#or VERY anti dr pepper

[redpenship]

10 bloggers you'd like to know better challenge/prompt. tagged by @comphetkoncass <333 (ty ty ily)

last song: supernova by aespa

favorite color: light/pale pink

last book: last fiction book ive read is moon of the crusted snow by waubgeshig rice and the last non-fiction book ive read is how states think: the rationality of foreign policy by jj mearsheimer. not his best book but not a terrible read either!

last movie: i think it might be the wild robot. i thought the bit where all the animals were forced to get along was really stupid, also very noncredible depictions of a moose. 2/5.

last tv show: house md! recently finished the penguin and im also caught up with arcane

sweet/savory/spicy: savoury for sure, unless it's crêpes in which case sweet every time. i dont understand people who put ham and cheese or whatever in those like at that point just eat a sandwich or a burrito.

relationship status: with my gf for almost a year!

last thing I searched: "how to do accent circumflex on mac keyboard". otherwise i just spent a lot of time looking up articles about warfare in video games for a research paper proposal. i want to write about WMDs in sonic but there are so few game studies about anti-war themes in video games that i'm struggling and will need to use less direct sources.

current obsession: always thinking about my wip. am i writing it? well...

looking forward to: graduating university

bonus topics

favorite drink: double gin and tonic. i also raise you chugging half a wine cooler and then filling it up with like 5 shots of vodka, but im banned from doing that now. i also love sangria and jaeger bombs. non alc is DR. PEPPER

song playing on a loop in your head: in my bag by flo and glorilla.

current favorite character: im not the kind of person who really obsesses over characters, but ive been loving knuckles a lot lately so maybe him.

fun activity you would like to get into: im easing back into it but higher level DDR/pump it up

last video game: overwatch. im cracked at dva

last comic/graphic novel: im behind on DC and havent read any manga lately so probably IDW sonic.

tagging (no pressure tho fr): @onesecretperson @khalewren @dreaminginmysoup @rooftop--runner @whisper-and-tangle @dablaanash @lunapegasus @teemdark @the-avr-dude @hishighnesstheprincess

[st0rmyskies]

Stormbae! Who among the boys is/will go gray prematurely, and how will they cope? -- Oddi 🍄

I love the creative asks y'all have in a given day!

Four is going to go first, probably. No thanks to this fucking household. He's going to hide his hairline behind his headband and just keep working, all up until Shadow says something about it one night. Four is going to snark right back at him and act like he isn't affected. Then he's going to knock on Legend's door three days later and threaten him with who-knows-what blackmail to not tell a SOUL that he's asking for advice on how to use boxed hair dye.

Legend will start getting gray hairs early, too, but only 2-3 at a time. He will ignore all warnings about "pull one and seven grow in its place" or whatever. And he will only ever get 2-3 at a time, that only he or maybe Hyrule will notice.

Dr. Rulie will ABSOLUTELY be going gray next, and he's going to get a nice little salt-n-pepper side burn action going on. It's only going to improve his clinical cred, and make him an even bigger hit at the nurse's station at work. Might make Legend feel Some Kinda Way, himself.

Wind is going to have thinning hair way before he realizes he's going gray. He's going to have some very early thinning in the front that's going to give him a bit of a panic, and it's going to take a Warriors intervention to prevent him from doing something stupid and permanently-altering to try and address it. Just perk up your diet, dude, and maybe try some of these expensive beauty products...

Speaking of, Warriors.

Warriors.

I probably have to write this, actually. The day that he discovers his first gray hair is when Time opens his bathroom door to find Warriors kneeling on the vanity next to the sink and nearly in tears as he's holding down the hair on either side of his part and scrutinizing the single wiry gray he's found. Yes he's confirmed it's attached, yes it's the first one he's seen, and no he is not okay!!! At least someone can make use of all the anti-gray products Wars kept buying for Time and Time never gave enough of a shit to use. When Time realizes that Warriors is quite serious about this little crisis - Wars is supposed to be the catch, the trophy husband, etc. - he's going to do his best to assure Wars that it doesn't change how he feels about him. Warriors will always be the biggest thorn in Time's side.

I imagine that Twilight will go gray at a very respectable age, Champion will get a few stray grays that just blend in with his blonde no problem, Sky is going to get a little sexy salt-and-pepper after his and Sun's second child of four, and Time is already going gray, lbr.

Shadow will never appear gray, he dyes his hair too often. Damn scene kid.

Although Dark's face will never age, he will start going gray about ten years later than Time does. He'll go from raven black to brilliant silver-white nearly overnight, and it's going to look unfairly good on the man.

[elspethdixon]

I'm a newbie to the Stony fandom by way of the MCU and was told the Resurrectionverse was one of my first must reads. Is there anything I should know going in that I wouldn't because I don't know the comics well?

That’s a complicated question. I’m going to post a short version that just lists major differences from the MCU and a long version that’s a summary of the comics backstory.

Short version: RR&R is a fixit fic for the 616 comics version of Civil War (and a previous event called Disassembled). The two biggest and most important differences between MCU and 616 Civil War are:

1) In the comics, Steve and Tony are much closer friends then they ever were in the movies/have been close friends for a decade, and

2) Instead of an international set of “accords” about superhero activity, the Civil War conflict is about the American government wanting to make every superpowered person join a registry and be subject to government oversight (this is thousands-to-millions of people rather than a few dozen because the comics also include mutants/the X-Men, and “Mutant Registration” is a political goal that anti-mutant conservatives in the comics have wanted for decades, we know from various X-Men storylines where people come back in time from alternate futures that in timelines where it’s implemented it often leads to very bad dystopian things), with Steve on the “fuck this idea and fuck you”/tear the system down side and Tony on the “if we cooperate maybe it won’t be as bad”/try to reform the corrupt system from within side. Bucky Barnes/the Winter Soldier has nothing to do with it. Also the conflict ends with Steve surrendering and then getting publicly assassinated by bad guys.

Other important differences:

Spider-Man is an early-20s adult who is married to MJ.

Tony Stark is about twenty years younger/the same age as Steve and is less of a manic-depressive quippy maverick and more of a clinically depressed control freak (who has never been romantically involved with Pepper). In the past he struggled with severe alcoholism and is now sober in the “I never drink alcohol ever” way.

Nick Fury is a white guy with a completely different backstory and personality from MCU Fury (and there was never an Agent Coulson, his right hand man is a guy named Dugan).

Hank Pym and Jan Van Dyne/Ant-Man and the Wasp were two of the original Avengers and are in their 30s with zero children (Hope doesn’t exist). Hank canonically has bipolar disorder and in the past has done both crazy mad scientist things and shitty relationship-destroying things while manic.

Luke Cage is married to Jessica Jones and they have a kid. There is a character named Spiderwoman/Jessica Drew. She is a physically enhanced former ninja who has nothing to do with Spider-Man.

Dr. Strange was involved in the whole Civil War thing on Steve’s/the anti-Registration side. The anti-Registration Avengers are crashing at his house (instead of in Wakanda) when the story starts.

Clint was never part of SHIELD and has a totally different backstory (he’s not in the first fic for reasons of temporary deadness but appears in the sequels).

Thor and the Asgardians are supernatural being/possibly actual deities rather than aliens. Thor was briefly dead during the whole registration fight but got better.

Jarvis is a human rather than an AI.

Sam Wilson/the Falcon has a pet bird that he’s psychically soul bonded to.

Bucky did not kill T’Challa’s father and T’Challa is not significantly involved in the Civil War conflict beyond glaring disapprovingly at it from Wakanda.

Wanda Maximoff/the Scarlet Witch is a mutant and one of Magneto’s kids. Prior to the whole Civil War thing she disastrously lost control of her powers and went crazy, destroying the Avengers’ headquarters and killing Vision and Clint (she later brings Clint back via those same powers). At the start of the story she is MIA.

[oscarribeiro]

Basic Information

Full Name: Oscar Ribeiro

Age: 29

Date of Birth: June 19th

Hometown: Georgia

Current Location: Haus of Perses

Ethnicity: Caucasian

Nationality: American-Brazilian

Gender: CIS Male

Pronouns: He/him

Orientation: Gay

Religion: None

Political Affiliation: Left leaning

Occupation: Nurse

Language(s) Spoken: English, Spanish

Physical Appearance

Face Claim: Rafael Silva

Hair Colour: Black

Eye Colour: brown

Height: 6′2″

Weight: 180 lbs

Build: Athletic

Clothing Style: Casual

Favourites

Weather: Summer

Colour: Green

Music genre: He likes a little bit of everything, he can’t pick just one.

Sport: Rugby

Alcohol: Tequila, vodka.

Soft drink: Dr. Pepper

Food: Korean barbeque

Animal: Dogs

Sexual

Kinks: Rimming, Rough sex, worship, face-fucking, dirty talk.

Anti-kinks: Scat, extreme BDSM, Fisting, bloodplay.

Position: Versatile

Penis size: 8.5 inches

Family

Father: Roberto Ribeiro

Mother: Julie Ribeiro

Sibling(s): Amy Ribeiro (deceased)

Children: None

Family’s Financial Status: Lower middle class

Character Name: Oscar Ribeiro Character Age: 29 Character FC: Rafael Silva Reason for applying as staff: Oscar was recommended to Perses by a friend of his and he needed a change and to get away from his life, so it was the perfect place for him Kinks:  Anti Kinks: Scat, extreme BDSM, Fisting, bloodplay. Biography:

Oscar is a 29-year-old nurse practitioner, he’s only recently started working at the Haus of Perses.  

He grew up in a very poor neighbourhood in the deep south after immigrating from a small city in Brazil with his parents and younger sister when he was 6 years old to seek treatment for his sisters cancer, she was entered into an experimental treatment and was in remission within the year. Oscar’s parents decided to stay in the states to give their children a better chance in life.

 When Oscar was 16, his sisters cancer returned in full force and sadly this time, no matter what treatment they tried, there was no cure this time and she died within the year, it was the life event that made Oscar want to go into a career in medicine, to help and save people that were just like his sister.

When he turned 18, Oscar moved to California where he went to San Diego State University for nursing, on the first day there, he met the man who would become his future husband. Once he had finished school, he moved to the city of San Francisco, he was with his partner for 7 years before he found out he had been cheating on him with a co-work, who he left Oscar for. Despite the pain it caused him, Oscar still believes it was the happiest he had ever been.

When he and his husband split up, Oscar went to work with doctors without borders for two years, because he felt lost, he was in his mid-twenties, recently divorced, and had no idea where his career was going, so he wanted something different, to get away from San Francisco and everything that happened there. When he returned back to California, he knew he needed a change and to get away from the craziness of his life, that’s when he was recommended to Perses by a friend of his who had worked there, so he knew always straight away that it was the perfect place for him, so he packed up his life after getting the job and moved there and he hasn’t looked back since.

[fenixfoxtrot510]

Antis would march into a strip club.

Order a soda pop.

Rant angrily for an hour about how they hate all alcohol and naked people. That people that pay money to get a lap dance are child molesters.

Then explode in a supernova of rage if one of the regulars told they that they could go to the juice bar across the street or the corner store at the end of the block if they hate strip clubs so much.

They would then run out screaming about the fires of hell and promising to call the cops on everyone in that strip club despite the fact that no crimes were committed.

Then the Antis would immediately go back to the strip club the very next night for another Dr. Pepper.

[christianamor]

Basic Information

Full Name: Christian Amor

Age: 23

Date of Birth: June 19th

Hometown: Majorca, Spain

Current Location: Haus of Perses

Ethnicity: Caucasian

Nationality: Spanish

Gender: CIS Male

Pronouns: He/him

Orientation: Pansexual

Religion: None

Political Affiliation: Left leaning

Occupation: Dancer/stripper

Language(s) Spoken: English, Spanish, French

Physical Appearance

Face Claim: Manu Rios

Hair Colour: Dirty brown

Eye Colour: green

Height: 5′10″

Weight: 144 lbs

Build: Athletic

Clothing Style: Casual

Favourites

Weather: Summer

Colour: Green & purple

Music genre: He likes a little bit of everything, he can’t pick just one.

Sport: Soccer

Alcohol: Tequila, vodka.

Soft drink: Dr. Pepper

Food: Korean barbeque

Animal: Dogs

Sexual

Kinks: Rimming, Rough sex, worship, face-fucking, dirty talk.

Anti-kinks: Scat, extreme BDSM, Fisting, bloodplay.

Position: Versatile

Penis size: 7 inches

Family

Father: Juan Amor

Mother: Julie Amor

Sibling(s): None

Children: None

Family’s Financial Status: Upper class, his family is very wealthy

Christian was born in Majorca, Spain to a famous soccer player father and famous supermodel mother, so he grew up going to fashion shows, movie premieres and soccer games and he hated it for as long as he could remember, he hated being the child of famous parents and constantly being in the limelight, the only thing that took him out of was music, he loved singing and he was damn good at it, he was a master at the piano and guitar. So when he had the chance to go to Julliard in America, he jamp at the chance.

Unfortunately Juilliard wasn’t everything Christian had dreamed it would be and dropped out after his first year. He had no idea what he was going to do next, where his life was going to lead, that’s when his friend told him about Haus of Perses, where he also worked, being paid to work around hot men and the sun all day, every day? It sounded like a dream come true, so he applied to be a stripper/dancer at Sapphire strip club and to his joy, he got the job. So he moved to the Haus without thinking twice, even though his parents still believe he’s at Julliard.

[official-denmark]

Sorry for tagging people who already reblogged/were tagged.

@totally-official-gmail @totally-amazon @pizza-hut-official @spotify-official @truly-jcjenson

@bigbasket-notreally @discorddotcum-official @homedepot @im-pandora-i-promise @femboy-totally-bing

@kahoot-official @100percent-shell-oil @assistant-to-the-shell @truly-bath-and-body-works @definitely-tiktok-trust

@unofficially-joann-fabric @its-sanrio-official @the-real-gmail @apple-unofficial @jack-in-the-box-official

@official-arbys @officialtinder @realgoogleslides @reallytimhortons @officially-ikea

@claires-unofficial @barnes-and-noble-official @realgoogleclassroom @real-sephora @pizza-hut-unofficial

@google-news-official @totally-official-gmail @bingle-official @basically-bumble @def-bjs-guys

@official-opera-gx @official-firefox-nightly @the-mcdonalds @realgoogledocs @mcdonalds-official

@totally-bing @operagxreal @official-fedex @firehouse-subs-fr @k-f-c-official

@the-real-google @totally-ikea @taco-bell-unofficial @spotify-kids-real @the-real-victorias-secret

@subway-official @big-mayo-official @realsafari @incognito-mode-official @burgerking-official

@definitely-wikipedia @the-one-and-only-pornhub @the-one-and-only-duckduckgo @its-target-official @yes-im-youtube-kids

@walmart-the-official @duothelingo @firefox-official @femboy-hooters-real @fedex-official

@yamaha-official @youtubefr @actually-x @reality-official

@femboy-google-news-official @50percent-shell-oil @yahooo-official @totally-airbus @the-official-spirit-airlines

@100percent-chipotle @unofficialvine

@totally-brazil @totally-italy @very-real-australia @the-province-of-nova-scotia-real @official-new-zealand

@russia-totallyofficial @quebec-official @india-official @india-reblogs @telangana-official

@denmark-official @pakistan-official @definitely-brasil @non-tyrannical-usa @antarcitica-official

@spain-unofficial @definitely-canada @france-unofficial @the-state-of-georgia-official @official-denmark

@denmark-forreal @official-ireland @texas-real @massachusetts-official @new-york-for-real

@definitelytherepublicofireland @true-blue-straya @totally-germany @official-the-united-states @totally-france

@forever-scotland @germany-official @sovereign-state-of-alaska @guatemala-official @republic-of-molossia

@actually-alberta @the-principality-of-sealand @totally-oregon @yugoslavia-official

@the-chill-planet-uranus @the-serene-moon-luna @earth-fan @deimos-moon-of-terror @officially-capricorn

@the-radiant-sun @the-ringed-planet-saturn @the-red-planet-mars @the-real-uranus @celestial-same-picverse

@officially-taurus @the-lovely-planet-earth @posts-with-10000-notes-in-spirit @i-hesitantly-say-ok

@i-say-not-ok @i-say-ok @the-us-navy-offical

@woo-in-different-lengths @official-garlic-bread @shakespeare-official-reblogs @gimmick-thief @hold-my-dr-pepper

@oscar-wilde-official-account @the-real-illinois @i-say-grape @the-kingdom-of-norway @denmarklandia-official

@i-say-bean @sweden-official @antarcitica-official @gimmick-nose-thief @gimmick-thief-thief

@tamil-nadu-official @tamilnadu-official @anti-totally-bing @antiquitian-empire @rocks-anon

@tagswoman @actual-aspec-military @pansexual-spaceforce @the-aplatonic-cavalry @the-pointing-anon

@bi-poly-space-station @bisexual-airforce @aro-sp-ace-force @nonbinary-coastguard @demi-demolitions

@queer-military-authorities @queer-military-treasury @the-missiles-guy @the-official-goose-god @the-official-gemini

@actual-transgender-navy @genderfluid-marine-corp @real-australian-army @real-hottopic

@same-pic-of-venus-everyday @same-pic-of-the-earth-everyday @same-pic-of-the-moon-everyday @same-pic-of-mars-everyday @same-pic-of-jupiter-everyday

@same-pic-of-saturn-everyday @the-real-uranus @same-pic-of-neptune-everyday @steve-not-anon @metal-frisbee

@earth-fan @not-10-salmon-in-a-png @same-pic-of-halleys-comet @same-pic-of-callisto-everyday @same-pic-of-eris-everyday @same-pic-of-kepler-186f-everyday

@same-pic-of-haumea-everyday @same-image-of-7-iris @book-nonsie-not-anon @celestial-same-picverse @same-pic-of-pluto-everyday

@same-pic-of-juno-everyday @same-pic-of-polaris-everyday @tomblrmartian @same-pic-of-a-blackhole-everyday @same-pic-of-the-stars-everyday

@alpha-centauri-everyday @same-cosmic-cliffs-pic-every-day @rose-nebula-always @same-pic-of-makemake-everyday @same-picture-of-europa

@same-pic-of-the-lagoon-nebula @star-that-eats-the-sun @jupiter-fan

@same-pic-of-triton-everyday @pq-anon @same-pic-of-ceres-everyday @same-pic-of-wolftopia-everyday

@same-pic-of-mars-everyday @same-pic-of-tres2b-everyday @samepicofthewowsignaleveryday @same-pic-of-the-blue-moon @same-image-of-hr8799e-every-day

@samepictureofsednadaily @moon-of-fear-phobos @totally-neptune-official @corvus-the-constellation @official-nissan

@hollowknight-reference @microsoft-edge-official @arethosewordsinthebible @the-gimmick-doctor @i-say-doot-doot

@i-say-ok @discord-marriage-bot-real

Tumblr adding polls was the best thing because it doesn’t matter what you’re asking, tumblr users LOVE sharing their opinions. You could ask something wildly abstract like “What cardinal direction do you associate with the person you reblogged this from?” and by the end of the day it’ll have 20k notes and there’s probably some kind of discourse happening in the replies.

[lindsaywesker]

Good morning! I hope you slept well and feel rested? Currently sitting at my desk, in my study, attired only in my blue towelling robe, enjoying my first cuppa of the day. Welcome to Too Much Information Tuesday.

Psychopaths tend not to procrastinate.

Ecstasy was patented in 1913 as a diet pill.

Alcohol helps you speak foreign languages better.

Most of your depression is caused by over-thinking.

Walmart loses an estimated $3 billion every year to theft.

Approximately 101 boys have been named Severus since 2010.

The Romans brought the practice of armpit-hair removal to Britain.

Fake people have an image to maintain. Real people just don't care.

50% of Internet users will quit waiting for a video to load after 10 seconds.

A 10-second kiss can pass on 80 million bacteria. (But kiss me anyway!)

‘Sausage guitar’ is urban slang for air guitar played on a stretched-out penis.

Most Brits have said, "I love you" to three or fewer people. (Knew I wasn’t normal!)

A correctly fitted sports bra can improve a female athlete’s performance by up to 7%.

A YouGov survey found that 35% of Britons say they are just too tired to lead a healthier lifestyle.

Actors in ancient Rome often held a low social status, similar to that of slaves and prostitutes.

There's a reason you always have room for dessert, your stomach expands in contact with sugar.

Penetration parties are events where safecracking enthusiasts meet to practice and refine their craft.

HBO's 'Succession' hires wealth consultants, who advise the writers and crew on how the very wealthy live.

Most of the problems in your life are due to two reasons: you act without thinking, or think without acting.

Just over half a century ago, marrying someone of a different race was still a criminal act in 16 states across the US.

Psychology says: You don’t really need someone to complete you. You only need someone to accept you completely.

Most people aren't actually anti-social. They choose to be alone because they hate spending time with stupid people.

The happier you are, the less sleep you require to function in everyday life. Sadness increases the urge to sleep more.

In 1850, a cult gave 600 acres in Pennsylvania to God. It was later repossessed by the state because God did not pay his taxes.

In 2020, Mathdaniel Squirrel won Name of the Year, beating Courvoisier Dingle, Beanbag Amerika and mathematician Dr. Reason Machete.

Despite Guinness beer's strong association with Ireland, Nigeria is actually the second-largest consumer of Guinness worldwide, surpassed only by the UK.

Texas A&M University offers a comprehensive course on Texas Barbecue, covering its history, cooking techniques, diverse flavorings, seasonings, and various BBQ types.

On July 11th, 1979, NASA's first space station, Skylab, crashed to earth, scattering debris across Western Australia. A local council issued NASA a $400 fine for littering.

The Beatles’ album ‘Rubber Soul’ inspired the Beach Boys to write the album ‘Pet Sounds’, which in turn inspired the Beatles to write ‘Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’.

Death rates drop during economic downturns. People drive less and get into fewer accidents, leading to cleaner air. People also have less money to spend on cigarettes and alcohol.

It is possible to be allergic to orgasms. Sufferers of postorgasmic illness syndrome (mostly men) experience flu-like symptoms after orgasming. Scientists believe it may be caused by an allergy to one's own semen.

In 1979, a woman named Elvita Adams attempted to commit suicide by jumping off the Empire State Building. She jumped from the 86th floor, but was blown back onto the 85th by a strong gust of wind. She survived.

According to a recent Russian law, it’s only ‘champagne’ if it is produced in Russia. Otherwise — and even if it comes from the Champagne region of France — it’s just ‘sparkling wine’. (Copyright infringement.)

There was a rumour, perpetuated by Pentagon tour guides, that a hotdog stand in the middle of the courtyard lead to the Pentagon’s most top-secret meeting room and the USSR never had any fewer than two missiles aimed at it.

Around the 4th century BC, an ancient Greek prostitute named Phryne dodged a death sentence by baring her breasts to an all-male jury, asserting that it would be sacrilegious to destroy something so divinely beautiful. (I suspect some of my mates could get away with murder!)

Okay, that’s enough information for one day. Have a tremendous and tumultuous Tuesday! I love you all.

[aoshihugs]

how about i suggest a mix of a AND b tabito's default flirting is the being mean kind and yet he still can't handle any affection. like imagine after him being so annoying ur actually nice to him and he's like ?!?!?!?!2 starts reevaluates his whole life

WAIT YEAHHHHH THATS SO CUTE WTF

hold on okay so i’m Thinking rn. having Thoughts. hear me out.

not proof-read!! probs ooc!!

more karasu brainrot bc we hate him (no we don't (yes we do))

⤿ 'x reader' content, extremely self-indulgent sorry lmao

❥ okay so if we’re being specific here, if he has a crush, he’s not the type to, say, close your computer in the middle of you working, or steal your pencils, or any of that shidou type behavior lmao

❥ he's more the type to steal some of your food at lunch, poke you to get your attention, pretend to give you something just to keep moving it away from your hand, and verbally provoke you

❥ yet, except for the poking, he doesn't really make much physical contact

❥ not even the type to use you as an armrest if you're shorter than him, nor the type to give those lowkey aggressive side hugs (like how he grabbed nagi at that computer cafe in the shibuya intermission)

❥ but the teasing is never mean enough to actually hurt, just some surface-level "this mf is so annoying" kinda-mean, yk? it's clear that he doesn't actually harbor any malicious intent, he just enjoys your frustration

❥ what if. what if, one time, you were being kinda-mean back, as one does. what if, when you went to elbow him after he said some dumb shit, he paused for a second — a very brief split second — before continuing his regularly scheduled program? and what if you noticed that?

❥ it's nothing major, obviously. dude just didn't expect you to elbow him. understandable.

❥ hear me out again.

❥ what if, y'all were walking together (bc again, you're not really enemies, you're just kinda-friends) and he was doing that annoying thing (that isn’t attractive irl pls don’t do this) where he would pretend to hand you your phone but pull it away every time you reached for it? what if you, tired of his bs, shoved him a bit in retaliation? not a violent shove, of course, just enough to get the point across

❥ what if he paused a little longer this time? well, karasu doesn't know how to handle you being that close to him, which is why he keeps a distance in the first place

❥ (but you don’t need to know that)

❥ he probably stares a little, probably noticeably wide-eyed

❥ but that shows "weakness" and karasu ain't about that life! not when there's a good chance you might call him out on it and embarrass him further!! absolutely not!!

❥ so, unfortunately, he's quick to try to brush it off and shove you back

❥ too late tho! you noticed him get flustered! whether you call him out on it right then and there is for you to decide

❥ building on the kinda-friends thing, sometimes it gets boring constantly picking on your friends, yk? they're still your friends, and sometimes you want to remind them that you still value their existence, even just a little

❥ because let's be real, you don't actually hate karasu, he's just easy to pick on sorry not sorry it's true lmao

❥ what if, on one of those days when you're feeling especially nice, y'all go over to a vending machine and you ask which flavor soda he wants as you punch in the code for yours? casually, of course.

❥ wouldn't want to be too nice to that asshat

❥ and have him think you like him? you? like karasu?? nahhhh

❥ simp

❥ (same)

❥ internally, dude is freaking out. you're offering to buy him something?? wtf?? like yeah he's down for a free drink but what if this is this some sort of ploy to make him owe you a favor in return? why are you being nice to him all of a sudden??

❥ he'd ask that last one aloud (after giving you his order, which he definitely didn't just stutter on. nope. no way.), but in that kinda-mean way, because, yk. wouldn't wanna seem too hopeful now

❥ or too rude, he wouldn’t want you to actually feel bad for offering kindness

❥ honesty is the best policy! you could go the rational route and simply reply that you were feeling nice today, or you could play coy after hearing his accusatory tone and hit him with the classic "why not?"

❥ either one is still an arrow straight to his heart, poor guy is down bad bad

❥ he seriously didn't expect you to have pure intentions so out-of-the-blue like that

❥ visibly flustered this time — figures he should accept it but isn't quite sure how to handle the fact that you're being genuinely nice right now, to him

❥ while you're turned around grabbing his drink, dude is sweating i–

❥ probably looking at you with unmasked surprise: wide-eyed and "blinking incredulously," one might say. thank god you're not looking at him right now. take your time please, he needs a minute to recover

❥ his cheeks and ears are definitely still pink once you turn to hand him his "Black Cherry Mountain Dew Kickstart" (ew), and definitely turn red if you smile at him

❥ probably stops breathing for a sec, honestly

❥ CANNOT MAKE EYE CONTACT LMAOOOO LOSER

❥ tries to casually it’s not casual lol rub his face or something to hide how red he is, it is most certainly not helping, but very cute nonetheless

❥ could mmmaaaayybe offer a curt "th-thanks" in return, still looking away, still very flustered, but is likely too tongue-tied to speak

❥ if you're the type to play coy, please please don't DO ask him if he’s okay

❥ he literally won't answer you lmao

❥ walks away??? without a proper thank you??? ask him if you can get a thank you

❥ he offers a "THANKS" yelled back at you, not bothering to turn around

❥ ears are still most definitely red, and he's walking faster than usual

❥ you're not clueless. you know what's going on. he knows that you know what's going on. you know that he knows that you know what's going on.

❥ it's up to you to chase after him and see how far you can push him, or let it go and play the long game until he caves and finally commits to making a move on you

❥ bit of a cat-and-mouse dynamic introduced to your relationship

❥ either way, you should definitely start being spontaneously nice to him more often

❥ he’s cute! but don’t tell him that

❥ or do, he’d probably be too flustered to retaliate anyways

[odinsblog]

“Not content with fearmongering about vaccines and medicine as a whole, Medical Racism also subtly implies that Black people simply do not need vaccines. We are told that Black people have a very powerful immune system and that vaccines overstimulate it. Besides, vitamin D, the movie claims, is a potent solution for COVID-19, one that is being suppressed. And the kicker is when an African gynecologist tells us that, with regards to viral infections, “Africa has been protected by our interactions with environment. And we are, actually, quite immune to some of these things, and I say this as a doctor! COVID does not belong to Africa.” The through line is clear: the coronavirus, the movie harmfully argues, is no threat to Black people. The real menace are the vaccines.

It is clear to me, from watching Medical Racism and being familiar with Kennedy’s campaign against vaccines, that this is not about medical atrocities committed against Black people. This is propaganda. This is the stomach-churning exploitation of historical abuse and contemporary failings, peppered with falsehoods, to convince a marginalized audience already at increased risk for COVID-19 that safe and effective vaccines are poisonous.

A real empathic appeal for dialogue on this issue would look like what Drs. Sandra Quinn and Michele Andrasik recently published in The New England Journal of Medicine. Kennedy’s Medical Racism by comparison is crass, manipulative miseducation.”

—The Anti-Vaccine Propaganda of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. (Or how an environmental lawyer led a crusade against vaccines and spread lies to marginalized communities)

[strawwritesfic]

Thor Odinson x Female!Snapped!Reader: Together

Summary: A bittersweet ending is better than no ending at all.

Requested Prompt: Endgame-compliant; loss+reunion; established relationship

Rating/Warnings/Tags: T (bad language; Depressed!Thor; Depressed!Thor not used for comedy; Depressed!Thor is loved; Natasha gets a funeral; generally anti-Endgame as was written; snapped!Reader; Avenger!Reader; referenced Natasha & Reader friendship; referenced Steve & Bucky & Sam friendship; referenced Clint/Laura; referenced Scott/Hope; Avengers Tower; not Spider-man: Homecoming compliant)

Together

How strange it felt to find yourself in a world familiar with going on without you. How strange it felt, even, to sit in a place that belonged to you after Thanos blew so much to ashes. You had spent many of your days and nights in this very kitchen long ago. Your private floor in the old Avengers Tower showed very little evidence of your five-year absence beyond that removed when you uprooted to the New Jersey facility of your own accord.

Tony’s designs specifically for you remained in place; dusty photographs of you with the estranged half of the team remained pinned to the fridge. These little bits of your life you’d chosen to part with were all that remained now of who you once had been. None of it belonged to you anymore—not the photos, not the personal touches, not the life.

The ringing silence in the tower made that more obvious than ever. Most of its occupants had either left for home, or, in the case of those that could call this home, were on their own floors, entrenched in grief.

You didn’t know why you had bothered coming here. No, that was a lie. Pepper had invited you, and, if you were being fully honest with yourself, you had thought he might be here waiting for you. He wasn’t. Even after you made the horrible trek to your best friend’s floor to retrieve what few things she had left there, even after you found each and every artifact of your own that reminded you of her, he didn’t show up.

Tears filled your eyes so thoroughly that they obscured the image that you held in one hand. The lack of lighting, natural or otherwise, didn’t help. You knew well what that image was: You and a beautiful redhead smiling together after the Battle of New York. At the time, that had seemed like the worse you would ever experience. How naive you’d been. She’d always told you that, too. Your hand trembled so badly at this thought that you dropped the photo into the pile below. Then you let out a tremendous wail and buried your head in your arms.

“Dammit, Clint!”

He should have been there. They all should have been there. You weren’t saying they should have been there for you, though that would have been nice. What you were saying was that Natasha had died for them. Tony might have given up his life in the end, too, but there was a major difference there: He’d left a body behind.

Maybe that was it. Anyone could see that he needed a proper burial. Once those arrangements had been taken care of, all your former friends had left to their own reunions via Dr. Strange’s portal magic: Scott and Hope to California to see Cassie; Clint to his ranch to reunite with his family; Steve to who-knew-where with Sam and Bucky.

Which just left you to arrange Natasha’s service. Just you, because there had been no one waiting for you all those years that you’d been gone. You thought you had had someone, but after the dust settled, he disappeared without a word.

Sure, you could have thrown a fit. Demanded the rest of them stick around, take a seat, write something pretty down for God’s sake. But they all had loved ones waiting when you did not. She’d been your best friend anyway. So why the hell couldn’t you just force yourself to get the job done?

Someone knocked at the entrance to the kitchen behind you. Before you could so much as stiffen at this sudden unwanted intrusion, a deep voice said:

“[Name].”

The familiarity of that voice had you sitting up straight at once. Thank God he couldn’t see you in the state you were in from his position. Your grief was such that you hadn’t even registered the sound of the lift opening up in the hallway. You were not prepared to see him now.

“Thor?” you croaked. “Is that you?”

A long enough pause followed your question that you thought you must have started to imagine things. Then at last an answer came:

“Yes.”

No amount of wiping at your eyes would conceal your recent crying jag from him. Still you had to try. “I…I’m sorry. I’m not—I looked for you, after—after Tony…”

“I know.”

“You know.”

“Yes. I know.”

It used to be that any sign of tears on your part would spur Thor to do something—anything—to put an end to them. He would move mountains, perhaps literally, to make you smile. Even in your current position, you were aware enough to notice that he wasn’t trying anything now. No approach, no soft word of comfort. Just stony silence that seemed to go on for ages. An explanation for why wasn’t necessary either.

“Perhaps I should not so swiftly have left the scene of the battle,” he said hesitantly. “After all that has happened, I did not know how best to speak to you.”

A lump in your throat prevented you from informing him that any attempt to speak to you would have been preferable to his rapid disappearance. Whether he already knew this or felt he needed to go on because you said nothing, he continued:

“Much has changed since last we met. Much has changed.”

“Do you think I don’t already know that?” you asked, not entirely able to keep the bitterness from your voice.

“No. I did not mean to imply your ignorance. Of course you’ve already realized—”

“Pepper told me about New Asgard. Bruce mentioned Ragnarok. And Natasha…Natasha’s…” You couldn’t say it. The lump in your throat swelled out over your tongue as more water sprang into your eyes. It was a struggle for you add in a whisper, “and there’s someone else.”

Giving voice to this belief was the final straw for your frayed nerves. A day of endless grief on what otherwise should have been one of great celebration crashed over you with all the power of an enraged Hulk. No longer could you pretend. All you could manage was biting your lower lip so hard that it bled.

Unfortunately, this action did nothing to prevent the sobs from bursting out of your mouth. Of all the horrible things you’d learned that afternoon, none hurt so much as the knowledge that Thor had moved on. You had loved him. No. You loved him still. From your perspective, only a day had passed since Thanos stood between the two of you in Wakanda. For him, it had been five years.

Your shoulders shook as the tears cascaded down your cheeks. It wasn’t fair. You weren’t being fair to either of you. Thor wasn’t being fair himself, though. He remained so quiet again for so long that you thought he must have left rather than admit to your face that your unremembered death had brought an end to the most meaningful relationship you’d ever had. So convinced of this were you that you at last let go of your lip to allow full voice to your cries, only for Thor to pick that moment to say:

“I do not understand what you are saying.”

“It’s okay, Thor!”

As you shouted this, you twisted in your chair to look at him at last. The darkness, combined with your crying, made it impossible for you to make Thor out as anything more than a large, vague shape standing in the hall. You inhaled as deeply as you could before going on:

“I was gone for a long time. You had to move on. I’m not going to ask you to give me a second chance or to comfort me or anything like that.”

“You misunderstand me. Where you obtained any notion that I found someone else with which to share my love—or that I should even desire to find to find someone else—! No. There is no one else, [Name].”

“Then why won’t you come any closer?”

“Because while I have not taken another, things have changed. I have changed.”

“What does that mean?” you asked impatiently.

“It means that you have no reason to fear I ever stopped loving you, but that I have cause to believe you will stop loving me.”

“As though you could ever change in any way that could make me stop loving you.”

“You must hear me out. After I failed to destroy Thanos, I fell into even greater despair. Had I done what I ought to have done from the very start…”

Slowly, you rose from the table. The conversation had staunched your crying well enough that you could see your way across the tile floor and to the doorway. As you moved closer, however, Thor backed further into the shadows.

“You deserve better,” he said.

“There’s no one better than you,” you replied, drawing to a stop at the opening.

“If only you knew—”

“It doesn’t matter. Whatever happened, I don’t care, Thor. Just let me see you. Please.”

Perhaps it was your begging that finally convinced him. He froze in place while you stood where you had stopped, waiting, watching, praying that he was not about to flee from you forever. A minute or so later, he stepped into the kitchen.

You shuffled backward to allow him space. Thor moved slowly, as though he had to force himself to take every inch he captured. Finally he stood near enough that you could see him in full detail, and you realized: Things had changed. His hair had grown back. His beard was bigger and bushier. His new eye patch had disappeared.

A wordless cry broke free of your throat as you threw yourself at him. As always, he managed to catch and steady you with ease. Thor allowed you to cry into his neck after he’d settled you back on your feet, supporting your weight without any effort at all—but still he did not embrace you.

“Thor, what’s the matter?” you asked.

He carefully shifted you away from him once more. A grim expression came upon his face. “Do you not see?”

“See what?”

“How I have changed, and not for the better.”

“So your beard got a little janky.” You huffed. “So what? You’ve had a lot on your mind lately.”

“No. Look lower.”

You did. ‘What am I supposed to be seeing?“

"There is no point in soothing my ego. I have neglected to care for myself since you passed, [Name]. I confess that I did not see any reason to do so. I have gained weight, let myself go—and you are just as beautiful as ever.”

Your eyes snapped up meet his. For the first time since Tony had died, yours were entirely dry, and you could see the you felt grief in Thor’s expression. He really thought—

Before he could move, before he could think up one more argument about how you couldn’t be together, you stood on your toes, grasped the edges of his jaw in both hands, and kissed him on the mouth.

How long was that kiss? You couldn’t say. Time felt a lot more irrelevant than it once had. You might have kissed Thor for the same amount of time you’d been dead. No matter the answer, you were breathless when you broke away to say:

“I don’t give a damn what you look like.”

Thor’s brow furrowed. “You don’t?”

“No. I love you.” When you moved forward again, it was only to sling your arms over his broad shoulders so you could whisper in his ear, “I’m sorry I left you here like that.”

Another long pause followed your apology. You could hear nothing during that pause except for the current of electricity in the walls, your own breaths caressing the skin of Thor’s neck, and his steady heartbeat. This was it, you thought. If he walked away, you had to respect it. Newly resurrected people couldn’t just expect a single kiss to erase half a decade of grief.

The body between your arms shuddered once, as though a sudden blast of air conditioning had surged through the room. You screwed up your eyes, preparing to lose Thor forever—only for him to instead wrap his arms around you and press a kiss to the top of your head.

“There is nothing for you to apologize for,” he said huskily. “I should have been there sooner. I should have aimed for the head. I should have…”

“We could spend the rest of our lives going over what we should have done. It doesn’t matter anymore. It’s over. All I want from now on is to be with you as often as I can.”

You and Thor broke apart. As usual, the wide smile on his face was impossible for you not to return. Everything seemed like it was going to turn out all right, up until the point where his pleased expression twisted into a frown. He explained himself before giving you any opportunity to ask what was the matter.

“I am afraid that I’ve already booked passage on a ship for a distant galaxy. Believing that you would no longer have me, I had no desire to remain on earth. The notion still holds little allure for me.”

“So?” you asked, when he said nothing more.

“So…I will no longer be on this planet to spend time with you.”

“I got that part. So when do we leave?”

“We?”

“Yeah. We. I’m not letting you get away from me that easily. Does that ship of yours have room for one more?”

A second more of thinking elapsed before Thor got your hint. He beamed again, placed each of his hands on either side of your hips, and lifted you into the air for a quick spin. This moment of joy could not only be fanned higher by his answer:

“There will be room for you. I will ensure it. We leave as soon as the funeral is over and I can inform Valkyrie of her promotion to queen.”

Valkyrie. That sounded vaguely familiar. You also wondered exactly why Thor remained so eager to leave earth. Hopefully you’d have a long, long time for him to explain all the details later.

For the time being, you simply slipped your hand into one of his and said, “Thank you. But I hope you know we have to stay for two funerals…provided I can keep myself together long enough to plan Natasha’s on my own.”

“Not alone.” He took that hand and led you back to the table. “Not anymore.”

“Are you sure? Wouldn’t you rather go, I don’t know, visit all the other people that were gone?”

Thor kissed you on the cheek, then gently forced you into the waiting chair. “You are the one I longed for the most. Perhaps I did not know her so well as you did—but you will not have to do everything on your own. It would be an honor to aid you in memorializing Natasha. She was a brave warrior and a good friend until the end. We will do it,” he sat in the opposite chair, “together.”

Amazing what a little word like that could make you feel. No longer were you all alone in a massive world pulsing with love. You had an anchor—not just Thor, but all the others that had been apart from you for so long: Steve and Sam and Clint and Pepper and all the rest. If they could not yet face the gaping maw of Natasha’s death, at least you could. Thor sitting beside you—as he would for the rest of your new life—made even that task seem endurable.

[kapitaali]

It's not nicotine that's bad but all the additives

The tobacco plant, nicotiana tabacum, has been cultivated, chewed and smoked by the Native Americans since about 6000 B.C., possibly longer. For millennia, tobacco has been an important part of society, and used frequently for ceremonial and medicinal purposes. And yet today, we all know that cigarettes are responsible for hundreds of thousands of deaths every year in the US, as they are known to cause cancer, heart disease, lung problems, and more. They are expensive, and they are also heavily addictive- more so than cocaine and heroin.

One of the most active chemicals in tobacco is nicotine, which accounts for about 5% of the tobacco plant by volume. Nicotine is a naturally occurring liquid alkaloid, an organic compound made up of hydrogen, carbon, nitrogen and oxygen. One cigarette smoked has about 10 milligrams of nicotine in it.

Nicotine has a profound effect upon many systems of the body, including the brain and the adrenals. In light of the association between cigarette smoking and death, it is surprising that scientists have begun researching nicotine for its potential health benefits.

The Deadly Nightshade Family

Tobacco is a member of the deadly nightshade (or, belladonna) family of flowering plants, which also includes peppers, tomatoes, eggplants and potatoes. Throughout history, plants from the nightshade family hhave often been vilified or misused despite their medical benefits. This might be because plants in the nightshade family are filled with alkaloids that can have profound effects on the body.

Atropa Belladonna, also known as Deadly Nightshade, is one such plant that has offered medical and therapeutic benefits but can also be highly toxic, psychedelic and even lethal. Perhaps you remember the story on how Emperor Augustus of Rome was poisoned with belladonna by his wife? And yet, this poisonous plant has been used throughout history including in cosmetics and in herbal medicine as a pain reliever, muscle relaxer, anti-spasmodic, anti-inflammatory and to treat menstrual problems, peptic ulcer disease, and motion sickness throughout the 19th century. Currently, chemical derivatives from the plant are found in a host of medications including medications to dilate the eyes, anti-spasmodics, sedatives, and those for IBS symptoms.

Is Nicotine Harmful?

Conventional cigarettes bought and sold in the United States contain over 4,000 known chemicals including 69 known carcinogens such as radioactive polonium 210, formaldehyde, lead, benzene and arsenic. But where do these carcinogens come from? According to this report from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the radioactive material in the leaves of the tobacco plants grown in the US comes from the use of the phosphate fertilizers favored by the tobacco industry. As they spread phosphate fertilizers on the fields year after year, the levels of polonium 210 lead 210 rise and make their way into the tobacco plants. In other words…. According to the US government, it appears that the tobacco companies are to choosing to use cancer-causing radioactive methods to farm their tobacco.

But what if there was tobacco grown using different, cleaner methods? Would the nicotine still be harmful? Does nicotine itself cause cancer, or are cigarettes cancerous because tobacco plants are being poisoned with carcinogens? There does not appear to be an official government answer here. While US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) do label nicotine as a “toxic chemical,” they also note that “the information about nicotine as a carcinogen is inconclusive.”

One of the most respected researchers in the field, Dr. Paul Newhouse, Director of Vanderbilt University’s Center for Cognitive Medicine, argues that nicotine “seems very safe even in nonsmokers. In our studies we find it actually reduces blood pressure chronically. And there were no addiction or withdrawal problems, and nobody started smoking cigarettes. The risk of addiction to nicotine alone is virtually nil.” Tobacco has also been considered harmful because it is highly addictive, but whether nicotine has the same addictive potential remains unclear. According to Dr. Newhouse, “nicotine by itself isn’t very addictive at all… [it] seems to require assistance from other substances found in tobacco to get people hooked.”

But, like other members of the deadly nightshade family, nicotine can be dangerous in high doses, and it is possible to die from overdose although there is discrepancy about how much one would actually need to ingest, ranging from the historically traditional amount of 60 mg up to as high as 1000 mg subcutaneously.

Nicotine affects many systems in the body, including the brain, pituitary hormones, sex hormones, thyroid hormones and adrenal functioning. This is not necessarily a bad thing, which is where the question of the harms of nicotine gets confusing. One the one hand, nicotine stimulates the body to produce an abundance of adrenal hormones, which can in turn lead to insulin sensitivity and put some people at risk for type-2 diabetes and heart disease. On the other hand, nicotine can also help heal the brain by stimulating neurotransmitters that can induce growth in cognition, memory and learning.

The new research into the potential medical benefits of nicotine has certainly been gaining momentum and seems worthy of further exploration. Research has shown that nicotine can provide pain relief, grow new blood vessels, and help treat Parkinson’s Disease, Alzheimer’s Disease, depression, schizophrenia and address other mental and physical health problems:

Pain Relief

Nicotine is a stimulant, but it interestingly seems to have calming, relaxing effect on the body. According to the World Health Organization, nicotine has been reported to reduce anxiety and pain, and nicotine users report that it improves their moods, increases pleasure, reduces anger and alleviates stress. However, researchers are unsure if it is the nicotine that is really improving people’s moods pharmacologically, or if it is the psychological effect of smoking and the perception of coping and calming down while smoking.

In terms of pain relief, the results are a little bit more concrete. Nicotine increases the number of neurotransmitters available in the brain, and so in response to nicotine, your brain increases the numbers of endorphins it produces. Endorphins are described as the body’s “natural pain killer” and they actually have a very similar chemical structure to the hardcore opioid painkillers like morphine

Blood Vessel Growth

While we know that nicotine may put people at risk for type – 2 diabetes, scientists are now discovering that nicotine may lead to new therapies for people with type -1 diabetes. Specifically, a study performed at Stanford University found that nicotine boosts the growth of new blood vessels. Ironically, the researchers began the study seeking to prove that nicotine damages the blood vessels, but they discovered the opposite

This could be useful to type-1 diabetes patients, who can lose limbs when wounds develop gangrene thanks to poor circulation. A company called CoMentis is now undergoing human clinical trials to test the efficacy of a low-dose nicotine gel on type-1 diabetes patients with chronic diabetic ulcers.

Parkinson’s Disease

In 1966, Dr Harold Kahn, an epidemiologist at the National Institutes of Health, began investigating the healing potential of nicotine after studying health data and noticing the statistical aberration that nonsmokers were at least three times more likely than smokers to die from Parkinson’s Disease. Why? Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system. Nicotine stimulates the release of dopamine in the brain, the key neurotransmitter that appears to deteriorate in Parkinson’s Disease patients. The release of dopamine in the striatum part of the brain aids with the control of movements, helping to alleviate the shaking and tremors often associated with PD.

While animal studies have been conducted and there are plenty of anecdotal reports from PD patients who use nicotine to ease their symptoms, the first human clinical trial for nicotine as a Parkinson’s Disease treatment is currently underway for 160 adults with PD, sponsored by the Michael J. Fox Foundation . A 2014 article in Discover Magazine argues that nicotine has the potential to be the new Parkinson’s Disease “wonder drug.”

Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer’s Disease is a degenerative brain disease that specifically affects memory, thinking and behavior. In America, 5 million adults over the age of 65 have Alzheimer’s, with a new person being diagnosed every 67 seconds. It also the 6th leading cause of death in the U.S. and 5th leading cause of death among people 65 and older. Nicotine, delivered either intravenously or subcutaneously, has been shown to improve cognitive tasks in people with Alzheimer’s disease, and even delay the onset of clinical dementia by reducing the rate of neurons lost in the brain.

Nicotine improves cognitive functioning by stimulating the release of neurotransmitters. In addition to dopamine, nicotine stimulates two very important neurotransmitters: Acetylcholine and glutamate. First, nicotine is chemically very similar to acetylcholine, meaning that it is able to bind with those receptors, and stimulate the neurons throughout the brain simultaneously. This creates heightened cholinergic pathways in the brain resulting in people feeling “re-energized.” Second, nicotine also stimulates the release of glutamate, a neurotransmitter that enhances connections between neurons and is involved in learning and memory.

In a double-blind 2012 study published in Neurology, 67 non-smoking older adults with MCI (Mild Cognitive Impairment, considered a median point between normal aging and dementia) were either given a 15 milligram nicotine patch per day or a placebo patch per day. After six months, adults who received the patch improved their age-adjusted ‘normal performance’ on long term memory tests by 46%, while the long-term memory test performance of the adults who did not receive the nicotine patch worsened by 26%.

Given the severity of Alzheimer’s and how traumatic it can be to see a loved one suffer from the disease, the notion that nicotine might be able to slow its progression and even reverse the cognitive decline associated with it could change many people’s lives.

Depression

Nicotine stimulates the activity of many neurotransmitters, which is why it can positively impact people suffering from depression and other mental health issues. Nicotine triggers the release of serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine, all of which are implicated in depression. Nicotine may work by repairing the balance of these chemicals in the brain and facilitating their transfer between cells.

Interestingly, people with psychiatric problems purchase nearly half of all of the cigarettes in America, and the incidence is especially high among people with depression and schizophrenia. According to Dr. Ed Levin, nicotine researcher at Duke University, it is entirely possible that people with psychiatric problems are more likely to smoke because they are actually self-medicating with nicotine. In in 2012 alone, 16 million adults had at least one major depressive episode, meaning we are potentially talking about a huge population of self-medicating smokers.

At Duke University in 2006, 11 adults with depression were randomly assigned to wear either a nicotine patch or a placebo patch for eight days. Participants answered a 20-item questionnaire called the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale to measure their depression scores before and after wearing the patch for the duration of the study. Scores on the depression scale were reduced significantly in participants who wore the nicotine patch, but there was no change in those who wore the placebo. Researchers concluded that despite the small sample size, nicotine therapy was significantly associated with reduced depression.

Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a chronic, severe and disabling psychiatric brain disorder affecting about 1% of adults in the United States. In a large-scale study of 1,139 male patients with schizophrenia in China, smoking cigarettes was found to be consistently and significantly associated with reduced negative symptoms of schizophrenia.The same study also showed that men with schizophrenia were twice as likely as men without schizophrenia to smoke cigarettes.

Transdermal nicotine patches have also been shown to improve cognitive functioning in schizophrenic patients who do not smoke cigarettes.

Other Potential Therapeutic Benefits

Preliminary research has also supported the notion that subcutaneous nicotine can help to rectify the chemical imbalances implicated ADHD , and help control the involuntary muscle ticks associated with Tourette’s Syndrome. Researchers are also investigating if nicotine can help reduce ‘brain fog’ in patients who receive chemotherapy, if it can help to boost cognitive functioning in adults with Downs Syndrome, and if it can slow the cognitive decline of people with HIV.

New Alternatives to Smoking Cigarettes

Despite the promising benefits of using nicotine for a variety of therapeutic uses, scientists, doctors and researchers in the field are NOT encouraging their patients to smoke cigarettes! Remember, the tobacco in US cigarettes is farmed from irradiated fields and contains a number of known carcinogens. As Dr. Levin of Duke University said in 2007, “When we can give people their medicine in a form that doesn’t kill them, it will be real progress.”

People seeking to experience cognitive benefits of nicotine do have some healthier options than smoking cigarettes. While it all started with transdermal patch and nicotine gum in the 1990s, now there are a variety of drugs being developed exactly for this purpose by companies like Targecept and CoMentis, that will probably be brought to market in the next few years. There is also relatively new invention taking the world by storm, the electronic cigarette or vaporizer pen, which allows users to inhale a liquid mixture of nicotine, propylene glycol or glycerol, and flavorings. These devices contain a battery or USB-charged heating element that warms up to vaporize the liquid, which may look clear or like smoke but is actually water vapor.

Are Electronic Cigarettes Less Harmful Than Regular Cigarettes?

Millions of people across the world now use e-cigarettes, and while it is too soon for any longitudinal studies on their effects, many scientific studies published in the last few years suggest that vaporizing nicotine is much less harmful than smoking it in cigarettes. According to one 2013 study that analyzed nicotine vapors from 12 different brands, their level of toxicants was anywhere from 9 to 450 times lower than toxicants found in cigarette smoke. A 2014 literature review entitled Electronic Cigarettes: Fact and Fiction alleges that the toxicity of nicotine vapor is nowhere near that of cigarette smoke, noting that the concentration of toxins in most vapors is below 1/20th of the level of toxicity in cigarettes. While the propylene glycol used to make some nicotine liquids may be an irritant, its toxicity concentration is also low.

In spite of the data clearly showing that e-cigarettes offer a much less harmful form of nicotine delivery than smoking, many organizations (such as the Word Health Organization) have rushed to warn the public of the dangerous of e-cigarettes. Even the city where I reside, Boulder, CO has proposed a ban on the use of vaporized nicotine in centrally located public spaces. If enacted, this policy would fly in the face of a 2014 report published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health stating that “e-cigarettes, even when used in no-smoking areas, pose no discernable risk to bystanders.”  Boulder CO is known internationally as a mecca for health conscious living, so it seems counter-intuitive for the city to go against science and punish residents who opt for the healthier alternative for their nicotine consumption (*Update: The vaping ban was passed by Boulder City Council).

Bans on the public use of vaporized nicotine become especially problematic in light of the potentially profound benefits that nicotine may offer for many individuals who are suffering from debilitating mental and physical illnesses. Surely the pubic would want to embrace and support vaporized nicotine that does not harm bystanders but does help a citizen manage his Parkinson’s symptoms or treat her depression?

Nicotine Looks Like The Next Miracle Drug… But More Research Is Needed.

Quite simply, people can be resistant to change and scared of things they do not understand. We are so inundated with the reality that cigarettes kill that perhaps as a society we have been closed off to the notion that nicotine can heal. Again, this isn’t the first time a plant with healing properties has been vilified until science proved its medical benefits. Just think about the 5 million people suffering from Alzheimer’s and the 16 million plus people suffering from depression, not to mention millions more with a host of other conditions that might benefit from nicotine therapy. But is nicotine the next miracle drug? Before we can say yes, we need more longitudinal studies, more clinical trials with larger sample sizes, and more research to determine the best practices for dosing and delivering therapeutic nicotine.

source: https://themindunleashed.com/2014/10/nicotine-are-we-wrong.html

THE WAQJOBS NOW THINK NICOTINE IS GOOD FOR YOU BECAUSE THE GOVERNMENT SAYS IT IS BAD FOR YOU.

I agree and I encourage them ALL to begin chain-smoking like 70s grandparents. This will work out perfectly with their refusal to ever see another medical professional.

[deepfriedseagullfeet]

my anti! lore under the cut: 

1-4 (literally), male, or at least tries to be (he him), pansexual? 5’7” (jack)

i fucking HATE this guy.

basically, i wanted to make an antagonist that personally scared me/made me very upset. and my anti isn’t perfect by any means, but i do feel that he’s powerful enough to ruin the lives of the other 5 egos in his own special ways.

so canon comparisons, or at least the comparisons i can make, since we still dont know what anti is. i always saw anti as a parasite. a parasite that needs a host. thats why he’s always trying to possess jack, because he needs a body to do stuff in the physical world. and thats what happens in my lore!

when anti was created by jack, it was more of an accident, and jack hated anti. he would keep anti locked up in his own body before casting him out to die when he figured out how to separate them. none of the other egos knew that anti existed for awhile, EXCEPT FOR JACKIE, when he saw anti trying to fight for control, but jack gaslit him into thinking it was a hallucination, and all that is a conversation for another time.

so jack thought that anti was gone for good. until he came back. again and again. he would seize jack’s body for control, and jack would cast him out again. jackie and henrik didn’t know what was happening, until anti ended up possessing henrik out of desperation, which is when jack admitted that anti was something he created and wanted to kill all of them.

but the thing was, anti DIDNT want to kill them all, at least at the time. what anti wanted was family. what anti wanted was love. what anti wanted, was to have a body, a home, and he still loved jack, even after everything he put him through. and he was desperate to get it. and as jack created chase, he was realizing that anti wasn’t going to leave him and his creations alone, and so he decided to make anti a body. someone to love anti. someone to keep anti occupied so he would leave them all alone.

and as you might’ve guessed, that body, that somebody was jameson. jameson was hand-crafted, specifically for anti, and presented to him like a present. and uh, anti ended up taking jacks body anyways. he came back for jack, stabbing him in the back even though jack had AGREED with anti that if he made him a body, he wouldn’t do this. but he did, and he took jameson away.

i could go on and on about jameson and anti’s relationship. about how they had a metaphorical wedding, how the went from being awkward, scared kids to lovers, how anti gave into his anger and sadistic urges and ended up making jameson’s life hell. but this video would get VERY long so lets just keep the topic on anti.

essentially, he and jameson shared a house out in the woods and lived “normal” human lives. a big thing with anti, though, is that he became a psychiatrist. he was fascinated with humans, and wanted to dig into their heads. and so he studied up, and with some manipulation (and probably some murder) he wormed his way into the system and became a licensed therapist.

he did eventually get taken down by jackie as his grip on his situation spiraled out of his control, but for a good while, he enjoyed a life of being a white man with power in todays society.

so thats all the backstory. and yes, its a lot, and theres definitely more stuff that happens, but ill talk about that when they become relevant to the other egos.

now as for anti as a character. hes very naturally charming and clever, likeable almost. he likes watching tv with his husband, maybe indulging in a good beer or dr pepper. he also loves weapons and collects knives, while also illegally owning a gun. he likes to go out and hunt animals when hes bored. he likes hurting jameson when he’s bored, too. hes naturally sadistic and enjoys hurting others, manipulating everyone around him with his powers to keep that “hobby” of his quiet.

to put anti as simple as i can, he wants to be human so bad, he wants to live a human life, but he craves complete control so badly that he does anything he can to get it, and thats what makes him scary, abusive, manipulative, and the clear antagonist of the egos.

[getlitaesthetic]

The Four Horsemen

The long awaited OCs have arrived-- the Four Horsemen, heads of the other 4 colleges in Hell, and bringers of the End of Times. CEOs for every kind, of course.

Pestilence, known to the world in his current form as Dr. Roswell White. Many imagine he would live as a plague doctor, but in modern times such as these a mask is not necessary. In fact, that's exactly what he preaches as he spends his time spreading misinformation and anti-vax, anti-modern medicine rhetoric to the masses as a frequent and trusted professional speaker on many famous podcasts and news shows. His credentials are unparalleled which make him an incredible force to be reckoned with when arguing against his "science". Behind many shell companies however, he is also the CEO of a major pharmaceutical company that patents cures and life saving medications for the purpose of keeping them hidden or driving up the cost astronomically. He is warm and likeable, well-spoken and intelligent, easily able to manipulate the facts to his side without hesitation. In his human form Dr. White has salt and pepper hair and goatee, a slightly crooked nose with a small hump, and lovely grey-green eyes covered by a pair of glasses. He isn't physically imposing, and drives a large white truck. In his true form however, he is monstrous. A crown of thorns perches on top of a rotting, shifting body, thick blood and puss dripping from where it stabs into his mottled skin. His body is emaciated, jaw hanging off on one side, eyes sunken deep into the skull. In one hand he holds a bow, and rides upon a large white horse. This is the first of the horrors that will ride on the Apocalypse.

Followed, of course, by War. In their human form they appear as twins who look vastly different, but share one mind. The first is Bellona Martin, CEO of an oil company. She has deep brown skin and a beautiful afro of black hair. Tall and well-built, she is regarded as quite the fighter in addition to her work, where she brews unrest in world government while polluting the land. She is sharp and often gets her way through brute force and unending determination, but is incredibly well respected. The second is Chad Martin, a white blonde haired man straight out of every frat you've ever seen. Business major, of course. He sleazes his way through every interaction and ended up the CEO of a large bank chain. Find him drinking with every politician you know, hiding money, financing terrible things, and keeping countries under his thumb. The two share their dark brown eyes and every thought, operating as one creature in two places at any given moment. They each ride a cherry ride motorcycle. In their true form, they exist as one, a two headed beast with the horns of a bull, four arms and two tails, those same brown eyes piercing out. They ride a red horse, a great sword in each hand.

Close behind is Famine. Bubbly, energetic Euna Douglas, the girlboss CEO babe plucked out of your MLM-sorority nightmares, with long wavy brunette hair and brilliant blue eyes, she's on the cover of every magazine celebrating the accomplishments of women. What is her company, you ask? Great question! She's the owner of a charity with the goal of Ending World Hunger and Building a Better Tomorrow! Her motivational speeches are engaging and excite others to her cause by the droves. Such a shame no one has gotten a chance to take a close look at the books and see that nearly every penny disappears to "administrative costs" and lobbying. Euna encourages legislation that adds to food waste and makes healthy options as scarce and expensive as possible, stocking shelves with foods full of fillers and empty calories. She appears well put together, although you may find that when you shake her hand her skin feels very dry, and begins to suck the moisture from your body the longer you touch her. She is well perceived by the public and drives a small black convertible. To see her in true form is to witness a roiling sack of flesh that turns crops to dust as it passes. All food becomes ash at her touch, and she is blindfolded by a piece of thick black cloth. If you could remove it, you would see no eyes there at all, and no space where they would be. Instead, a second mouth sewn shut lives on the top of her face. She rides a black horse, carrying a shiny golden balance scale in her gnarled hand, nails grown long and curled making it impossible to pry from her grip.

Behind them all rides Death. I'm afraid there isn't terribly much to say about them. Known by many names throughout the world, spoken of in hushed tones in every culture of every era, they are often referred to simply as Mort in the below. Death exists only as a black hole in the world, absorbing all life it touches, appearing as a featureless shadow. It can possess human bodies but their shadow will still be in Death’s shape. They communicate telepathically and through gifting visions to those they speak with. Those possessed are not always aware of Death’s presence, as Mort can silently use their senses or give these visions to manipulate the surrounding world without acting on their own. These visions sometimes persist after Death has departed and can drive a creature to madness if they are not stopped. Death has no human form of their own, and neither does their steed, which appears as a pale, nearly translucent creature beneath them when they ride. In personality, Death is rather surprisingly positive, and loves the existence of life-- after all, without life, there is nothing there to die. Kind, and brutal, Death makes no exceptions to the rules, and may all of their power come down on you should you try to deceive them.

No images of Death currently exist.

[mdccanon]

Do you like Tony Stark? As a character?

TL;DR: Yeah, I love Tony.

I'm Team Cap because I'd rather live with the consequences of Steve's plan than to live with the reassurances of Tony's, but I understand Tony's perspective and don't dismiss him as a privileged billionaire. He was trying to save the whole ass world.

Tony is a perfectly written unlikeable character. It's a breath of fresh air, honestly. Because it makes it easy to write conflict for him. Superman being perfect, which just makes anyone against him look like a maniac, is not interesting. Tony being a complex and complicated character means you can write heroes, anti-heroes, anti-villains, or villains who can all equally dislike the main character of the MCU.

Tony is pretty much the perfect model for why comics exist: to be wish-fulfillment for 7-12-year-old kids. He's a naïve, insecure, smartass: a middle schooler in a grown man's body. Comic Tony is not a womanizer; he's a serial monogamous who thinks every woman he dates is his future wife--and thinks every man he befriends is his best friend. I'm grateful to the MCU for by-in-large capturing that. They COULD have done the usual Hollywood bullshit of having a different love interest every movie. But they didn't. I don't think younger people appreciate that Hollywood NEVER allows male leads to have the same actress co-star for an entire franchise like Pepper was with Tony. It was revolutionary.

Speaking of which, I am an equal opportunity shipper. It would be easier to name what ships I haven't enjoyed.

Like Dark Strange in What If...? and Multiverse of Madness, MCU Tony would have been a GREAT Iron Maniac, which is basically Tony as Doctor Doom. My friend I joke that Tony Stark is the main character and main antagonist of the MCU.

Comic Tony? Love him, too. 10/10. Keep fuckin' things up as you fix them, you're amazing. I would LOVE a graphic novel of Tony, Reed, Charles, and T'Challa JUST creating the Earth's Supreme Intellect. That's it. A journey to map the smartest minds on Earth into a supercomputer.

Here are four of my posts that go into GREAT detail about character and plot Tony Stark analysis:

Tony is a very well-written unlikeable character

Tony works best as naïve and What If Killmonger Saved Tony shows this

Pointing out the contrast between Steve and Tony that made Civil War happen, since people think Tony wearing AC/DC shirts meant he was a rebel

Why I'm Team Cap, but will always defend the choices Tony made

[kendrixtermina]

This is why he failed to give them meaning, & why the characters feel so bland, though that's a vicious circle.

If you have the characters react & have complex feelings about stuff, that would give them flavor, but it would also make the plot stuff feel like it has stakes.

This is a big part of what I mean when I say that Chibnall doesn't understand Spec Fic. He kinda tried to do this family story with Ryan and Graham but it always felt tacked on, like there's this weird separation between character time & plot time. He doesn't get than the phantastical stuff in Spec Fic is supposed to tie into the meaning. It's a means to create questions & feelings. Those things have to be interwoven.

Character is sidelined for plot and it isn't even good plot. Any attempt at theme is superficial oprah phrases that don't really tie into the story or even contradict it. It's a disconnected mess.

I mean the only way they have the MC react to their home being destroyed all over again is making another character tell us that she's being moody.

That's another thing, constant Show Don't Tell issues.

It's so egregious cause the previous showrunners, for all their differences, were ALL ABOUt characters, & making us emotional about phantastical events through the characters' emotions.

Any time a Dalek showed up in RTD's era, he showed everyone panicking, even the level-headed ppl, so their appearance had actual weight & you really buy that those pepper pots are dreadful.

Another excellent example is the scene where they find the unprocessed Ood & talk about their telepathic singing. It's a fairly fantastical thing how they're enslaved by imprisoning their big hive mind brain, but Donna's reaction makes it feel very real. Likewise Donna being needed to fix the end of the multiverse was meant to be an ironic contrast to her self-esteem issues.

Ppl cared about River meeting the Dr out of order because we saw her react to it, & also the obvious difference in her crass younger self. Note that nobody even says out loud "wow younger River is immature & impulsive", but it's shown through how she talks & reasons & her reckless actions in contrast to her more pragmatic older self.

As phantastical as the impossible girl thing was, it's function on an emotional/ character level was the fairly simple idea of having the Doctor owe someone a big debt & explore how he would act in that situation.

Martha didn't get magically transformed or anything, but since her big flaw/arc was about taking on too much responsibility for others (as established from the start when we see her playing family peacemaker) the plot still kept throwing her into situations that exascerbate this so that she would eventually reach a point of learning when to prioritize herself.

We would care a lot less about the sentient puddle from "The Pilot" if the one who got absorbed was some rando and not Bill's love interest who is trying to fullfil her promise but can't control her new powers yet.

In any good spec fic, plot phantastical elements & character are always connected.

& that's what fatally absent from Chibnall's writing, indeed the characters get tacked on traits for the sake of plot that are then never brought up again, like Graham turning revenge obsessed out of nowhere for one ep.

He doesn't even seem aware of things that should be defining moments. "Oh, Yaz accepted the 'we can't change history' thing right away, that's interesting, no one did that before, is it building up to characterizing her as more dutiful & order-aligned?" No. Chibnall just failed to realize that this is a decision that would characterize her. You never see her clash with a more 'chaotic' or anti-authoritarian character, for example.

Having a big group cast kind of makes it easier for you cause you can characterize them by having different contrasting reactions or "jobs", but that doesn't happen, they're just passively dragged from one contrived plot point to the next. Even the Doctor rarely takes proactive action other than recognizing the situation & expositioning it via technobabble. There's little conflict or contrast - No Rory telling the Doctor to stop bringing them in dangerous situations, no Nardole being like "hey shouldn't you be guarding the vault?!", no jack suggesting a more scoundrel-y strategy, no Rose or Donna objecting to a harsh or pragmatic course of action, no Clara taking charge or holding them to idealistic principles...

Are they passive or active? Intellectual or intuitive? Responsible or Reckless? Idealist or pragmatic? What's their "function" in the group? What is their arc? What made them? If you add them to a situation, what will they add to it?

Note how we can easily answer this for all previous new series companions (eg. Donna is the grounding & Common Sense, and her arc is about her inferiority complex), but "the fam" always does whatever is needed to move the plot forward or to prompt the exposition. They get some backstory or formative experiences but it only affects them when the authors remember or it's a one-off thing that's never brought up again. "Remember this guy has daddy issues? Remember that he's disabled?" just in the most basic, "hey that exists" way and always feeling tacked on rather than interwoven...

I guess Graham comes the closest to having a consistent response to things (He makes jokes and has an arthur dent, bilbo baggings type 'unfazed everyman / not-quite-soreluctant adventurer' vibe going), & it helps that the guy playing him is the one with enough skill/experience to carry a bad script, but it's still pretty unoriginal.

The first few episodes throw these characters first into mortal danger and then on an alien planet, and they don't react beyond stock phrases. ("Wow, alien planet mate!")

With Chibnall Who it often felt like information was conveyed purely on a factual level rather than an emotional one. We were told things so we'd know them. not so we'd feel them.