginnings of a mustache on his upper lip. Robbie was gigantic in every way, giving Jackie a run for his money and then some. 

“Hey guys!” Robbie chirped when he noticed Marvin and Chase. 

“That’s a whole-ass man,” Marvin said with a point while Chase’s jaw dropped, staring with wide eyes.

“It seems the final growth spurt has happened,” Henrik said, leaning his back against the counter, and Edward stood next to him, rubbing his chin and jaw in thought. 

“How do you know it’s the final one?” Marvin asked. 

“I’m done. I can feel it.” Robbie explained with a casual shrug. 

“Do you know how old you are?” 

“Twenty-one.” 

“Okay…” Marvin’s voice trailed off. 

“Holy shit.” Chase cursed again. 

“Yep.” Robbie went back to his eating. 

“We’re not sure if the sudden increase in appetite is due to the drastic bodily change or if it’s permanent,” Edward said. 

“My wallet cannot afford it being permanent.” Henrik softly chuckled. 

“At least he’s craving food and not humans,” Chase said. 

“I can change that,” Robbie said with a grin, laughing when Chase stepped back. “Don’t worry, Uncle Chase, if I’m eating anyone, it won’t be my family.”

“That doesn’t make me feel better.” Chase tilted his head up when Robbie stood up. 

“Come here.” Robbie chuckled and only needed a few steps of his own till he was to Chase and hugged him. 

“I take back my earlier comment about Robbie being a whole-ass man; he’s actually two whole-ass men!” Marvin gestured with both hands. “Please tell me he’s not a magic user. I don’t think I can handle having two out-of-control, overly-powerful magic users in my life.” 

“He has shown no signs of it,” Henrik answered.

“I think his whole magical thing has to do with his current physical appearance and then the other part of his body, the one with the claws and all that,” Edward suggested. 

“That’s still pretty OP.” Chase’s voice got muffled by Robbie’s chest and was released. “He could cause some serious damage if he wanted to.” 

“It’s a good thing I don’t want to,” Robbie said with a big smile. 

“It’s moments like this that make me very thankful Henrik ended up being your daddy and not me,” Marvin said. “If he took after me more, we’d be screwed.” 

“You say that like you are the worst person ever.” Henrik rolled his eyes. 

“I mean, pretty damn close.” Marvin popped his tongue. 

“Nope. No bad self-talk.” Chase said before suddenly throwing Marvin over his shoulder. 

“Chase Brody! Put me down! I was just joking!” Marvin shouted, slapping Chase’s back. 

“Is now really the time for this?” Henrik went over to help get Marvin down. 

“Let the uncles have their moment.” Robbie grabbed Henrik and threw him over his shoulder as well. 

“Robert Schneeplestein! Put me down this instant!” Henrik demanded. 

“Nope!” Robbie chuckled, casually able to hold Henrik with one arm like he weighed nothing. 

“You are so grounded!”

“Can’t ground me. I’m an adult now.” Robbie sang.

“That does not stop a parent!” 

Edward just stayed where he was, casually leaning back and watching the chaos of the other four. He reached over, grabbed the coffee he had been drinking earlier, and took another sip, more than embracing that he fell in love with a man who had a very…interesting life. 

x~x~x

“I am so thankful that everything with Robbie seems to be working out good for us,” Marvin said after having himself and Chase appear at his front door. 

“Do you think he’ll be stuck at twenty-one forever?” Chase asked as he opened the door. 

“Who knows. Robbie said he was done but couldn’t explain what he meant by that.” Marvin stepped into the house. 

“But at least he has control now. Henrik says everything else is as stable as an undead man can be.” Chase followed Marvin in. 

“At least something’s got somewhat of a conclusive ending…well, isn’t this just adorable?” Marvin giggled when he saw Mad and Mare on the floor with a large, incomplete puzzle spread out between them

“Told you we’d be fine,” Mare said as Mad handed him a piece. 

“That thing is massive,” Chase commented. 

“It has over nine thousand pieces.” Mad grabbed the top of the puzzle box and held it so Chase and Marvin could see what the completed picture would become. It was a picture of an underwater biome with colorful plants and fish.

“How long have you two been working on this?” Chase asked, crouching down to get a closer look at the pieces. 

“A month or so. We usually try to get a little time each night to work on it.” Mare answered. 

“Aw, you two are like an old married couple.” Marvin sat on the arm of his couch. “Well, you’re not old or married, but we can easily work on that second half~” He laughed when Mad threw the box lid at him. 

“I have a big one of these guys at my place,” Chase said, changing the subject before Marvin got yelled at. “I think it’s like…twenty-five hundred? I tried for like an hour before I got distracted, and it’s been tucked away ever since.” 

“After we finish this one, we can help you with yours.” Mad offered, looking very excited at the idea. 

“I swear if I weren’t doing this with him, he’d never stop.” Mare chuckled, getting a piece and putting it in place. “Especially since Mad only likes the large ones.” 

“Don’t,” Chase said to Marvin when he saw him making a look. 

“Wait, don’t what?” Mad asked. 

“I’m just saying, I hope Mare’s big enough for him, too~” Marvin practically purred and wasn’t shocked when Mare threw the bottom of the box at him. 

“Big enough for what? I mean, he’s taller than me, if you’re talking about that.” Mad said. 

“He’s not talking about that.” Chase scratched his ear. 

“What is he talking about then? What part would I care about being big on Mare?”

“You don’t want to know.” Mare shot a warning glare at both Marvin and Chase. 

“His dick,” Marvin said, ignoring the glare completely. 

“His-” Mad was about to echo, but he stopped, face going red almost instantly. “Stop that!” He grabbed one of the pillows from the couch and threw it. 

“Careful, those are decorative,” Marvin caught the pillow. 

“They’re now ammunition!” Mad huffed.

“You don’t know what you’re getting-” Marvin got cut off by Mare thumping him in the face with a different couch pillow, getting Chase to break out into a loud laugh. 

“It is so on!” Marvin laughed, too, taking the pillow in his hand and hitting the top of Mare’s head with it. 

“Pillow fight!” Chase called out, casually jumping over the puzzle to get on the couch, grabbing one of the pillows, and hitting Marvin with it. 

“You’re supposed to be on my side!” Marvin hit him back, still laughing. 

“No sides! Only chaos!” Chase turned and smacked Mare. 

“Incoming!” Mad got on the couch, scooping up the last pillow and hitting Chase’s back several times. Mare sighed and got up. He jumped on the couch with the others and thumped Mad from behind. 

“Hey!” Mad turned and got Mare on the stomach. 

“Oh~” Marvin grinned when he noticed Mad and Mare focused on each other. He grabbed Chase’s arm and flicked his other wrist, sending them both to the living room’s entrance. 

“Why-” Chase stopped at Marvin holding a finger to his lips. 

“They’re about to have a moment,” Marvin whispered, turning Chase so they could peek in. 

Mare and Mad were laughing as they playfully smacked each other with the pillows, Mad somehow getting the upper hand at one point, and Mare slipped back and fell on the couch. Mad went down with him, still hitting his chest with the pillow.

“Uncle, uncle! I surrender!” Mare dropped his pillow and held his hands up. Mad had his pillow stay on Mare’s chest and leaned on it. 

“I win.” He said with the biggest grin. 

“You did.” Mare chuckled. 

“Yeah…” Mad’s grin softened into a little smile. 

“They are so going to make out,” Marvin whispered to Chase. 

“Should we leave?” Chase whispered back. 

“Only if they actually do.” 

“We should…uh…get back to the-um-the puzzle.” Mad’s voice was quiet and shy. 

“We can if you’d like.” Mare’s voice was quiet as well, but it was also caring and tender. 

“Maybe…in a moment?” Mad looked like he was relaxing more on top of Mare.

“Whenever you’re ready.” 

“We should leave.” Chase tugged on Marvin’s shirt. 

“Not until their mouths are touching,” Marvin said. 

“I-” Mad didn’t get to say his next thing before his phone went off, and he moved away from Mare to check it.

“Whoever is texting is such a bitch.” Marvin grumbled as he stepped back into the room, knowing that the moment was officially ruined. 

“It’s Dark,” Mad said, looking up to see Marvin.  “He says it’s time for my first practice?” 

“Shit.” 

----------

Tags: @brokentimewatch @bookwormscififan @d-structive @rainymae523 @ashtonisvibing

[hazyaltcare]

hello! this is a canon call — I’m an “o!Ciel” Phantomhive pluran, I’m looking for my brother, “r!Ciel” Phantomhive from Kuroshitsuji/Black Butler. we are bodily adult so 21+, please. just interact with this and we will contact you and while we are not necessarily looking for anyone else, we do not mind interacting with others, thank you. please bear in mind that my brother and I were tentatively in a relationship which effects memories of him.

Interact with this post to get in contact with OP.

21+ ONLY.

Best of luck, Ciel!!

Mod Haze

[detransftmfuktoy]

FORMERLY @ftmfuktoy

Kinks for both real life AND/OR fantasy! No illegal stuff, no minors, no ped0s/"maps", I don't do bodily fluids (vomit, non lube spit, pee, scat, snot, etc.), feederism, heavy pain, most breath play, *any* sort of age/incest/race play. BIO FOR MOBILE USERS ftmtObject object/cunt (pre op/T)...; 40, CO, disabled, NSFW 18+; "Forget the condom, bring a pregnancy test" WARNING - into hard (sometimes controversial) kinks/fetishes; feel free to send asks/message/contact (have other platforms if need be); into RP as well; writer of adult fantasy (open to commissions)

Feel free to contact me with questions, etc.

To you "lil bros" (mostly age here but sometimes experience) out there wading into the waters of becoming my lil sister..... I'm here to chat about stuff around misgendering/detrans kink/IRL if you want or need to. This includes support, advice, "brain picking", and horny chat. I've said that some of what I post is real/true/do, done it and that some are purely just fantasy for me. I, by choice, took steps from the detrans kink to doing so IRL. At any time I could stop and return to my life as a trans man or continue on reversing what I've done. I wavered early on but found a few men that helped me out. The one that did most of the work is the man who gets me on my fertile days. I'm not super high femme so those tips would be better from someone that knows what they are doing. (Just because *I chose freely* to take IRL steps, that doesn't mean you should feel any sort of pressure to do so, that anyone's path they walk is/isn't valid as I want this for me and am behind what anyone CHOOSES for themselves.)

Remember to make safe and sane decisions. It might be tricky or tough but make sure to consult a medical/mental health provider if you want to or plan to come off of something (transition related). Don't let anyone pressure you into this kink. These heavy hitter kinks can take a toll and you need to be ready for it.

[strawberry-lemonade-kisses]

Welcome To Haven Hill - Intro/Profiles

Trigger Warnings/Tags - Su!c!dal ideation, Su!c!de attempt, self harm, self mutilation, murder mentions, child abuse, abuse, swearing, description of bodily harm and injury, Addiction, dug abuse, drug use, depression, anxiety, eating disorders

Divider made by @/cafeKitsune

Welcome,

We at Haven Hill have some exciting news to announce. The newest Addition to our beloved Mental health facility recently expanded. With this new addition to helping others we have introduced our newest unit. The co-op Teen and co-op adult facility. We at Haven Hill are thrilled to be able to help more people this way and hope we can turn lives around. Thank you for your continued support of our facility.

Dear Dr. Gotouge,

We have forwarded all patient files you requested, please add them to your current observations. Contact us if you need anything else.

Thank you again,

Valley Hospital Staff.

[problematiccallcentral]

Hello!! Im a fictive of c!wilbur from dsmp and I'm looking for anyone from the source but especially Tommy, Schlatt, and Quackity! all of who I was romantic with. It would be nice to see Fundy and Niki too, but those are kind of rare these days lol.

I'm an adult bodily and only comfortable interacting with bodily adults as well if that's not clear! Please message me at @peoplebreakers , thanks !!

Wilbur from the DreamSMP, looking for Tommy, Schlatt, and Quackity (especially with romantic connotations). OP is 24 years old.

@peoplebreakers

[artsycervidae]

For your Demon Slayer oc's, can you talk a bit more about their signature weapons and moveset?

Howdy! Thank you for the ask. Beware of spoilers under the cut. I've tried to be thorough (as much as I can on mobile), but I'm also naturally coy and try not to blurt all my ideas at once. It keeps me motivated to show via fanfic. Consider the spoilers as little nuggets to look forward to. These are the plot-relevant details, at least. If I'm too withholding on something you wanna know more about, don't be afraid to ask!

Nobu Gets His Own Part

Nobutoshi doesn't have anything super special about his sword or Mist Breathing except that like. He's a MASTER of Mist Breathing, which boosts him to OP levels of control and power so he can use the various forms to his heart's content, much like how Tanjiro began experimenting with Water Breathing, only Nobu knows exactly what he's doing at all times. He's the strongest Hashira in the Meiji Era, and so he's sort of the iconic 'killer in the mist' sort of fighter. And his Sight gives him an edge in brackish visuals as well as being able to scope out demons on sight and judge their capabilities.

Foliage Breathing Forms

Foliage Breathing was a unique Breathing style made by Junko, and is an offshoot of Flower Breathing primarily, her family's specialty. However, she was the first of the main trio to blend other fighting types into her own style, improving on her abilities. It's also unique in that it's ambulatory: Junko can exercise her ambidexterity and dominate the battle from any position. The splash art is greenery and parts of plant life, of course.

First Form: Kudzu Snare

     A smooth, fluid attack where the user slices everything in her path, like following a winding vine. (Comparable to Water Third Form)

Second Form: Root Maze

     Ths user takes a moment to sense her surroundings using air currents, like roots spreading underground. Due to Junko's inherent talent in her bodily awareness, she's doing this constantly, much like Total Concentration Breathing. (Comparable to Beast Seventh Form-- that being said, since Beast Breathing is created by Inosuke specifically, she wasn't inspired by him. But I waaaaas.~ Tetsuya has been learning to do it.)

Third Form: Falling Leaf Storm

     This is the 'flashstep' move that most styles employ, with the added benefit that she can keep doing this as long as there are targets in range-- it gives the impression of pinging from victim to victim, striking them like falling leaves.

Fourth Form: Lotus Rot

     A complicated finishing move. The user's initial swipes are for defense/parrying, where there is emphasis on molding the perfect strike (stripping petals from a lotus flower). Then, the user stabs in all vital areas (Heart, lungs, liver, kidneys) to slow regeneration, turning the target into a lotus root. The final strike is beheadment. (Comparable to Flower Fifth Form)

     This is a special form that pays homage to her family's craft.

Fifth Form: Sprout Germination

     The user either pierces with a frontal thrust, or stabs with a reversed hold on her weapon, like a sproutling bursting through the earth. (Comparable to Mist First Form).

Sixth Form: Splinter

     The user slashes her surroundings viciously, defending against attacks and destroying anything in her range. The splash art is very stylized, giving the impression of deforestation/falling trees. (Comparable to Wind Third Form)

Tetsuya's Sword (and Sheath)

Tetsuya wields a massive sword that would seem uncomfortable or overkill for even most adults. It's fashioned like an every day Japanese kitchen knife (thin handle, broad and smoothly arced blade), and the sheath is equally large. I continue to emphasize Tetsuya's smallness because this Buster-ass sword really minimizes him, like an optical illusion. Since Nobutoshi used his connections to have Tetsuya's sword custom made, his sheath is thicker and sturdier than typically available to katana swordsmen.

Hinata's Barbnet

     Hinata's prosthetic starts a little after the elbow bend: the style is like that of Yoriichi Type Zero's arm, as they were directly inspired by him while on leave to the swordsmith village. Inside the arm is a cable wench, which releases their net and keeps it tethered to them. They require a special handle to reel it in though, and they use whatever they can get their hands on to serve as the net's 'brake.' So they only need to break their wrist to unleash the net's full length.

     The cables are specially made and probably really anachronistic, but if Zero exists and Mitsuri gets a ribbon sword, then I think Hinata gets to have this. The cables are fed out of the seams of their wrist, palm, and fingers, so their components stand out a little more than Zero's. The barbs are made of Junko's broken sword, and for artistic purposes, when properly seated they make polygonal jagged fingers. But realistically, they're a haphazard mess of sharp edges. They aren't able to do much outside of fight with that hand, but they have incredible dexterity and control from years of practice: they can swirl the length of it into a whip and easily untangle it with a flick of their wrist.

Immolation Breathing Forms

Immolation Breathing is a style created by Hinata, and works to incorporate Foliage Breathing into Flame Breathing, combining the adaptability and power of each style. It is an offshoot of them both. The final result was intended to be the first step in reverse engineering Sun Breathing. This style, however, is extremely aggressive to its user, both because and despite the fact it's incomplete. It also demands dual-wielding in most circumstances. For simplicity's sake, we will use Hinata and their sword-net combo. The splash art theme is lots of fire and smoke, mostly in flashes to emphasize discombobulation.

First Form: Heat Refraction

     The flashstep move, but the user moves so fast that oncoming attacks appear to land on their afterimage before going for the throat. (Comparable to Foliage Third Form and Flame First Form. This is also perhaps the only perfected Form, as it most resembles Hinokami Kagura.)

Second Form: Gluttonous Inferno

     The user uses both weapons in turns to devastate the immediate area: one weapon takes heavier, killing strikes (sword) while its partner pushes for space (net), much like a forest fire. This can be used for defense against projectiles, but is primarily intended as an aggressive, all-around attack. (Comparable to Foliage Seventh Form and Flame Fourth Form.)

Third Form: Fuse Follow

     The user gets in close and personal with weakening strikes before making a singularly violent killing blow. For Hinata, they keep their net reigned in and use their fist and sword in turns. The final blow is either a decapitation, or the sudden unfolding of their net mid-strike, which often tears open their target with explosive force. (Comparable to Foliage First Form)

Fourth Form: Sleep in a Bed of Coals

     The user strikes twice from a tail guard using their killing weapon, then immediately swaps to their support weapon for a decapitation slash at the same time as the third attack. Hinata uses their sword as a feint, then kills using their net like a garrote, sawing off the head if necessary. (Comparable to Flame Second Form.)

Fifth Form: Sacrificial Pyre

      The user uses one weapon to tether themself to the target. Then they perform a downwards arcing slash with their other weapon. Hinata will typically capture with their net, and behead with their katana. (Comparable to Foliage Fifth Form and Flame Third Form)

[lorenzobane]

Oh! It's evil author day. Have some of my Sweet Home Alabama!Garashir AU.

Summary: Chief Medical Officer Julian Bashir suddenly finds himself engaged to his new partner, Ezri Dax. Normally that would be a cause for celebration... Except for one minor detail. Technically, Julian is still married to someone else. A certain Mr. Elim Garak.

-----

Julian wakes up smiling as a series of sweet kisses pepper down his neck, and he squirms happily into his bedding to enjoy both sensations a bit longer. 

“It’s time to wake up,” an amused, sweet voice says, and he smiles unconsciously. 

“Five more minutes?” He asks, turning slightly so he can face the other body in his bed more easily. 

“You,” Ezri replies, her messy black hair spilling in every direction, “will be late. How did you make it to anything on time without me?” 

Julian grins more broadly. “I truly cannot remember now.” 

She smiles and flings blankets at his face. “Get up. I want breakfast before the staff meeting.” 

They go to ops together, hands lazily intertwined as they reach. Ezri breaks off before he gets to the senior staff meeting- without the war and Sisko, she is no longer technically considered Senior Staff. 

He greets everyone else at the table and nods jauntily at Kira. 

“You seem happy this morning, Julian,” Nerys says. 

“You make it sound so unusual,” Julian replies. 

She rolls her eyes and starts the meeting, and Julian opens his spreadsheets to his staffing needs and inventory. The rest of the staff circles around and discusses their weekly needs and inventory requirements- Julian makes sure to request more general analgesics, and they’re free to go. 

Thank god because he has something to talk to Kira about. 

“Nerys,” Julian calls as she starts to walk out of the room. 

She turns around, and Julian is struck by how much calmer she is and more content and in command of herself. She is a wonderful person and an even better friend. Which is why– 

“I have something to tell you!” 

“Well?” She replies, amused. 

“Well…” He trails off. “Well! I’m going to ask Ezri to marry me.” 

“Marry… you…” Kira repeats. “Julian! That’s… Wonderful! Truly, I’m very happy for you. But, well, are you sure? This is pretty sudden. You’ve only been dating for six months.”

Julian smiles softly, “when you know! Besides, I feel very calm around her. Content. I never feel too much of anything.” 

“And that’s a… Good thing?” Nerys asks. 

“Yes! Goodness, you of all people should know how, well, I can be a bit too much. And this relationship and Ezri are really helping. Of course, I love her too. Obviously. She’s remarkable.” 

“Well, in that case,” Nerys starts, though her smile seems forced, “I give you my blessing if that’s why you’re here.”

Julian laughs. “No! I want you to perform the ceremony. Though I am happy that you approve.”

“She’s already said yes?” Nerys asks, raising an eyebrow.

Julian smiles a bit sheepishly and says, “not just yet, but I’m confident!” 

She looks at him, exasperated and amused. “If she says yes, then, of course, I will.” 

Julian is practically walking on air for the rest of his shift, cheerfully blazing through bodily fluids and unhappy parents and research. He’s booked Ezri’s favorite holoprogram of a hike on Trill and asked Quark to pack a picnic with her favorite spring wine. He knows he’s vibrating by the end of his shift. Julian had come close to proposing once, with Palis on Earth, and he had planned it. 

But this is different, adult. 

He’s still lightly whistling when he realizes that he hasn’t talked to Miles today. Even though his shift is technically over, he jumps into his office in the infirmary and pulls up Miles O’Brien on the comm. 

“Julian?” Miles asks, a bit groggy. Oops, Julian forgot to consider the time difference in his excitement. 

“Miles! Sorry to wake you, I just… You know how I mentioned I was proposing to Ezri last week?” 

“Yes?” Miles says, a bit suspicious. 

“Well! That day has come; it’s today! I was hoping you could wish me luck.” 

Miles rubs his eyes but smiles. “I’m happy for you, Julian. Now, if you could save your good news for a time o’ day that isn’t the middle of the night, I’d also appreciate that.” 

Julian chuckles, letting Miles’ rough voice coast over him. “Sorry again. I’ll let you know what happens after dinner. Sleep well.” 

“Blood–” Then Miles stops suddenly and shakes himself. “Julian, really. I am happy for you. You’ve been lonely a long time, and Ezri’s a good girl. You could do a lot worse.” 

“Not sure I could do better, actually,” Julian replies, feeling quite warm. 

Miles chuckles at that. “Damn straight. Now, good luck! Once more unto the breach, and all that.” 

Julian shakes his head fondly and cuts the line. He looks at the time and sees he has just enough to get ready and meet her at the holosuite, which he does. He forcibly keeps down his anxiety and levels his pulse. 

He idly wonders how people without control over their nervous system manage to do this without fainting. 

“--And then Lieutenant Perfect tells me that I’ve misfiled my form,” Ezri continues as she leads him up the path. “It's not my fault that a genetically modified super genius designed the filing system for the medical department!” 

“Complaining about the boss?” Julian asks playfully. “I’ll have you know that my filing system is the envy of all. Just last month, Dr. Crusher visited and was in awe. Asked me to walk her through my file naming conventions.” 

Ezri rolls her eyes. “She only did that because she feels bad about sleeping with you when she was your medical ethics professor.” 

Julian huffs. “Unfair! You only know that because I told Jadzia!” 

Ezri’s face crinkles sweetly as she laughs at him, and Julian lets the sound fill his mind. As they crest the hike's summit, Julian takes a deep breath. The stunning natural beauty of the Trill homeworld is spilling out all around them. It’s perfect. 

Slowly, he approaches Ezri, still facing the remarkable vista, and lowers himself onto one knee. He knows that this is a human marriage custom that Ezri will recognize, and she had mentioned previously that she did not want a traditional Trill proposal. 

“Julian!” She says, still gazing out. “Look at–” 

Her eyes go wide as she sees him kneeling there, a small velvet box in his hand. 

“Julian– are you?” 

“Ezri,” he starts after a deep breath. “I know this might seem quick, but I don’t know if I’ve ever felt this calm around another person in my entire life. You make me happy, and I would like to spend the rest of my life making you happy. So, Ezri Tigan Dax,” he makes sure to include her pre-joined last name, “will you–” 

“Yes!” She cries, flinging herself at him.

“Marry me?” He finishes with a laugh, wrapping an arm around her and inhaling deeply. 

“Oh, yes,” she replies. Her stunning blue eyes are awash with tears, and her smile is so bright that he thinks he just might match it. 

He carefully pulls the necklace out of the box, explaining, “you work a lot with your hands. I didn’t want it to get caught on anything.” 

“Oh, Julian,” she breathes, “it’s beautiful.” 

And Julian Bashir is confident, at that moment, that nothing could bring him down. 

—---

“What the hell do you mean?” Julian barks, not quite able to help but glare at Kira, who looks like she’s going to laugh. 

“I mean, you can’t get married, Julian. You already are married.” 

Julian looks frantically over at Ezri, whose face is frozen and unreadable. “Ezri, I swear, I have no clue what she is talking about.” 

“I mean, you’re–” 

“How can I possibly be married? You’d think I’d remember a little something like that, given my perfect memory.” 

“I guess not that perfect, Julian. Because you got married about two years ago.” 

“What?” Julian replies, even more baffled now. “On the station? To who?” 

Kira is fully chuckling now, but Ezri seems to have thawed. 

“Remember that one mission where you and Garak went to Alpha Sigma IV?” 

“Yes?” Julian answers cautiously. 

“Well, it appears you got married there.”

[heathersdesk]

https://exponentii.org/blog/the-hypocrisy-of-our-missionary-work-and-how-to-fix-it/

As a convert from a poor family full of mental illness and addiction, I say with my entire chest that the Church and its members are an essential part of why I didn't end up being a statistic of poverty, addiction, abuse, and incarceration.

I left my hometown on the East Coast (and by extension, my family) to go to school in Utah and later ended up moving to Idaho. I've spent more of my adult life away from my family than I've spent near them.

Let me poke a giant hole in the assertions that the Church is somehow solely responsible for destroying my relationships with my family. Because when two family members who desire to maintain contact across physical distance, they will do so. If they don't, there are other reasons for that which membership in the Church doesn't create.

Baptism and temple marriage weren't the reasons my relationships with my family were strained. All my church membership did was reveal the preexisting fractures that were already there, and would've existed regardless of whether I'd ever been baptized or not. I would've still moved away. I would've maintained the same separations from family members with whom I'm zero contact at this point. All the Church did was give me the options and resources to build that life for myself. The Church gave me what I needed to start over in a totally new place without family support. Which is great, because there was absolutely no reality in which my relationship with my family was ever going to be any different.

There was no version of my life with a happy extended family OP is describing, with enough mutual respect and restraint to have that kind of closeness. For that kind of closeness to exist, people on both ends of a relationship have to be willing to put in that work. If they wanted to, they would. If they didn't, it's because they didn't want to. And I can tell y'all from personal experience: if it's been decades and a family hasn't moved on from you're in a cult/you have a coffee pot, the fractures go deeper than that, no matter what anybody says.

I don't have children who can misinterpret and blame my personal and religious choices on missionaries. It wouldn't matter if I did because my branch didn't have missionaries. I joined the Church with the support of church members who found me, taught me the discussions, and baptized me because it was what I wanted and they were the only ones available. The idea that missionaries walk around bumping into walls and causing generational trauma? That's attributing way too much of what a family's dynamic already is on innocent bystanders who don't have the power or support necessary to force anyone to do anything.

AND FOR THE LOVE OF GOD—no, not God. Women. For the love of women and their bodily autonomy, can we stop advocating for the Church to get involved in the US's broken healthcare system by forming their own hospitals and medical clinics? Any unmarried woman who has had BYU's insurance and health care can tell you why that's a bad idea. Enough women already have their access to medication and treatment curtailed in the name of "religious freedom." The doctors at BYU's student health center already don't bother diagnosing or treating conditions like PCOS because hormone therapy (i.e. birth control) is part of the treatment for it. Nobody needs more of the same, which is exactly what would happen if they took church-sponsored health care on the road.