#she MAY be 21 physical wise but mentally? she's not at that age

[ink--theory]

currently prepping to tell her about internet safety and the like

[thewindencrestroyals]

New Header and Profile Picture of Her Majesty Queen Victoria II Through her Reign.

Her Majesty Queen Victoria II Through the years Starting with Her Majesty The First week of her Reign. Still in mourning of her late 'Papa' His Majesty King Edward III, She is usure about her Reign ahead and finding her footing as a Brand New Queen at the age of 21 whilst also dealing with the mental and physical toll of becoming 'The Queen of Windencrest'. The first years of Windecrests monarchs are vital, they are historically known to truly Make or Break a Monarch. Secondly we have Her Majesty as a more mature and confident Queen, comfortable in her Reign. She has been through a lot of trails and tribulations and has seen Great Monarchies fall around her. Her Majesty has remained strong and an icon of enourmous stability in times of global unrest such as wars and Revolts and made it through the hardest years of her Reign which have truly made Her Majesty, The Queen she is Today. Lasty we have Her Majesty in her current Era, an older woman but a strong and steadfast leader. Respectable, wise and knowleagable in the final years of her enourmously successful Reign. She is becoming ready to pass The Crown down to her Son HRH Albert, The Prince of Windenburg. She continues to be a beacon of stability and light for the great people of Windencrest and has earned her spot as 'The Longest Reigning Monarch in the World' and loved by all across The Globe coining her as ‘Queen Victoria The Great’.

Summary: this little photoshoot which i have redone to have the time accurate models is inspired by 'The Crown Season 6' poster of the 3 Queens throughout their reign. I wanted to sort of copycat it and not to blow my own trumpet but i think ive done pretty well lmao. i hope you enjoyed this little bit of lore and a little window into Her Majesties life! ive been having so much fun with this new tumblr recently however i may have to go on a hiatus a little bit, but fear not i will be active behind the scenes to answer questions and stuff. also how would you guys feel about me posting threads of just stories atm and when i can ill add in some photos for a visual reference because i have some stories already written out in my notes app on my phone and i think it wuld be pretty fun to share them for example 'The Diary of The Princess Victoria of Great Newcrest' which has a few entrys about her royal life as a princess before becoming Queen but also finding out she was going to become Queen at around 5 years old and meeting HM Prince Consort George for the first time and how their love came to be, i would also like to share their entire Royal Family Tree aswell which makes up of 23 Generations but also the sim models but maybe that can be something else i start. Anyways finally i hope youve enjoyed please like and reblog it helps me out so much :)

'God Save The Queen!'

[missnobodymadness]

I've been wanting to introduce Aisha here for a while but considering that my OC introductions never really go well I kept procrastinating...well, I decided that I have all the right to talk about my babies here and my mental health and enjoyment should always be more important than notes, so I am gonna be who I am today and do what I like even if no one is there to read it, so here is Aisha's introduction, along with some backstory that I already wrote for her profile on TH.

Introduction

“Whenever a scientist finds a cure to something, companies will take advantage of them and sell it to you for the price of your soul, lives weren’t meant to have a price tag, you can’t play God and decide who is gonna live based on who is wearing Prada and that’s what motivates me to keep fighting for a world where science and technology will become a right instead of a luxury” Name: Aisha Fraser (Aisha Fraser Stark after marriage) Meaning: Alive, Well Alias: Hell's Bane or 69676 Date of Birth: 9, May, 1987 Age: 21+ Zodiac: Taurus Gender: Female Pronouns: She/Her Orientation: Pansexual Species: Human (Modified) MBTI: ENFJ Status: Alive More posts about her: Aishamcuoc

Appearance

Height: 5'7" (170cm) Weight: 161lbs (73kg) Skin: White Eyes: Blue Hair: Ginger (Natural); Fiery red (After modifications) Scars/Birth marks/Tattoos: Freckles, a beauty spot on the side of her mouth and a tattoo with her lab name "69676" on the back of her neck, a few non important small scars from the experiments Special features: She has built-in real black wings that come out of a cavity on her back

Relationships

Biological Family

Mother: Unknown scottish woman Father: Unknown scottish man Siblings: None Partner: Tony Stark (Married) Children: Ryan, David, Nelson, Mathew ♰, Lennon ♰, Aron ♰, Henry ♰ and Morgan Other family: None

Other relationships:

Wonderland Circus family (Found Family, they are background OCs) Natasha Romanoff (Best Friend) Wade Wilson (Close Friend, they have some tea like two old ladies while being the most sassy bitches together everytime they meet 8) ) Sam Wilson (Annoying friend that she wants to kick) Bucky Barnes (Friend) Happy Hogan (Good friends, they eat hamburgers together while Tony is not watching, shhh) T'Challa (Good friend, mutual respect) Thor (Friends, he had a small crush on her when they met) Baron Zemo (One night stand lover) Peter Parker (Sees him as a son even thought she wishs she could kick his ass sometimes too) Nick Fury (Confidant)

Occupation & Abilities

Powers/Skills: Fire creation and manipulation, slightly physically stronger than an average human and has wings that allow her to fly, they are real wings and she avoids using them because they are a weakness to her Weaknesses: Her wings, her hair (it let's her enemies know when s he is hurt, her hair changes color according to her status, if she is hurt her red hair will turn into a greyish white, the amount of white hair tells you how badly hurt she is, for example, if she is dying, her hair will be fully white), close combat Equipment: She usually doesn't use anything other than technology, such as suits or technological tools that enhance her powers and skills Job: Science and engineering Affiliation: Avengers Former affiliation: Hydra (As an infiltrator)

Personality

Positive Traits

✔ Extremely intelligent ✔ Independent ✔ Social ✔ Wise ✔ Empathetic ✔ Hardworking

Negative Traits

X Insecure X  Sassy X  Clumsy X Perfectionist X  Forgetful X  Disobedient

Likes: Her family and friends, technology, science, politics, mutants, helping people Dislikes: Cheaters, injustice, hate crimes, mainly towards minorities, shallow and closed-minded people

Backstory

Aisha (Aka Hell’s Bane or 69676) is a very intelligent genetically modified human, she was sold to the organization Leviathan by her own parents, who had close ties to them, when she was only a few months old.

Leviathan is a secret european organization based in Scotland, they have an illegal and hidden laboratory in Portland, Oregon, USA, to where Aisha was sent.

Since then she has been used and modified by the organization, she was nothing more than a weapon in progress and her life was resumed to that for the first 20 years of her life, until the day she was able to escape, burning the laboratory down along with everyone in it, even the innocent ones.

Their project wasn’t completed yet, which means she is considered as an incomplete experiment. With the death of their leader and most important members, who were there when everything happened, the organization collapsed, only a few workers were left and most of them only wanted to go home as they were also victims.

Aisha went through a really hard time after that event, she felt lost and could barely communicate with people due to her lack of social skills, as a fast learner she was able to hunt for food and fend for herself, staying hidden at the Willamette national forest. Sometimes she would adventure into the city of Portland and try to interact, as time passed by Aisha finally learned some social skills.

It wouldn’t take long before she met her future first friends, they belonged to a travelling circus who was currently staying at the city, they were all extremely nice to her and made her feel welcome, some time later she had an idea that would change her life once again, she could use and control fire and a circus would be the perfect place for her to hide and go unnoticed, after all who would suspect she was actually creating and controlling the fire? She could always use a mask as well, no one would ever know who she was during her exhibitions. Maybe they would take her in and let her travel around with them?

Aisha started practicing a few tricks daily and once she finally felt ready, decided to show them what she was able to do and was successful in impressing them with her supposed talent, she got what she wanted, an invitation to join their circus and Aisha was totally ready for that wild trip!

Some months passed and she had learned so much about the world, finally feeling free and like herself for the first time, social skills weren’t a problem for her anymore, in fact, she found out she was quite the communicative type.

They had just arrived in New York, well, most precisely the suburbs, when Aisha found out about the Avengers, she was quite curious about them, mainly about the one named Tony Stark, she had this weird attraction to technology and couldn’t avoid her curiosity. Aisha got inspired and started to create her own cape and mask so she could hide her identity, tracking their activity the best way she could at the moment, she was able to help them whenever she saw they needed it really bad, Aisha had no fight skills but she surely could impress with her fire and wings, so she was quite useful to distract their opponents when everything seemed to be lost for the Avengers.

Eventually she never showed her face, but they could see her blue eyes through the mask, she became a mystery to them and she would always get away before they could even talk to her, until the day things were way more serious than she could’ve imagined and Aisha was knocked out while trying to helplessly help Sam and Natasha who were currently fighting alone, some minutes later Tony Stark showed up and they were able to overcome the situation, but Aisha was still out, they captured her and took her to the tower where she eventually woke up some time later, she had no idea where she was and started to freak out when she noticed she was literally locked inside that room, the Avengers couldn’t risk any danger.

Tony Stark couldn’t help himself, his curiosity was screaming, he needed to know more about what she was and why she helped them several times, Stark studied her for a few days, Aisha wasn’t happy, she didn’t fight for her freedom only to see it being taken away from her again, but she wasn’t dumb, she knew she couldn’t get away the way she did at the laboratory, the room was fireproof and she didn’t really want to hurt any of them either, so she allowed Tony to keep going with his studies and meanwhile they got to know each other a bit better, but what really caught his attention was her intelligence and apparent interest, maybe even passion, for technology and eventually they realized that keeping her locked in a room wasn’t necessary and was making her miserable, she wasn’t a threat at all and not having any stimulation was driving her intelligent mind crazy.

Aisha didn’t think twice before running away, her friends were probably very worried and looking for her and she needed to let them know what has happened and where she had been and so she spent some more time with them while they stayed at New York, however, on the last day at the city, Aisha started to feel very unsure if she really belonged there, she couldn’t even tell them who she really was, how would they understand? How would they take the news once they realize she has no talent and the fire was created by herself all this time? She loved them, they were her family, but did she really belong with them? She wanted to do great things, she wanted to learn a bit of everything and dedicate her life to what she truly loved: Technology.

She would never be able to do that with them, she would just perform fire tricks for the rest of her life, Aisha knew, deep down, that she didn’t belong and so, she decided to part with them and stay at the tower where she knew she was also welcome.

With all the technology on her side, Aisha decided to start her own research and projects, catching Tony’s attention once again who later offered her a place at his laboratory as his apprentice, she was happy to get such privilege and worked hard to impress him and he wasn’t disappointed and later she became an official S.H.I.E.L.D adviser.

Aisha started to be successful with her work and became really popular for her ideas and creations, getting the spotlight on several magazines and scientific journals, little did she know such popularity would turn into a big problem for her.

The spotlight made Hydra notice Aisha and lately find out about who and what she really was, targeting her, especially after Aisha was able to get into their database later on, they wanted her, she would be way more useful to them alive than dead and they knew exactly how to make her behave but they also knew it wouldn’t be easy to fool her, some force would certainly be needed, they also planned to finish what Leviathan had started.

Unfortunately for Hydra, Aisha was no idiot and after successfully escaping from their first try she had started to think of a plan just in case they’d be successful someday, she had read enough articles to know they weren’t gonna stop coming for her and by the time they were finally able to capture her she already had traced one, it wasn’t a easy one, Aisha knew she would need to sacrifice a lot for it and that they wouldn’t go easy on her, she had studied Hydra so well lately that she was pretty aware of how things would work there, she was terrified but she would not give up, she would fool and take advantage of them and they wouldn’t even realize that!

And Aisha did exactly that, she made them believe she was under their control while she gathered information and learned how to fight, they surely weren’t soft with her, but Aisha was used to the pain and she knew it was for a greater good, however, slowly she started to realize she would probably carry a few physical and psychological scars with her from her experience with Hydra.

Tony was the only one who she told about her plans and that also brought him some trouble with the Avengers, she had asked him to not look for her in case she was successfully but how would Tony make sure the rest of them wouldn’t try to rescue her? After all not rescuing her sounded extremely absurd to them.

Okay, this is enough spoiler for now, her story is REALLY long. :'D

Trivia

. Aisha has a very intelligent mind and is very prone to boredoom and frustration, as such, she is always in need of something to keep her stimulated. . Before running away from the Leviathan laboratory, she was learning a few useful languages so she could do her job properly, she learned german and russian with them. . Aisha has a very sassy and sarcastic nature and while some find it amusing, others may find it annoying, her nickname at the tower is actually "sassy pants" because of that. . She has black wings on her back, they come out through a big cavity that she has on her back, on both sides, that goes from the shoulder to her waist, her wings are extremely sensitive and she usually doesn't allow people to touch them. . Aisha is a feminist and when she finally gets famous and rich, she decides to build a safe place for women who are victims of domestic violence, she has helped many people to rebuild their lives, she loves people and wants them all to have the same chance she once had to rebuild hers.

Both artworks on here were made on Picrew. (1,2)

[thefaeriecreek]

Since I do a lot of shipping in my lore, I feel it's good to be upfront about the ages I'm depicting them as, since it seems my ideas differ from the common fandom headcanons?

Zelda 20 on the day of the Calamity. 23, (physically 123) in TOTK For my own comfort, as I'm uninterested in writing teen romance, I've aged up Zelda by three years. Her being a young adult doesn't change the story enough to matter. The Spring of Wisdom opens to those when they are of the age to be wise, so it just opens to those of 20 years old in my lore. (tbh 17 year olds are not wise, i know because i was 17 once.)

Link 20 during the Calamity, a few months older than Zelda 23, (physically 123) in TOTK

Revali 22 during the Calamity Idk, he's the embodiment of "I just hit my early 20s and I have EVERYTHING figured out and nobody knows more than me!!"

Mipha 120 during the Calamity, Mentally early 20s. She doesn't fall for Link until he's 19, during the Ploymus Mountain Lynel incident.

Impa 21 during The Calamity 121 in TOTK

I think that's all of the ship pertinent ones? I may add to this and change it over time, idk.

also these are just my headcanons, I'm not telling you this is how you should see these characters and it's okay if your ideas are different. At the end of the day none of our headcanons have the kiss of approval from Nintendo, so let's just have fun.

[ravetaper]

Capozzi EDC 2023 Cosmic Meadow Live Set

This is a 60-minute audio recording of Capozzi EDC 2023 Cosmic Meadow live set recorded on May 21, 2023, at Electric Daisy Carnival located at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The set began at 8:30 PM.

Rave Tapes · CAPOZZI EDC 2023 Cosmic Meadow Live Set

I've already commented extensively on Capozzi's set at the Allegiant Rave Hanger, which started 30 minutes after this set ended.

This set, was the big set. Cosmic Meadow is several times bigger than StereoBloom, the more intimate stage she played last year. An 8:30 pm Sunday set seemed ideal. I knew the early timeslot would mean Cosmic Meadow would be full but not packed. One can move and dance without feeling squished. And the grassy meadow makes dancing more pleasurable.

The set itself...I can't comment on it yet. I have to listen a few times.

It's really one of the reasons I record. In the moment, a lot of things can happen that interrupt one's concentration on the music. Gosh, where do I start?

First off, earplugs. Wise ravers protect their ears. I've lucked out. Despite listening for years to loud sound systems, I luckily escaped tinnitus and other hearing problems. But at a certain point in my middle age, I didn't want to push my luck any farther.

I finally found a set of earplugs that stay snug and cut just the right amount of volume. The fidelity is decent. But the fidelity is only decent. Here I am standing in front of a world class system and I'm hearing a muffled version of it. Having a recording to listen to after the fact allows me to enjoy the clarity I had to miss for my own protection.

Then, there are the internal, bodily struggles. EDC is an endurance test. If one isn't prepared - physically and mentally - one will inevitably end up sitting in a chill zone for hours, missing sets, leaving early, or missing the next day entirely. One struggles with thirst, needing to go to the bathroom, sleep deprivation, dehydration, extreme heat, sore muscles, aching feet, and so on. All these issues compounded by the pounding bass and intense lightshow can leave one dumbfounded. Just standing/swaying and keeping composure becomes a challenge. Is a person in that state really listening to the music? I know I float in and out of awareness when I'm in such a daze.

And then there's just the drama that goes hand-in-hand with festivals with 100+k attendees. One is bound to run into folks who aren't up to speed on the PLUR perspective. Some suffer from main character syndrome and don't realize how their behaviors impact those around them. Usually issues resolves themselves. Sometimes security or medical has to be called in. It sucks, but it's a fact of festival life.

Not to mention the drugs and alcohol that might be at play.

So, to be fully aware, fully present, and able to listen carefully to what the dj is doing...is not always possible.

Truth be told, I was a little distracted during part of Capozzi's set (another person was being unthoughtful). Nothing major, and it did get resolved quickly. And the incident was minimized by an outpouring of support and understanding by the surrounding crowd. But I felt I had missed part of a set I had greatly anticipated.

I take comfort knowing I got the bits. I got the signal. Now I can take my time. Now I can drink in the set at my own pace, and appreciate it the way it deserves be appreciated. No earplugs. No idiots causing trouble. Just me and a set of speakers (or earphones) with nothing in between.

I'm going to listen a few more times and decide if I want to write some commentary about it. Listening to it now in full, I can hear there are several tracks that overlap with her later set at Allegiant Rave Hanger. But there are several different tracks, too. So it's def not the same set. Like the rave hanger set, it sounds like she goes a little hard in the second half. And a little dark. This should be good!

Follow Capozzi on Instagram!

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Buy Capozzi music on Beatport!

[jellyfishxxi]

how would a vampire age mentally if they're not aging physically? they'd get life experience but they'd still have an undeveloped brain?

I couldn't say. It may have to do with experience though. For an example, take William. He was likely born somewhere in the 1500s, due to him being 500. And people then didn't live long, with the exception of Elizabeth I who was nearly 70. It's safe to assume he's physically young, not clear how young but I'd say in the early - mid 20s, and yet he acts like a wise elder, while someone like Vincent, who was turned when he was around 20-21 acts like it.

It's the same with Mary. The experiences she went through shaped her mind and developed it, though she didn't grow physically. She is physically 5 years old, yet she acts like a serious adult.

[snorlaxlovesme]

This is just uh. A thing. A long thing. I actually drafted it back in July during Pride Month but chickened out before I could post it. But then I discovered that Ace Week exists and what better time to rant about the quintessential Ace Experience(TM) amiright?

.

I’ve struggled to define my sexuality since I was like 17. I can remember me and some of my girl friends going to the mall and talking about boys. I was currently teetering around a relationship with one of our male friends and they asked me to define why I was attracted to him and I couldn’t. They didn’t really think anything of it, moved along in the conversation and said “well X isn’t my type, so I guess I wouldn’t get it.” But the conversation stuck with me.

1. Because I never really thought the idea of a “type” was real. I didn’t think people ACTUALLY arbitrarily decided who wasn’t worthy of their affection based on a random set of archetypes. I thought they were shallow for saying that about him. I thought it was a mean concept to not let someone be “your type.”

2. Not being able to identify what I DID find attractive about him was....off. Like sure, he looked fine, but tbh he looked like an average teenage white boy and I couldn’t really pick out a physical identifier that made me want him. That seemed like a bad thought to have about one’s significant other.

Needless to say, that non-relationship went nowhere and I eventually told him I wasn’t feeling it. I thought I just wasn’t mature enough for relationships yet.

At age 18 I had my first kiss. Another male friend of ours. Another relationship I’d been teetering around. I had told him multiple times that I didn’t like the idea of dating him so soon after I had broken things off with X. It felt weird, too soon, let’s hold off. But part of me also didn’t like the fact that I was 18 and had never been kissed. It wasn’t at the forethought of my mind all the time, but it lingered back there. Maybe it was because, puberty-wise, I was a late bloomer. Maybe it was because, in my friend group, I was always somehow dubbed “the innocent one.” I didn’t want to continue being late for every major marker in life, so when Y took me up on a hill at sunset and said “I’m going to kiss you now” I let him.

It was not what I thought it would be. All the magical descriptions of kisses in YA books were drastically over-selling the experience. The first one was nice enough, but I couldn’t help but thinking “this feels exactly like kissing a relative” and being a little relieved and little disappointment that the sensation was exactly the same. The second kiss was much worse because he put his tongue in my mouth and I quickly discovered I hateddd that.

I thought that maybe it was Y’s fault. I didn’t like him the way he liked me, so there was no magic. No spark. But also maybe I was just doing it wrong? He did kind of imply that I wasn’t the best kisser (god, how romantic) and so maybe the more we did it the more I would like it?

We went on one more date after that, and almost every time we made eye contact he tried to kiss me. It was horrible. I spent the better part of the day actively trying to not look at him because I didn’t know how to tell him I didn’t want to do it anymore. That seemed like a bad thought to have about one’s significant other.

Needless to say, it didn’t work out. I’d like to say I handled the situation as maturely as with X, but in reality I ghosted this kid for like 2.5 months and eventually sent him a facebook message saying I wasn’t feeling it. I figured I wasn’t mature enough for relationships yet.

College I had no time for relationships, or so I told myself. Maybe I didn’t have the mental capacity for them because I was too busy wishing I would get hit by a bus (higher education did not go great for someone with undiagnosed ADHD). I kind of assumed everyone also felt the same way, but people were coupling up around me left and right. Everyone had the same stressors I had, maybe even more so, and yet they had time to form new relationships and have noisy sex in the dorm room next to mine. I didn’t have time, though.

My roommate asked me in those first few years if maybe I was asexual. I actually got mad at her for even implying it. Asexuals were emotionless robots who were so repulsed by sex they didn’t even want to THINK about it. I talked about sex with my friends all the time! I masturbated when she wasn’t around like every other day! How dare she even insinuate that I might be one of those people. I just wasn’t ready to be in a relationship yet.

And sure, I’d been on tumblr for years at that point. I’d been relatively educated about the LGBT community and its various factions. But nothing about it screamed ME. All those people seemed to have the same shared experience of knowing who they were since forever, of experiencing some form of discrimination based on who they were. I had always been straight, right? And no one’s ever discriminated me for who I liked. 

It was weird, though. Getting older and hearing more and more people talking about sex and just like, NOT feeling the same way. Was talking to my friends in a group chat one day, and one of them was head over heels for one of her coworkers. Not in love, but I-wanna-rip-off-your-McDonald’s-uniform-and-fuck-you-right-here-in-the-break-room (do McD’s even have break rooms? whatever) lust. She’s like, “you know that electricity you feel when you’re next to someone you really, really like. where every time you get close to them you feel this MAGNETISM and your entire body feels hot--”

--and all I could think of was how that sounded EXACTLY how Bella described her feeling towards Edward in Twilight, and just how ridiculous it sounded. That’s some YA bullshit, that’s not real.

And then our other friend in the chat was like “yeah.”

Oh. Well I guess I just have a lower sex-drive than you guys. That’s whatever.

I didn’t really identify as asexual until I saw a post about an aspec identity called autochorissexuality. 

The term autochorissexual describes a subset of asexuality which is defined as: a disconnection between oneself and a sexual target/object of arousal; may involve sexual fantasies or arousal in response to erotica or pornography, but lacking any desire to be a participant in the sexual activities therein.

That...kinda sounded like me....

Like I said, I masturbated and all that jazz so I assumed I couldn’t be asexual. I literally loved orgasms. I read smut and watched porn to get off like I assumed the rest of the world did, not even really realizing that a lot of people...get off...thinking about people doing stuff....to THEM.

I do not think about people I know when I masturbate. It feels incredibly weird for them to pop up in any of my fantasies, and I kinda just assumed that meant I wasn’t attracted to any of them (which I’m not), so it was fine. It didn’t really occur to me that I literally NEVER fantasize about myself when I get off. If I read smut I’m thinking of the characters. If I watch porn I’m thinking of the actors. Never am I imagining someone hot and sexy doing hot and sexy things to me. I’m not even very good at getting off based on my imagination alone, unless I’m basically writing my own smut in my head and imagining what THEY enjoy. The thought of imagining things being done to ME feels weirdly...embarrassing? I don’t know. I don’t dig it, so I don’t think it. 

Again, it did NOT even occur to me that that might not be how other people operated.

I also didn’t know that asexuality COULD have subcategories like that, other than aromanticism, which was an identity I toyed with for a while and ultimately am still unsure about.

But learning that liking orgasms =/= allosexual was kind of a wake-up for me. 

After learning about autochorissexuality (which, while I am incredibly, infinitely grateful that someone coined that term so I could learn more about myself, I will never identify as because it is a mouthful and I honestly don’t know how to pronounce it), I began identifying as asexual. I was 21 at the time. I’m almost 26 now.

A couple people know. Mostly people who follow me on tumblr that I also know in real life. I never really had to “come out” to them per se because they saw my posts and rolled with it. Wasn’t a big deal. I think that I actually had a conversation and TOLD those friends in that group chat, but that didn’t feel like coming out, more like all of us finally coming to a realization about me we should have figured out a lot earlier. Also, they’re friends from tumblr, so they’re not the types to make a big deal out of that stuff either.

Even though I have a couple of tumblr friends that I skype with regularly, I don’t really bring it up in conversation that much. Like two of my irl friends (who, again, follow me on tumblr) know, and we don’t really talk about it much either. It’s there, we all know, but if I don’t bring it up, they don’t either.

I’ve never really “come out” before. Had to sit someone down and have the conversation. Part of me thinks it’s kind of pointless, because whether or not I’m sexually attracted to others isn’t any anyone else’s business, really. It doesn’t super impact my work life or my life with my friends or family, so why does it need to be said? If I decided I liked women and wanted to date one, that would be a big change that I’d have to address to someone. But me being asexual is just me continuing to not have sex with anyone, the way I always have. Seems like a weird thing to cause a fuss about.

But it’s part of me. And I want to talk about it sometimes. 

But I don’t even know how that conversation would go. Asexuality is a relatively invisible subset of the LGBTQIA+ community. Like, it’s the last letter, the one that often gets cut off. And when people do bring up the A, it’s for Ally. I’m not gonna get into the discussion about that, I don’t know enough queer history to form a hot take, but the point still stands that many people don’t know about asexuality. And while it seems relatively easy to explain, I guess--

”I don’t experience sexual attraction”

--it also feels way more complex than that. And I’m not very good at articulating why I’m NOT something else when I have a hard time identifying what that something even IS. I was the kid who thought having a “type” was shallow and mean! It didn’t occur to me that people’s sexual fantasies INCLUDE THEMSELVES AS PARTICIPANTS. So how do I explain my lack of attraction to people?

But maybe I’m being too reductive of the masses. Like, I’m not the brightest bulb in the bunch but *I* was able to learn what was asexuality was on my own. Who’s to say others haven’t? Maybe I won’t need to give an informative slideshow every time I come out to someone.

...But what if I’m wrong? What if I get into a relationship one day and I find myself INCREDIBLY attracted to my partner? What if I get into a relationship with a WOMAN one day and realize that I was les/bi/pan this whole time? I know that demisexuality exists, I know that sexuality is a spectrum and people are constantly learning about themselves and evolving. I don’t want to downplay that or..or...invalidate that. I know. But I’m an idiot. And I can’t help feeling that if I come out and commit to fun new adjective about myself and then all of a sudden that adjective doesn’t fit me anymore I’ll be labelled as fraud for forever and ever. 

I know that’s probably unlikely for the most part. But it’s still something that’s there in my mind that I feel every time I think about talking about it.

I don’t know. Part of me doesn’t know why I’m writing this post because there isn’t some grand conclusion to my narrative or sweeping answer to my problems. My story continues for as long as I live and maybe things will change and maybe they won’t. I’d like to be able to come out one day and say it. To my sisters. To my coworkers. To some random dude hitting on me who seems kind enough to understand there’s a reason I’m reluctant to flirt back. Probably not to my parents. I don’t know if I want to present the slideshow to them about my lack of sex life, nor do I think they would handle my act of vulnerability with grace or tact (boomers, y’know).

I guess I can end this post by saying that it’s not all bad. Not being “out” kinda sucks, but right now, knowing is enough. There are a hundred other micro situations from my past similar to the ones I spelled out above that made me wonder what was wrong with me. I wanted to be able to like someone the way other people did, to have a normal relationship, but I couldn’t force myself to do it and I didn’t know what was stopping me. The whole am I just broken�� conversation whirled through my head many a night in college when insomnia prevented me from sleeping and depression stopped me from giving myself a fucking break. It sucked, and maybe it’s a little grim to think of asexuality as a diagnosis to a lifetime of symptoms, but that’s kind of what it felt like.

And that’s not bad! Why? Because i know that I’m not alone and that this is NORMAL . Being asexual is not being broken! It’s something that many people identify with! And honestly that thought alone thrills me enough to make this whole ridiculous narrative worth it. There’s a whole world of people out there feeling the exact same way as me, and none of us are wrong for feeling that way. It is unreal the kind of confidence that gives you.

My friend from earlier, the one who desperately wanted to bang her co-worker, she said something to me the other day that struck me with how far I’ve come in terms of my identity. I was sobbing to her on the phone about a shitty thing in my life, as one does, and she pointed out how the strangest things will get to you while others don’t even have an effect. If someone mentions how I don’t have my drivers license at the ripe old age of 25 I legitimately have a breakdown on the phone with her about it, but if people make jokes about me being a virgin I don’t even bat an eye. 

And it IS weird. If someone would have made a virgin joke at me at age 20 I probably would have spiralled into one of my late-night, crying-into-my-pillow sessions about how much I fucking SUCK at being a human, but at age 25 it’s just...whatever. As someone who doesn’t experience sexual attraction, why WOULD I have had sex already? If I don’t seek it out, don’t want it, it’s not gonna be a part of my life, you know? And I don’t care. Past me, without this identifier, would have cared deeply. Current me could go her entire life without having sex and I don’t think it would drastically effect her mood. 

It’s weird how one little word can turn things around for you like that.

[vdragon-creations]

Sup!

I can't fucking sleep, so I'm just gunna ramble on a bit about my DR OC'S backstory! Think of this like my notes, so some of this is just shit that I'm coming up with on the fly. Sorta, I've had this shit on my mind a long time, so some of it is concrete. Also, like I said, I can't sleep and I'm really tired so consistency and grammar are non existent! Got it? Fucking good! Also still don't have a name for her yet, so my OC will just be called my OC in this!

My Oc grew up as the only daughter of a young couple, the father being a famous editor for a publishing company, and her mother was a stay at home mom! He mother did an amazing job taking care of the house, being an Ultimate Nanny. She loved her daughter with all her heart! But, there was only one small issue, she had some pretty bad depression. She was pretty good at keeping it hidden from everyone, except her daughter, who seemed to have the talent of empathy. Not only did the young one understand how she was feeling just by looking, listening, or talking to her, but it seemed like anytime she would touch her daughter, she would begin to show signs of distress. Like she was mirroring the emotional pain she was feeling a physical way. Because of this, her mother began to become distant, as she felt guilty for making her daughter feel this way.

Well, this wasn't the only thing making her distant, recently her husband had been coming home later and later, smelling like booze and getting angry at her for apparently no reason at all. He had been facing stress at work, and given his wife's mental state, he couldn't turn to her for much help. So, alcohol seemed to be the next best thing. Thier daughter, being an empath, couldn't help but become overwhelmed by all the arguments and negative emotions that she would hide as soon as her father came home, especially when she sensed him feeling violent.

One night, he came home so drunk and angry, he severely beat her mother, and then he tried going after her. Luckily, she was able to escape the house and ran to a neighbor to call for help.

After that, my OC'S life wasn't the same ever again. Countless interviews with counselors, adoption coordinators, psychologists, and doctors. She was fine and unharmed (physically anyhow) but her mother was a different story. Her mental issues had only deteriorated thanks to the abuse, and she was deemed no longer fit to raise her daughter.

During her days in school, my OC'S days were mostly spent being silent. Her empathic abilities only seemed to get stronger, and now, just a simple touch was all it took for her to lock onto a person's emotions and begin feeling them herself tenfold! Because of this, she became incredibly touch starved, she couldn't even get a hug, no matter how much she wanted one. She would just being crying so much that she'd become debated.

Because of this, her school began to get concerned and sent her to see a special counselor from the board of education in thier district. A remarkable woman who worked at Hope's Peak Academy, a Super High School Level Ultimate Therapist. After being told about this young ladies talent, she jumped at the opportunity to see her. It was remarkable, she empathic talents where definitely something amazing! And if trained and used wisely, they could be used to help so meny people!

So, she drew up to the papers, and legally adopted her. The woman told the school that she would be taking a few months out of school to try and work on helping the girl control her ability, and they agreed as long as promised not to bring her back untill then! And not a day sooner. She agreed, and just like that, they began to work together.

The girl began to see this woman as a teacher and a role model. Not only was she helping her not be such a crybaby, but she was also helping her learn how to help people with her talents! She would sometimes sit in the office with her while she would be talking to a student. And if the student began to show signs of lieing, or their emotions where hard to read, her teacher would ask her how the patient was feeling. And everytime, she was dead on!

This was nice, and by this time, she was 17 and had gotten quite the handle on her abilities. She still couldn't touch anyone, but she wasn't crying every five minutes either. So, she returned to school. This is when my OC ment a young man, a couple of years older then her, who was the member of a Biker Gang known as the Cyan Dragons! She didn't know why, but she was so intrigued by him. He looked so happy and he genuinely smiled so much it almost seemed unnatural. And for a man who looked to rough and mean, he was a gentleman. She began to hang out with him, go on rides, dates, and dispite her touchring him and starting to get overwhelmed with emotions, he was kind to her no matter what. They did everything together. They loved each other! She may not have been a member of the gang, but the men in the gang treated her like they're own. It was like....she had a family!

A few years went by and my OC got some fantastic news from her adoptive mother that Hope's Peak Academy was begging to have her attend school! She would get a free ride in on the condition that she help her adoptive mother with her counseling needs while there! She was so happy, and quickly told her boyfriend about it, and he was overjoyed! This was great, she was gunna finally get a chance to help others so that they didn't have to suffer like she or her mother did. Her and her boyfriend then made a pact, and the moment she graduated from Hope's Peak and became a counselor like she wanted, he would quit the gang, and start making a living so that they could start a family together. It would've been perfect!

It would've...

A year before she was supposed to start at Hope's Peak, he was killed in an accident. It was devastating. During the funeral, she was approached by meny of the members of his gang, and even one of the leaders from another gang they were affiliated with, The Crazy Diamonds, came to see her an pay thier respects. His name was Daiya, and they had a nice chat. During the conversation, she mentioned the pact she made with her boyfriend, and he perked up. He mentioned that his little brother was gunna be enrolled into Hope's Peak too. He looked her over from a moment and said that he hopes that she still plans on going, cause people like his little brother are gunna need her help.

My OC took his word to heart, and promised that she would continue that quest to help others. And with that, they parted ways.

A year later, she was finally in Hope's Peak! Sure, it was a bit weird being 21, and still be in High School, but she wasn't gunna let that bother her! Besides, it wasn't like she was held back because she was stupid are anything. And she wouldn't be the only one! After doing some research on the students her mother and her would be working with through the first year, she found that one of them was the same age, which made her feel a bit better.

WELL! That's all I got for now! Good morning, and Good Night!

[arigatouiris]

a bit of cheese killed nobody // steve rogers

Author’s Note: This was requested by @witch-of-letters, and I am so sorry for the delay! I hope you like this~ I did change it a bit where I gave her a backstory of how she became super, and mostly from a reader’s perspective to make it a tad bit more romantic. (Come on, we all like romance, right?)

Word count: 2716

Pairing: Steve Rogers x Stark! Reader

Warnings: Fluff, swearing, stark!reader, domestic Steve

Things have never been the same for you since before the battle of New York.

Your father, Tony Stark, was almost certain he was going to lose you. When Loki intercepted Clint and Selvig and turned them into his side, things worked differently with you. Selvig had informed how you were a graduate of MIT, one of the smartest people in the world rivalling Jane herself. Having been nominated for the Nobel Prize for Physics, you were exactly like your father when it came to intellect, but personality wise, you were a charm.

However, when Loki was informed that you would be a great help in his team, he tried to turn you as he had Clint and Selvig, but your mind didn’t let you. The stone in Loki’s scepter turned your body numb—there were no inputs or outputs, you were put under a coma that was slowly killing you from the inside. Because your mind had resisted the brainwashing, your body was also fighting back—or that was what was told to Tony.

You were a product of a love affair gone wrong, and yet, Tony had given you everything. Despite being merely 21 when he was given the responsibility of being a father, Tony had tried with you more than he had tried with anyone or anything else. You were there when he was being his irrational, playboy self, and you were there when he transitioned into a more serious individual. All through it however, he had been nothing short of a loving father.

Nevertheless, the experience scared him. After the battle of New York, when he saw you there, asleep in a coma no one knew you could come out of, Steve Rogers was the one who suggested something.

Injecting you with the super serum. It worked like a kickstart, which sometimes aided in bringing out responses needed to develop potentials required for inputs. With it, you may wake up. And even if the odds were not in his favor, Tony took that chance. It worked, but not in the way he had expected it to. You were clearly in a lot of pain, it had not worked on you as it had worked on Steve. You were screaming and wailing in pain, and it was Tony’s hand you were gripping through it all, as he worried and fretted over seeing you in pain.

In those aching moments, you could hear Steve Roger’s voice, strangely. He was talking to you, telling you to calm down, telling you nice things like how worried Tony was, how everyone was waiting for you on the other side, how you were being so brave. Words that almost didn’t make sense to you, but you listened.

When you came to, it was the first time you had seen your father cry. It was after that Tony became a bit too protective over you, resulting in a semi-fallout between the both of you. You continued training now, wanting to learn how to defend yourself better—and with the super soldier abilities, there were a great many changes in your body that you couldn’t quite understand. You had approached Steve, someone whose voice was all you heard through the painful stage of your coma, and asked him to train you.

    “I can’t, (y/n),” He said, shaking his head, “Tony wouldn’t like it.”

You were not a child. You were over 20 years of age, you had graduated from MIT as a topper, almost won a Nobel prize, you were not taking no for an answer.

You grabbed Steve by his arm and pushed him to the wall, before kicking him from below and forcing him to the ground. He looked stunned, but you were not done. You twisted his arm and turned him over before pushing him further into the ground. He could feel pain, but there was something that made him stop moving entirely.

    “Before I accidentally hurt someone who’s not a super soldier, I’d advise you to teach me how to control this, Captain.”

Your training with Steve helped both of you. Tony was not pleased with this as Steve had told him, since the Cap didn’t want to go behind your father’s back. However, there was no stopping you. The stubbornness was too much like him, he knew what would happen if he tried to enforce his decision on you. You were a genius like him, and if you rebelled, he knew you’d not make it easy.

Getting to know Steve made things confusing for you. You knew the man was old enough to be your grandfather, but he was frozen in time—he was asleep and hadn’t aged, so even if technically and biologically he was very old, Steve was mentally just close to 30. It wasn’t hard for you to develop quick feelings for him as the both of you trained, considering Steve was a gentleman and there was no need to even pretend to be anyone else with him.

    “That’ll be it for today.” He said, handing you a towel.

You took the towel from him and nodded, “Alright. Hope I didn’t tire you out, old man.”

Steve chuckled before stretching his arms, “Not even close, Stark. You need to work on your kicks.”

    “Oh?” You placed a leg on top of a stool and lunged, showcasing your leg to Steve as you stretched your leg muscles. “I’ll work on it.”

Steve looked away before sighing. He knew you were flirting with him, he knew you were interested in him—and what made it worse was that he was starting to feel the same. Natasha had already mentioned to him about asking you out, but it was him who declined. He couldn’t do that to Tony, he couldn’t do that to a friend. However, there were moments when this self-control became quite hard to resist.

    “Is there a reason why you’re holding back?” You asked, hitting the nail right where it hurt.

Steve looked at you with wide eyes before shaking his head, “What do you mean? I never hold back when we’re—”

    “Not when we’re fighting, Steve,” You said, coming to a standing position. You took two steps closer to Steve and folded your arms in front of your chest, “Otherwise.”

    “I don’t follow.” He said, not breaking eye contact.

    “Do you want me to explain it to you?” You asked, smirking at him, but noticed him tense his features.

    “(y/n),” He said, shaking his head. He loosened his shoulders, “I… I can’t. We can’t.”

Your eyes widened. So he did understand what you were trying to say. If he understood this, then it meant that he had thought of you along the same lines. You weren’t an idiot, you knew what was holding him back, you knew it was the whole tension with your father that made things confusing for him. And especially since his age was a problem factor for him. Your eyes softened as you approached him, but Steve held out a hand.

You pushed his hand aside and stepped closer, inches away from him. Steve looked at you before placing a hand on your shoulder, pushing you away slightly. He could see the hurt in your eyes, but there was no way he could allow himself to do this.

    “Steve,” You whispered, staring into his eyes, “Is it my father you’re worried about?”

Steve’s eyes did not leave yours. You could see the dilemma in the blue of his eyes, you could see how he was torn fighting with himself about this. You slowly reached forward and placed a hand on his cheek, before chuckling once.

    “You silly, silly man.” You said, leaning forward to peck him on his lips.

You could feel his tense shoulders, you could now feel his breathing increase. You knew he was uncomfortable, but not because you were doing something he didn’t want you to do. It was everything—Tony, you, the new century he was in, everything came into this.

Pushing you away slowly, “Tony—”

    “My father and I might not be on great terms right now but we love each other more than anything in the world. And if I choose you,” You pressed a pointed finger to Steve’s chest. “Then he will have to accept. And besides, you’re a true gentleman, Steve. You really have nothing to worry about. We can do this. As slowly and in the pace you want to go with. You decide. That is if you’ll have me, Captain.”

Steve placed both of his hands at the side of your face and pressed his forehead to yours. You could feel him take every bit of your breath away.

    “I love the way you call me Captain,” He said, kissing you squarely on the lips. You kissed back, wrapping your hands around his form, feeling his hands circle around you. After what felt like an hour, you pulled apart, to find Steve smiling at you, “It’ll always be you.”

*

Perhaps, the changing point of your life came when you had to choose between your father and Steve. You decided not to take part, to say goodbyes to both of them, since choosing one between both was impossible. You had reconciled with Tony after getting together with Steve. Though he was not happy with the decision you had made in finding your suitor, he was beyond pleased to know it was not some random douche from your college.

However, when your father and Steve had that fallout, things got tense. You had no clue where Steve had gone off to, it had been two years since you had last heard from him, but in your heart you knew you still loved him. You could not move on from Steve, you couldn’t even think of wanting anyone else as you had wanted him, and you were secretly hoping that he could come give you some sign that he was still out there, waiting for you, as you were for him.

It had been two years since your father and Steve had the fallout, Tony had gotten back together with Pepper and he was happy. Pepper was there for you when you told her you missed Steve, as she wasn’t too fond of the news of the fallout either. You were beyond happy that it was her that your father was in love with, and seeing them happy made you happy; but at the same time, it developed a hole in your heart as you always thought Steve.

You knew you loved him. You were going to tell him, you were going to tell him you loved him just before he realized Bucky was the Winter Soldier. So, you put it off. You put it off thinking you can tell him some other time, but it’s been two years and you didn’t have that chance.

It was 5 a.m. in the morning and you woke up from missing Steve. You went for a jog because you couldn’t stay indoors. There was literally no one on the street as you ran, but you felt a presence from behind you. You stopped and turned around and spotted none other than Steve, bearded and hair grown out, looking at you with disappointed eyes.

You wanted to hit him. You were angry enough to slap him, but you ran to him and hugged him because his eyes were sad.

And the only thing you could say, apart from the thousand other things coursing through your mind, was a simple sentence.

   “I love you, Steve. I love you so much.”

Steve held you and cradled you, before repeating the same, over and over and over again. You could feel his entire body shake as he held you, before you pulled back and kissed him hard against his face. You put your heart and soul into the kiss, communicating everything that you had missed about him in those two years. In that kiss, you had let him know you waited for him and you would for years to come.

    “I can’t do this without you.” You said, tears falling down your eyes.

    “We have to.”

And with just that one sentence, you knew Steve was for you as you were for him. He may have been in the ice for that long, but your heart belonged to him. There may be no reason for these events to have occurred, but to you, they happened so that you could meet Steve and he could meet you. You were never a believer in fate, but here it was: happening right in front of you.

*

You could recount every single moment with Steve and yourself and count the happy ones among the sad ones. There were a few memories over the other that let you know you loved him, and there were a few that made you realize that he was the man you wanted to spend the rest of your life with. But, if there was one moment that you thought topped everything else (and with a man like Steve, there were a lot of such moments), then it had to be three months after Thanos was defeated.

You missed your father with everything you had. However, you understood the sacrifice he had to make. You knew the kind of person he was, and you knew he didn’t regret this decision. You now had Morgan to take care of, and you loved her with all your heart. Pepper was there for you, a mother figure you never had.

Three months after Thanos was defeated, and the stones were returned, you discovered that you were pregnant.

And since you had taken the serum, Pepper had advised you to go check with a doctor—who had then told you that you were carrying twins. You couldn’t tell the gender of the babies yet, but you were hyper-excited to let Steve know. You knew how happy he would be, because all he wanted was a family, after all. Nevertheless, you were also a bit scared.

You walked into the house you shared with him and noticed him reading a book in the living room. Sometimes, you couldn’t believe how handsome he was; and you couldn’t believe that you were together with a man like him.

    “Steve?”

He looked up at the sound of your voice and smiled.

    “What’re you reading there?” You asked, sitting down beside him.

He leaned forward and kissed you on your cheek, making you giggle before kissing his nose. You hugged you from the side, as you were now pressed to his chest, his chin resting on your head.

    “What’s gotten you so affectionate?” You giggled before pulling away.

    “I’m just so… fortunate,” he said, sighing. “You can’t imagine how many times you’ve saved me.”

You blinked before looking up at him. “What do you mean?”

    “Each time I almost lost my life, you flashed before me. I’d think of how much I’d be leaving behind if I didn’t make it out of that fight. And each time, I won because of you.”

You felt your heart melt at his words, but you didn’t say anything. Something told you he wasn’t done.

    “I know you don’t like grand gestures, I know you inside and out now because you know me the same. There’s no one on earth I’d rather be than with you. And I don’t know how else to ask you this except like this. With you in my arms as I’m mumbling this.”

Your eyes widened as you looked at him, as he took out a small box from his pocket. You stared at him, your eyes unmoving.

    “No fucking way.”

Steve rolled his eyes at your choice of words.

    “(y/n), will you do the—”

    “No fucking way, Steve!”

His eyes widened, “A-Are you saying no?”

    “No! I mean, no. I have something to tell you, oh my god.”

    “What is it?”

    “I have two super babies growing inside of me, so yes, Steve Rogers, I will marry you.”

Steve’s eyes widened like saucers. His mouth fell agap, as he held you and hugged you, causing you to giggle giddily.

    “But, wait,” Steve stopped for a moment. “Two?”

You chuckled, “Yes, two. I hope they’re boys.”

Steve grinned before kissing you deeply, “Nah. Something tells me they’re girls.”

[theglowstickchronicles]

Guys, I was HELLA behind on FMLS90- but I'm still in it! Just caught up :) while I was waiting for the grocery store to open. Now I am off with my reusable bags to get my food for the week before coming home and continuing chores. I want to get as much done as possible before FOOTBALL starts!!! We're playing Kansas City at 4:25 today (@fatmaninalittlesuit I'm sure you'll be watching this game as well!) and I am SO NERVOUS. We have been... trash, lately. Last week's game was atrocious. I wish I had planned better and tried to go to the game, even though it would probably be crazy expensive and super cold, because my football buddies are in California on a mini vacation (their 3rd this season compared to my 0) and I only have local cable at home.

Anyway, here it is:

• 11/18 - How does holiday food play a role in your fitness journey? Do you have any positive or negative traditions that impact your journey? Share one of both.

Well, this was probably supposed to be about Thanksgiving feasts but here we are on December 8th! Honestly, we don’t really have any “traditions” beyond getting together and sharing a meal. In hindsight this Thanksgiving was probably my best, calorie-wise, because my brother-in-law’s sister did most of the cooking and did a lot of sides with bacon incorporated into them and, since I’m vegetarian, I did not partake. I had some DELICIOUS food, don’t get me wrong, and she made a to-die-for caprese salad… but most of the apps had bacon and several of the sides. I ended up having cheese and crackers, french onion tartlets (SOOO GOOD), chips & dip, mashed potatoes, and a plethora of vegetable sides. It also helped that I had to work overnight Thursday into Friday so I couldn’t have any wine 

• 11/19 - How does holiday stress play a role in your fitness journey? Do you have any especially stressful situations that make your physical or mental journey tough? How do / will you handle them?

Holidays don’t really stress me out, if we’re being honest. As of Dec. 6 I just need to pick up some alcohol and then some giftcards for my cousin’s kids, and I’m done Christmas shopping. I start my shopping November 1 every year. I don’t mind seeing my family -they’re dramatic, just like everyone else, but compared to my job? A few hours of family drama time is nothing. I do tend to hoard a bottle of wine to myself for the holidays but I’m not sober during non-holiday times, either, so that doesn’t really come into play.

• 11/20 - What role do family and friends play in your holidays? Are these mostly positive or negative? What do you want to change about this?

Mostly positives! I hosted my second annual Friendsgiving this year and it was fantastic. The one downside was I had been up for 44 hours but I think it went well. Honestly the only “downside” to friends/family during holidays is having to be in such close quarters with people because as much as I love them, someone inevitably has germs.

• 11/21 - Do you notice and physical / mental changes around this time of year? Do you have any strategies to deal with them?

I am always a sleepy bitch, but more so during the winter months due to the lack of sun. This M-F, not getting home till 5-6 every night, office has no window life is bullshit. We always jokes that nightshift never sees the sun but dude, until you’ve gone 5 days without sunlight, don’t even @ me. I am extra careful about taking my vitamins during this time of the year because I really do notice a difference in energy and mood without them (I have some vitamin deficiencies NOT related to my diet thank you).

• 11/22 - How do work / school commitments / events this time of year differ for you? Can this be used to your advantage in your fitness journey or are there steps you can take to minimize the challenges?

In the fall we have annual mandatory education at work which can be stressful but other than that, work does not change. This year was a little different because I picked up a second job and had orientation and have been working a lot to save up money for my many endeavors over the next 2 years (sister’s bridal shower / bachelorette /wedding, best friend’s bridal shower / bachelorette / wedding, everyone is turning 30 and wants to go all out -me included- wanting to go on more vacations, wanting to do a 29th birthday somethingl… the list is endless…. Lol)

• 11/23 - Do you have any plans to travel this year? If so, describe the challenges that creates and how you will handle them. If not, what can you do at home to set yourself up for success?

One semi-definite plan is my sister’s bachelorette in 2020! I don’t know when or where we’re going, but we’re going- which reminds me, I need to get my passport in case it ends up being Canada! I also would like to do a small trip for my 29th birthday. Originally I wanted to take a week off (I am close to vacation time caps at work) but we are OF COURSE having a new system go-live 6 days after my birthday and I’m like, top 5 most important people for the go-live. So we shall see. Perhaps a 3-day weekend for president’s day somewhere close?

• 11/24 - Share one tip with the community on how to stay healthy during the holidays.

I feel like any time I have to share a tip with the community I share the same one, but there it is: PREPARATION. For instance I have not meal prepped in 3 weeks and IT SHOWS. I’ve been feeling sluggish and gross, not working out like I should be, and not sleeping as well…. PREPARATION IS KEY!!!

• 11/25 - What are your general thoughts on gratitude and the role it plays in your mental health and happiness?

Being in healthcare puts a new perspective on gratitude. I’m answering this hella late so it’s not actually 11/25 and is several weeks post-Thanksgiving, but… yesterday I watched a daughter unexpectedly lose her mother in the worst possible way. She walked into the room and almost immediately told us to stop doing CPR. I am grateful for my family being here and healthy, I am grateful for my fellow healthcare providers, and I am grateful that this strong woman who was having the worst day of her life wanted one thing for her mother in the last moments of her life: peace.

• 11/26 - What are some past experiences I am grateful for? How did they shape my life for the better?

I am grateful for growing up the way I did. I can’t say I wouldn’t change things but being raised by who I was shaped me into who I am. I’m grateful I wasn’t just handed things and was forced to work for them. I was probably not super appreciative at age 16 when I had to pay for my own car, but as an adult I am SO happy that I learned the lesson of working hard.

• 11/27 - Who do I appreciate? Tell us about them and why you are grateful they are in your life.

Right now I am appreciating the nurse who took report from me last night! We’ll probably never meet again but thank you for listening to my rants, not judging my last-minute leaky IV (don’t worry, the patient had another one that worked fine), and for getting me out of there so quickly!

• 11/28 - It’s Thanksgiving Day in the U.S. Tell us what specifically you are Thankful for today.

On Thanksgiving I was grateful for friends, family, and awesome coworkers.

• 11/29 - What are some people / things I may be taking for granted? How can I better express my gratitude for these people / things in the future?

I sometimes take my dad especially for granted. I depend on him for things around the house that I don’t have the skills or knowledge to do, such as fix the deck or the running toilet or even hang things without punching a hole in the wall. In the future I want to express that I’d rather him teach me these things instead of just coming to do them.

• 11/30 - What are some future opportunities I have that I am grateful for?

Everyone’s wedding, and the Year of Turning 30 Extravaganza.

• 12/1 - Share one tip with the community on how to live life with at attitude of gratitude.

No one is grateful 100% of the time. I try to make it a point every day to think of what I have… friends, family, pets, house, car, food in my fridge, etc…. and remember that not everyone has those.

• 12/2 - Where are you on your personal mental health journey? What strengths and opportunities do you have?

The changing of the seasons, setting the clocks back, and the SNOW on December 1st took its toll. I am usually not a Christmas-decorations-the-day-after-Thanksgiving type of person, but this year that’s the day that worked for my family getting our trees (me, my dad, and my sister/brother in law all go together and my Dad drops the trees off with his pickup) so I decorated that weekend and began listening to Christmas music (Pentatonix, ayyyyy). It really HAS been a pick-me-up!!!

• 12/3 - What are some past experiences with mental heath work? What has worked well for you and what has not worked as well.

Personally? None. Professionally? Just what I give as a nurse.

• 12/4 - How is your mental health compared to a year ago? Are you remaining steady, improving or regressions? What do you need to do about it?

Well, this time last year I had been at my job for one day and had no idea what I was doing. Now I’ve been here for a year and know what I’m doing… 50% of the time? So my mental health has gotten better since I no longer feel like a fish out of water. It helps that I got a per diem at the bedside and have those opportunities to do direct patient care.

• 12/5 - How aware are you of your mental health? Are your your moods steady or do they ebb and flow? Are you aware when things are changing and do you have any experience / tips for heading off tough times?

Very aware of my mental health; you have to be, to survive in healthcare without getting serious burnout. I would say my moods ebb and flow, which isn’t abnormal. Tough times can be headed off by doing self care, and I don’t mean in the bath-bomb-face-mask type of way: do your laundry (and fold it straight out the dryer), wash the dishes, clean the house, meal prep… and maybe get a manicure.

• 12/6 - Have you noticed any patterns / cycles to your own mental health? Do the seasons, or specific holidays or other variables impact you in specific ways?

Not especially. Late fall / early winter tends to be hard due to the lack of sun, but I also have a vitamin D deficiency that for obvious reasons gets worse in the winter, and low vit D causes depressive symptoms.

• 12/7 - How are mental health and physical health connected? What are some of your experiences that show this in your life?

Well. In my personal and somewhat-work-related experience, being in poor physical health often has a negative impact on mental health. HOWEVER BEING IN POOR PHYSICAL HEALTH DOES NOT MEAN BEING OVERWEIGHT. Plenty of patients have normal BMIs and are in poor health, and plenty have BMIs that label them obese and are in good health. And being in good physical health does not mean you have good mental health. I guess what I want to say is that while they can influence one another, they are not directly correlated?

• 12/8 - Share one tip with the community about developing or maintaining your mental health.

Don’t let things pile up. And I mean that literally and figuratively. Clean your house and prep your food and for the love of God empty the trash from your car (no? just me?). But also… don’t dwell on things you cannot change, and don’t stew on things you can. Just do it. It will be worth the time, energy, and anxiety.

[pastelbatfandoms]

Get to know my character

Doing this for My OC Marianna. Peter Hale’s Girl from Teen Wolf.

01. What does your character’s name mean? Did you pick it for the symbolism, or did you just like the way it sounded? Marianna is a Spanish name and I am loosely basing her off of The Desert Wolf,which is why I chose that name. Even though Marianna is Native American. 

02. What is one of your character’s biggest insecurities? Are they able to hide it easily or can others easily exploit this weakness? Peter is definitely a Weakness,and her Insecurity over how she doesn’t feel like she’s strong enough to handle him. Turns out she was wrong. Peter is as weak and Vulnerable around Marianna,as he has told her “They are Imprinted and that can’t be broken.” Though when he told her that he was stalking her and showing his weakness in more Aggressive ways. That has stopped since he turned Marianna and became her Alpha and a Father. 

03. What would be their favorite physical trait about themselves? Her Strength and eyes paired with that smile that she knows can usually charm Peter into doing anything. 

04. What are their favorite traits about their lover? (one psychological and one physical) What others find Irritating,like Peter’s Sass and Sarcastic Wit,Marianna finds Funny and Sexy. They both share the same dark humor. As well as his fierce protectiveness for those he truly cares about like Herself,Malia and Derek. 

Physically? I mean that’s what attracted her to him in the first place,though he was younger then,but seeing him older didn’t deter her,it was more the History between them that did that. Peter is cute when he’s younger and still exudes that Charm and Confidence but as an Adult he is even hotter and that Primal Werewolf part of him doesn’t hurt either.

05. Are they sexually confident or more of the shy type? Definitely Confident. Though she didn’t have much experience until she met Peter. 

06. Do they have any hobbies that their lover finds unusual, odd, or otherwise annoying?Not Hobbies although Peter isn’t one for Teen Drama but Marianna is mature for her age,her denying she still felt a connection between them or had feelings for him after they broke up,is what irritated Peter though and spurred him on to pursue her more. After becoming her Alpha Peter found out an interest of hers that though surprised him,intrigued him more,That she was a Little,or at her age just very Childlike,he was already Marianna’s Alpha which has it’s Dom Tendencies,Sexual and not,so being her Daddy Wolf wasn’t much different and something that wasn’t new to him. But was made more special because of there deeper connection. 

07. Is there a catchphrase or sound that they tend to make a lot (likely without being aware of it)? Besides Growling when she feels threatened and her little girl voice when she wants something from Peter...It works on Derek too. 

08. What is, perhaps, their biggest flaw? Are they aware of this or oblivious to it? Her loner personality,even surrounded by so many Friends. She also has a quick temper which Peter sometimes reigns in sometimes encourages. 

09. Do they have a favorite season? What about a favorite holiday? Being a White Wolf,Marianna is partial to Winter just because she can blend into The Snow better. Her favorite Holiday is her Birthday because her Pack,especially Peter ,spoils her and her Friends always take her some place fun. 

10. Is your character more feminine or masculine? A mixture of both.

11. What is something that would make your character fly into a rage? She’s a Wolf so...alot at first lol when she grows and becomes Queen to Peter’s Alpha she is more calm but anyone who comes for Her Family will definitely feel her rage. 

12. Is there some particular talent, skill, or attribute that they simply could not give up? Her Powers,She grew up a Witch,her Mother being a Shaman,but her favored Magic is her Telekinesis.

13. What are your character’s sleeping habits? Heavy or light sleeper? Blanket stealer? One that always rolls onto the floor? Pushes their lover onto the floor? Sleep talker or walker? She’s a heavy sleeper and can rarely sleep without Peter. Especially as a Human because he was so warm.

14. Do they live alone or with family? How do they feel about their family/roommates? She did live with Scott and his Mom after her Parents,who were Drifters left to Mexico. After High School she went to Arizona with Peter which is where they tried there hand at there own pack and had Malia.

15. Is there a certain person in this world that they cannot stand? The very mention of this person’s name makes them tremble with anger or fear. The Argents (Except Alison and her Dad),and any other Hunters that come for her Daughter or Peter. 

16. Is your character the athletic type or more of a couch potato? What are some sports/games that they like? lol Definitely more of The Athletic type now. Especially when it comes to sparring with Peter or Derek or Erica. before she used to be a Cheerleader,with the insistence of Lydia. But Marianna still loves watching a Movie or reading a Book while curled on Peter’s lap. 

17. Does your character have dreams of getting married and/or having children? She is both a Queen and a Mother. 

18. What kind of home would they want to live in? Where would they place this abode? She really doesn’t mind as long as her loved one’s are with her. It could be a Loft,an Apartment Downtown or a Cabin in The Forest. 

19. Would your character be the kind to get into fights? (physical or verbal) Would they be a good fighter or cave in rather easily?  She tended to avoid them as a Human,but as a Wolf well that’s a different story. Marianna is definitely well trained now. 

20. Does your character like animals? What are some of their favorite animals? Would they want pets? What about mythological creatures? Yes,Dogs of all kinds. Wolves,Coyotes and Wild Cats as well. 

I mean would Lycanthrope be too on the nose? lol

21. What is one of your character’s biggest fears? How would they react when dealing with this fear? Losing there Family,she’s already lost one of her Best Friends and members of her Pack,I don’t think she could bear to lose another. Especially Stiles,Lydia,Peter and Malia. 

22. What kind of tattoos, piercings, birthmarks, freckles, and other such unique physical features do they have? After becoming a Were and joining The Hale Family,Marianna received A Tattoo of the Triskelion on her inner wrist,signifying her Pack. 

23. What is your character like when it comes to school? What subjects are they good/bad at? Do they get in trouble a lot or are well behaved? Marianna tended to slack off at school,much like Stiles,but she had a fondness for World History and got good enough grades to remain on The Cheer Squad. 

24. In their own words, how would your character describe what their lover is like? Personality wise? Powerful,Charming,Intelligent,Obsessive,Aggressive,Vengeful (when younger) Cunning,A Smart Ass,Fun,and a great Teacher as well as Father. (though he may not believe the latter) Peter can also be Sensitive and a good listener when in private. 

25. Is there something traumatic from your character’s past that greatly affects them even to this day? She’s already lived through it all and came out alive,she tends to not live in regret and taught Peter to not live in the past. 

26. What is their lover like sexually? How do they feel about their lover’s quirks, needs, etc? I mean...I’ll make an A-Z Headcanon for Peter ♥

27. If your character was going to get arrested, what would be the most likely reason for it? lol as a Human,ditching school,but it would probably be with Stiles and Scott,getting caught by Sheriff Stilinski who would tell them to go back to school and that Stiles was Grounded. 

28. If your character became a celebrity, what would they be famous for? No idea. Maybe Dance. 

29. What is one of the most courageous things your character has ever done for a loved one? Almost Died.

30. When it comes to the arts (music, film, theater, etc), what does your character like? In Little Space (which is around 12 yrs.) She likes Coloring,Stuffies,Watching Wrestling,and playing with Daddy. Her little space is less when she becomes a Mother,but that’s not a bad thing. Otherwise she likes going out Dancing,Reading Murder Mystery’s with Peter,Watching Scary Movies,which Peter tends to make fun of her for.

”Haven’t you been through worse? Those aren’t even real.” “Peter shut up.” 

31. Would your character be the kind capable of killing? Would they enjoy killing or only use it when necessary or, perhaps, refuse to kill no matter what? They wouldn’t enjoy but if she had to she will. 

32. If your character’s lover offered to take them out on a dream date, what would they want to do? A Dinner Date with Roses,then going out into the night in there Wolf forms and playing Chase games,Marianna always lets Peter catch her though because she likes the end result ;)

33. If your character wanted to be alone, where would they go? The Loft or The Woods in her Wolf form. 

34. Does your character have favorite foods? (breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert, snacks, etc) She’s a Carnivore ;) 

35. Is your character afraid of death? If they got to choose how to die, how would they want to go? Not anymore. She will die protecting her Pack or she won’t die at all. 

36. Does your character have any medical conditions? Are they serious or minor? Do they affect their day to day life? No. She had PTSD for awhile after what happened with Peter and later having to leave him and Malia. But that’s more mental. 

37. What are some of your character’s pet peeves? What are some things that annoy them or disgust them? When someone is obviously lying,making preconceived notions about a person,particularly Peter,even though she has done it. Hunters and pretty much everything they stand for,sorry Allison...Jealously even though she can get that way too. Though if it’s done in a protective way she doesn’t mind. Hard to rule that out with Werewolves though,especially an Alpha. 

38. What kind of weather does your character like? Cloudy skies, rainy days, sunshine, etc? Rain or Snow. 

39. When people look at your character, is there some assumption they might make about them just by appearance? Is that assumption correct? That she’s a Rebel and doesn’t care for Authority,which is kinda true. That she doesn’t make good Decisions and is letting Peter control her which is not true. 

40. Does your OC have any guilty pleasures they enjoy? Hobbies, past times, music, etc that they wouldn’t want known by others? Well not everyone knows about her Little side or about Peter and Marianna’s kinkier side and they don’t need to.

41. Does your character’s family affect your character in any way? Not Blood Family. But her Foster family (The McCalls),Her Friends,Her Alpha,Her Daughter and her Pack affect her daily life,they have to. 

42. Is there anything in your character’s past that they regret, haunts them, or they wish they could change? No,though Peter probably wishes he could change a few things...

43. Does your character have a switch that changes aspects of their personality whether they are around friends, family, etc. Is there someone who gets to see their true self? Just her little side and only Peter,Derek and Stiles knows about that. 

44. Is there a particular event that would emotionally devastate your character? If she had lost Peter and Malia to The Hunters. 

45. Is your character the kind to hide their true emotions or do they wear their heart on their sleeve? Both. She can be rather stubborn and only her Girl Friends,Stiles and later Peter have seen her Cry. But she does open up a bit more after having Malia.

46. What is some random affectionate thing that your character always does to their lover? If Peter’s sitting in his favorite Velvet chair or the couch,Marianna will crawl up on his lap and nuzzle him,Peter usually doesn’t mind,causally stroking her hair as he talks to the group. Unless he’s upset then it takes a bit more prodding on her part. 

47. Is your character outgoing? Would they be the leader of the friend group, or the quiet one that gets dragged along? A bit. As a Human she was usually just a part of the fun,unless she wanted to spend time alone. As a Wolf she’s a bit more out going and Authoritative especially as an Alpha. 

48. Is there anything in particular that would ignite your character’s jealousy? Or does your character not get envious? Peter. Just being Peter lol Especially when she was trying to hide her feelings from him.

49. What is something that your character has nightmares about? Are these frequent? Do they heavily affect your character’s mood? Before they got back together,when Peter had some issues and was stalking her and killing those around her,she would have nightmares about him attacking her or turning her. As an Adult after she had to leave Malia and Peter,Marianna had nightmares about The Hunters killing them. 

50. If your character confessed love to their crush, boyfriend, girlfriend, etc, what would they say? Done that. It was in a life or death situation when she finally admitted,tearfully that she still loved him. After he recovered Peter told Marianna he was madly in love with her and Marianna finally accepted him for who he was.  

[merritidings]

Character Questionnaire: Merrinyn Delorsath

BASICS -

1. Height?

5′5″. (She is of average height. At least in her former settlement.)

2. Eye colour?

Black. (It’s actually dark blue.)

3. Do they need glasses?

No. (That doesn’t stop her from wearing one whenever she feels like it.)

4. Scars and birthmark?

None. (It’s hard to get scars when you’re always far from the action, drowning in books. She did get a paper cut a few days after leaving her old settlement, settling for the surface to learn more about this part of the world, though that amounted to nothing more than a few minutes of annoyance.)

5. Tattoos and piercings?

None.

6. Right or left handed?

Right-handed. (For a time in her youth, she instead she was ambidextrous. That was until she figured out the word she was looking for was “amphibious”.)

7. Any disabilities? Physical or mental.

None. (She can’t pronounce the letter “R” if it’s in the last syllable of a word, as in “wafer” or “paper”, ending up either mispronouncing it as the letter “W” instead, as in “wafew” or “papew”, or accidentally speaking in a British accent. Don’t tell her I told you this. She’s very sensitive about her rhotacism.)

8. Do they have any allergies?

None. (...though she once almost died after eating crab. That was most likely due to improper cleaning of the food. It never happened again. Strange.)

9. Favourite colour?

Seafoam Green. Or blue. (She also likes pink.)

10. Typical outfits?

Whichever works, really. I prefer clothing that would not impede my mobility over clothing that’s all for show. (She used to wear simple sleeveless, collarless, pants-less garments made of coral, see below, until she moved to the surface-world where a kind old lady gave her common clothes for free because she looked “cold” and “very naked”. Still, she tends to rip out the sleeves and collars and even pant-legs of her clothes whenever she feels like it, usually when she’s near the water and there’s no tedious socializing to be had.)

11. Do they wear any makeup?

No. (She does, but only rarely and mostly during “special” occasions.)

12. What weapon do they use, if any?

Between my magic and my staff, I can be quite the formidable fighter. (She isn’t. She has also been thinking of acquiring a trident recently. Three pointed tips are better than one blunt head.)

PERSONALITY -

13. Are they more optimistic or pessimistic?

Neither. I dwell in between optimism and pessimism. Nothing is ever absolutely positive or negative. There is also the middle, and there I thrive. (Technically, she’s more optimistic, considering she’s always optimistic that each day holds new things for her to learn. She does get pretty pessimistic when things don’t go her way, though, especially if she becomes obsessed with learning about something and her progress somehow gets impeded.) 

14. Are they introverted or extroverted?

Neither. I am an ambivert. (Mostly true, though she leans more towards being an introvert, as she spends more time being an introvert, with all her research and reading; however, she doesn’t get drained as much when she has to be an extrovert, though she tends to avoid opportunities where she has to be one.)

15. What are their pet peeves?

When someone interrupts my research on anatomy by slaying the creature I am to observe. *very audible sigh* Brutes... (She also can’t stand people who can’t wait in line, even though she herself hates lines.)

16. What bad habits do they have?

Someone once said I’m terrible with making friends, though to be fair, I’m here to study and learn, not to make friends. (She spends way too much time with her books and research and not enough time connecting with real people. It’s uncertain whether this is because she’s such an obsessive sage or it’s just a triton thing.)

17. Do they have any phobias?

I fear nothing. Fear only exists when one does not understand something. I seek to understand everything. I do not fear. (Insects, especially flying insects, specifically cockroaches. She thinks they’re gross and they always have the high ground when it comes to the element of surprise. She’d probably like them if they were larger, though, since she’d at least be able to keep them from entering her orifices without permission. Oh, and falling from great heights. She hates that.)

18. How do they display affection?

I don’t. Affection is unnecessary. As long as you are useful and efficient, you are. (She really doesn’t. At least, she doesn’t know how to. Even her compliments are awkward and strange.)

19. How competitive are they?

Competition is good as motivation for personal growth, but only when it motivates a competitor towards personal growth. (She isn’t as competitive as others are, though it’s mostly because she’s a triton and tritons don’t really consider surface dwellers as competition. At least, that’s what she believes.)

20. If they could change one thing about themselves, what would it be?

No response. (It differs on a daily basis, more like it adds up, but she doesn’t take to it like changing herself because she doesn’t like herself. It’s actually more of changing something here and then something there to unleash the full potential of her existence. Like having eyes that see better in the deepest dark or gills that can allow her to safely breathe in any environment. It’s alteration in the spirit of evolution, not alteration because of emotions.)

21. Do they have any obscure hobbies or routines?

Is collecting forks an obscure hobby? (It is.)

BACKSTORY -

22. What are the names and ages of their close family members? Parents, siblings, etc.

My father’s name is Mernes and my mother’s name is Erryn. I have one older brother, Jharvas, and no other siblings.

23. Is their family alive and are they still in contact with them?

Yes, they are all alive and well. My father and my mother live together back home while my brother has also set out to, according to him, find himself. I’m certain he’s simply pursuing the vampire woman again. Men have never been quite as smart as us. (Her brother is indeed with a female vampire but he’s not pursuing her. They’re working together, trying to make a life with each other.)

24. Where are they from? City, nation?

I’m from the sea, the depths of which no surface dweller may survive. (Her settlement is within the oceans east of Hegaehend, far east. They call it the City of Sh'lafijn, though others simply refer to as Marai.)  

25. Did they have a childhood best friend?

I had childhood friends, though I don’t think it wise to select from them a singular best. (She does. Her name was Dhorimyn. They’ve lost contact over the years. The last she’s heard of her, Dhorimyn had left their settlement for parts unknown.)

26. Have they had any pets?

I had a pet shark named Kadita. (They’re dead now.)

27. Did they grow up rich or poor? What were their living conditions like?

We used to move a lot when I was but a young girl. It took my parents a while to settle down in a place of our own. We were neither rich nor poor. We were in the middle. 

28. What is their educational background?

I went through formal schooling, learned from the greatest mentors of my settlement, and grew into a fine sage. I learned more on my own than I did with anyone. (She’s not kidding. Her curiosity actually led to her amassing more knowledge about things outside of their settlement than the “greatest mentors” of their settlement, which were the only 10 triton scholars of their settlement.)

29. As a child, what did they want to be when they grew up?

I always wanted to be a scholar, and now, here I am. (At one point, she also wanted to be a kraken. She thought having more limbs would be efficient. She was three.) 

30. What advice would they give to their younger self?

If I ever, for some strange reason, meet my younger self, I would simply tell her to continue swimming towards her current path. She will become me, and I am the best she can ever be. (We’ll agree to disagree.)

31. Growing up, were they ever bullied or were they the bully?

I was never bullied. I never bullied anyone. I just didn’t have the time. All my focus were on my studies and my research. (She was bullied. For being too absorbed in her studies. She was often referred to as the “teacher’s suckerfish” by the other children. To this day, she still thinks it was a compliment because “a suckerfish assists its host by feeding off of its parasites.” She wasn’t wrong.)

32. Who do they look up to/who is their role model?

No response. (She currently doesn’t look up to anyone, especially since she’s out of the sea and she takes to surface dwellers as subjects to study, not mentors to put on a pedestal. She used to look up to an older mentor from her settlement but he died after trying to “befriend” a female shark as a male shark, so that was that. It’s a long story, and it’s not what you think.)

PRESENT -

33. Do they currently have a place of residence?

I rented a small place for me and my...friends in Arx, at the Whale Water Port. It’s close to the water, plenty of fish, and has access to several libraries and universities. It’s the best place for me here on the surface. (Remember the kind old lady who gave her free clothes because she looked “very naked”? That became her landlady. It’s a good place for someone living “alone”.)

34. What is their most treasured possession?

My most treasured possession? I suppose the letter from my late colleague could fill this role. For now. At least until I find the answer to his question, and I will. Eventually. (She’s not as into possessions as most people are, so having a treasured...item isn’t on her radar. That should change once she gets a particular trident, though, and maybe a particular cloak and a particular decanter to boot. Maybe.)

35. What is their drink of choice?

I don’t drink that much, but I seemed to have developed a taste for the drink called Bilgewater. It reminds me so much of home. (Bilgewater is of course the bluish-brown, sometimes jet black, concoction that's made by soaking the inner organs of various sea creatures soaking in a fermented brine and then running them through a sieve to remove the bones and viscera. It's usually on most tavern's menu for at least 5 copper pieces, or you can ask your friendly neighborhood fisher to brew you one for the same price. The only real side effect of this drink it that the lingering taste of rotten, brackish seafood remains on the palette for a few hours.)

36. Which king/queen are they loyal to, if any?

None have sought me out yet, so I’m loyal to none. That should change if any reach out and we find ourselves agreeing in our principles. (So long as she get to do her research, she’s not very picky on a monarch to side with, but only if completely necessary. She’d rather not get drawn to unnecessary conflict if they can avoid them.)

37. Have they ever killed anyone?

No response. (In every attempt at progress, there will always be a casualty or two. Maybe even three. It is rarely intentional, however.)

38. What was their last promise and did they keep it?

I promised my brother I’d stay with our parents, keep them safe... (She could not keep that promise.)

LOVE -

39. What was their first kiss like, if they’ve had one?

It was...wet. And pretty sloppy. The things we do to satiate our curiosity, right? (Of course it was wet. She was underwater. It was mostly sloppy because it was their first kiss, and her “research” partner was understandably nervous, especially since she secretly liked Merrinyn. They never spoke of it again, mostly because Merrinyn concluded that it was not a fruitful experiment and Dhorimyn decided to keep her secret her own.)

40. Are they in a relationship/have a love interest?

Love is an unnecessary distraction that I cannot currently afford. (She is too busy with her research to consider a relationship, any kind of relationship, at the moment.)

41. Have they ever been in love?

Like I said, an unnecessary distraction. (She has not, though she believes she has.)

42. Have they ever had their heart broken?

No response. (Numerous times: When her pet shark Kadita passed away, when her older brother Jharvas left them in pursuit of a vampire, when she slowly lost contact with Dhorimyn, and when her favorite mentor died to sharks while in the form of a shark.)

SPIRITUALITY - 43. Do they follow a god, if so who?

I don’t follow gods. I don’t have faith in them as much as others do. I only have faith in myself, in what I can see, and in what I can prove. (That said, she does appear to admire both Habbakuk and Melora, especially the latter whose stories and lore she views as quite inspiring.)

44. What do they think happens to them after death?

I cease to exist and my body decays to join nature and the sea. That’s it. That’s all there is to it.

45. What is their spirit animal?

A kraken. Definitely a kraken. (She’s more like a dolphin, but okay.)

[brylcighs]

✧·ﾟ(   demeter + maia mitchell + cis female   ) 𝒎𝒂𝒎𝒎𝒂 𝒎𝒊𝒂 !!  have you seen (   bryleigh fox   ) around ? (   she   ) has been in kaos for (   two months   ). the (   twenty-four year old   ) is a (   baker   ) from (   boulder, colorado   ). people say they can be (   stoic   ) but maybe that’s not too bad ‘cause they can also be (   ebullient   ). whenever i think of them, i can’t help but think of (   warm blueberry muffins, black and white movies, and sunny, cloud-free mornings   ).  ·ﾟ✧  (  penned by shiloh, 21+, est, she/her   ).

trigger warnings: mental illness, ptsd, anxiety, depression, a car accident, health problems related to fertility, scars/burns, low self-esteem, drinking. ( i think that’s it, but if you run across something else triggering, pls let me know and i’ll add it to the list. )

THE MUN.

‘lo ! i’m shiloh, but you can call me shy. i’m 28, i live in the est and my preferred pronouns are she/her. 

i’m a school-based therapist and work in an elementary school. with it being summer, i don’t really have a lot going on ! so you’ll see me around quite a bit. 

i have two small puppos, minerva and newt, who are my pride and joy. p.s.: if you couldn’t tell from their names, i’m a huge harry potter fan. i also love young adult literature, i’m a true crime buff and could eat pepperoni hot pockets every day for the rest of my life. 

if you’d like to talk, you can im me on this account, on my rph @shilohrph or ask me for my discord and we can chat there !

and without further ado, allow me to introduce lil miss bryleigh. 

BASIC INFORMATION.

name: bryleigh olivia fox.

age: twenty-four.

gender/pronouns: cis femae & she/her.

orientation: panromantic pansexual. 

olympian: demeter.

occupation: head baker at physis taverna.

faceclaim: maia mitchell.

BACKGROUND.

bryleigh olivia fox was born may 8th, 1995 at 10:12am in kaos, greece to colonel william matthew fox and emma alison stewart-fox.

she has one older brother, lucas daniel fox, who is 28 and an architectural engineer. he’s married to sofia maite valdez-fox, twenty-four. they have a one-year-old daughter,  luciana irene fox. 

bryleigh also has one younger sister, peyton emelia fox, who is 20 and a college student studying communications. she’s engaged to  micah cole butler, twenty-two. they two-year-old twins addison hayley butler and aiden bryant butter. peyton is also currently 10 weeks pregnant.

because of her father’s occupation, the family has lived in different cities all over the world. besides kaos, the fox’s lived in bangkok, thailand, comayagua, honduras, misawa, japan, burkina faso, west africa,  vicenza, italy and pampanga, philippines. i made a handy dandy timeline which you can view here to better break it down.

bryleigh attended and graduated from the auguste escoffier school of culinary arts in boulder, colorado and lived there for about four years.

while living in boulder, her roommate and best friend, sofia, started dating and subsequently married her brother, lucas.

because her aesthetic is running when things get tough/complicated, bryleigh left boulder a few months after ber brother and best friend were married and moved back to kaos, greece. 

she lived in kaos for a year, living above the tavarna where she was head baker. she loved it and kinda looks back on it as the best time of her life. but a rough patch in a relationship caused her to - again - flee, returning to boulder. 

about a month after moving back to boulder, she was in a serious car accident. her vehicle slid on black ice and flipped. she almost died, but managed to pull through.

on top a concussion, many broken bones, several severe burns, some internal bleeding and innumerable cuts, scrapes, and bruises, bryleigh’s pelvis was fractured and her fallopian tubes were crushed. she also later developed  asherman’s syndrome from the surgeries/scar tissue forming. this has basically rendered her infertile. 

after the accident, bryleigh had to move in with her brother and sister-in-law/former best friend. not only did they smother bry trying to take care of her, but sofia was pregnant at the time. this served as a constant reminder of all she’d lost. 

so, as soon as she was cleared to be on her own, she told lucas and sofia that she was going to visit kaos for her birthday.

except that she was actually moving back there and didn’t want to have to deal with their worry and concern and attempts to talk her out of it. queen of running from her problems.

bryleigh has been back in kaos for about two months, and it’s not the carefree, serene place she remembered.

actually, that’s not true. it’s still the place she remembered. she’s just not the same person she once was. no matter how much she tries to pretend she is.

you can read more about her here if you feel so inclined. 

PERSONALITY. 

bryleigh is a bit of a complicated lil nugget. she’s like an onion, ya know ? she has layers. one one hand, she’s this bubbly, happy-go-lucky, upbeat ball of sunshine. but on the other hand, she’s really struggling with ptsd from the crash, as well as a good heaping of anxiety and depression. so she has times where she’s really distant and reticent.

as the ‘mom friend’, she’s always been the person that people turn to. she’s the shoulder to lean on. she’s the one who gives amazing advice. she’s the one who seems wise beyond her years. she’s the one who tells you to stop leaning back in your chair because you’re going to fall over or sets water and tylenol beside your bed after a night of partying. she cares a whole lot. like, an insane about. which is a blessing and a curse. 

what she’s struggling with post-accident is opening up about how she’s doing and how she’s really feeling, beyond the facade that she puts on for everyone. it’s like she’s physically incapable of letting people see that she’s struggling. bry doesn’t want to put that burden on anyone, ya know ? so, she’s kind of suffering in silence and bottling everything up. which is super healthy, i know. 

sarcasm and dry humor are two of her favorite coping skills. she’s also really great at self-deprecating humor !

the accident left her with quite a lot of scars and several skin grafts from having third-degree burns treated, and she’s incredibly self-conscious about them. she covers her low self-esteem up with jokes and humor, but she really is quite sensitive about her appearance. 

as i mentioned, she tends to run from her problems rather than addressing them. and if she can’t run, she makes a joke out of them and doesn’t take them seriously. or she bottles up all the emotions from the problem and pretends it’s not a big deal. i know. her coping skills are so healthy.

the only thing that bryleigh has ever wanted is to be a mom. she’s basically had baby fever since she was old enough to understand the birds and the bees. she always imagined being a stay-at-home mom, taking care of a shew of children and her husband/wife. but since the accident, she’s not sure if that’s what she still wants of her life. she no longer has no direction, and really feels like she’s floundering.

part of her is worried about having kids ( through adoption or surrogacy or on the off-chance that she can naturally conceive ) because the hate in her heart after the accident is so dark and consuming and terrifying. she feels like maybe the car accident did more than break her bones. maybe it broke her as a person. and maybe she’s not capable of loving someone now. or if she is, she’s worried that what she loves will get taken from her. and she doesn’t know if she can stand to lose anything else. 

EXTRA.

she starts every morning with a cup of black coffee and a banana nut muffin and ends every evening with a cup of peppermint tea and two homemade jaffa cakes.

bryleigh has a chocolate labrador retriever named yolo. he’s ancient. she’s not really sure how old he is, but the shelter she adopted him from said that he’d been there for several years. so, she absolutely had to take him home with her. yolo’s very loving and sweet and a lil lazy and he loves pitless olives. she has huge birthday parties for him on his gotcha day, august 12th. 

her walls are covered with abstract art from a bunch of different countries. they remind her of her childhood and everywhere she’s traveled. 

favorite thing in the world to do is have a bunch of her friends over, make a slew of homemade pizzas and desserts, pop open several bottles of rosé wine, throw pillows and blankets all over the floor and watch movies of various genres until everyone falls asleep. 

she loves 80′s music and prefers to listen to records rather than stream music or what have you. it sounds more authentic that way. at least, in her opinion. 

her apartment looks like a forest. she has plants everywhere. e v e r y w h e r e. she’s also a really good plant mom and has named all of her children. she talks to them and knows their favorite songs. maybe she’s a tad bit psychotic. who isn’t, though ?

since the accident, she’s developed a huge fear of driving. she won’t drive. ever. she either walks, rides her bike or takes an uber. if she can get away with not having to ride in a car, though, she much prefers that option. i mean, can you blame her ?

she loves astrology and tarrot readings and ghost hunts and talking about aliens and going on hunts for cryptids. she’s always thought there has to be more to life than what we can see, so she’s open to at least considering most everything, ya know ?

her closest friends call her foxy. everyone else calls her bry. some people call her bryleigh ? but i can’t imagine why. it’s a mouthful. 

send her memes and you’ll have her heart. she has a huge folder of them saved on her phone. there might or might not be more memes on her phone than actual pictures. hint: there totally is. 

bryleigh can speak english, spanish, filipino, greek, italian, thai, japanese, swahili, hausa and a little bit of a berber dialect to varying degrees of success. she’s most comfortable with english, spanish and greek, and least comfortable with the african languages. she can also write in a variety of writing systems, though not nearly as well as she can speak the languages. she’s forgotten a lot of the rules and method that go along with many of them.

PLOT IDEAS.

you can read about all my connection ideas right here !

NOTE: i’m open to pretty much anything, so if you have an idea, run it by me ! more than likely, i’ll approve and start rambling off ideas and headcanons and half-formed thoughts until you politely tell me to shut the fuck up. sounds fun, right ?

THE END.

thanks so much for reading this monster post ! i don’t know how to be concise. i’ve tried. i tried here. obviously, i failed. but i love you all. i can’t wait to write and interact with you all and your lovely, wonderful characters ! hasta la vista, baby.

[zoey-angel]

To anyone who thinks he knows stuff about Israel's military

Let's fact check real quick.

Israel's army is called idf- Israeli defense force

Army enlistment is mandatory at the age of 18.

Guys serve for around 32 months, while girls serve for about 24.

No, this isn't the only country that has mandatory military service. Austria, Belarus, Brazil, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Egypt, South Korea and many other countries all have that too. Just because the US doesn't have it doesn't make it bewildering.

Yes, girls are also drafted. Idf is one of the only armys that drafts girls the same as boys. Feminism dude. However, some ground units remain male-exclusive. We're working on it!

This means there are girls serving as paramedics, informats, pilots, sailors, all that jazz. They get firearm training too. Meet an Israeli girl older than 20? She's probably handled a gun before. That is, assuming she served.

There is the option to study first and serve later, but the army only allows it if the person signs a contract saying they'll serve for a couple of years longer. Normal soldiers can also sign it if they want to prolong their service.

Soldiers are payed. Not much, but they are. They can choose military service as a career, and in general serving gives you rad work experience. Imagine programming for the military at 18 y/o before you even go to college.

That being said, there are multiple reasons why people avoid military service. They're either very religious, physically unwell, mentally unwell, got married, have ideals that stand against it or are complete assholes. Other reasons may be that their family members died in a war or that they're moving abroad.

By the way, what I meant by "are assholes" is that they just don't feel like it, so they fake something to drop out while everyone else bares with it.

For those with different ideals, well, they can fake an injury or something, but if they straight out refuse and shout out "I don't want to!" Rather that come up with an excuse, they will be sent to jail for a while before the army will give up and let them go.

No, Israel doesn't execute anyone??? This isn't america. There were exactly two cases in the history of Israel where someone got the death penalty. First time for treason risking national security back in 1948, Meir Tobianski. The second was Adolf Eichmann, Hitler's right hand man, accused of crimes against humanity, war crimes and genocide.

So of course no one gets executed for not serving. Contrary to popular belief, not even terrorists get the death penalty. They're just locked up. Sometimes the terrified citizens kill them at the scene, but they're not supposed to. If that happens, those citizens are brought to court.

Also, despite training everyone in firearm, not just anyone can carry it. If you're not a soldier, you'll need a special licence. Again, this isn't america.

Also, and this might be the most important part, nobody enters Gaza. Don't picture soldiers shooting children because that's fake. We have a border, all military bases are on the right side of it and the most interaction we've had with them for years had been the missile shower they throw at us once in a while and the tunnels they dug to sneak into Israel, that the idf destroyed.

I'm not saying that everything on the media is fake, because I don't know everything on the media nor do I know everything about idf, but I do know nobody's massacring anyone. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have missed it if it was a thing. Life is really just pretty normal in Israel.

Don't forget that the soldiers are 18-21 years old, alright? They're kids. They mean no harm and deserve no harm, the entire system isn't evil, it's just highschool graduates trying to do their job.

To end this rant on a positive note, I'd like to add some info about the treatment transgender people get in the idf. I was really surprised to hear this from my friend who's about to get drafted soon- the army got her into a program that is going to officially draft her as a girl! But that's not all. They're also going to pay for her entire transition, buying everything she'll need medical-wise, providing her with girl uniforms, positioning her with other people in the same program and scheduling a meeting with a psychiatrist whenever she needs one.

That would be all I have to say at the moment,

Goodbye and thank you for reading!

[ayeshayeshbby]

So I’ve seen a few people do this, and @80s-magic tagged me to participate, so here is my Hogwarts Mystery MC: Ayesha Peridot, currently a fourth year and already a legendary Slytherin if I do say so myself.

Bold the ones that apply to your muse

Italicize the ones that are applicable

Eyes: blue | green | brown | hazel | gray | gray-blue | black | other

Hair: blond | sandy | brown | black | auburn | ginger | grey / white | multi-color

Body Type: skinny | slender | slim | built | curvy | athletic | average | muscular | pudgy | overweight

Skin: pale | light | fair | freckled | tan | olive | medium | dark | discolored | other

Gender: male | female | trans | cis | agender | demigender | genderfluid | other | doesn’t like labels

Ayesha Peridot is a halfblood witch of South Asian descent. Her skin is brown and discoloured in some areas from exposure and reactions from eczema; she would not consider herself to be either light-skinned or dark-skinned but somewhere in between. Her eyes are a dark brown - so dark that when she was a child, she believed them to be black - which she received from her mother. Additionally, she inherited her mother’s very curly, almost-too-hard-to-control black hair which she likes to wear in several different styles, though usually half-up-half-down. Ayesha is a short girl, coming up to almost 5ft. She doesn’t think much of her body, recognizing only that she is small, rather slender, and seems to have broader shoulders than some of her family members.

Sexuality: heterosexual | homosexual | bisexual | pansexual | asexual | demisexual | other | unsure | doesn’t like labels

Romantic Orientation: homoromantic  | heteroromantic | biromantic | panromantic | aromantic | demiromantic | unsure | doesn’t like labels

Raised following the Islamic faith, exploring sexuality and romantic interest has been difficult for Ayesha. She has always seemed to be more worried than others about possibly liking girls and may have a teeny crush on her close friend Penny Haywood, but she claims to only really like boys and uses her realized crush on Andre Egwu as evidence for this. She’s only ever divulged her fears and questioning to the Weasley brothers, both of whom she is extremely close to.

Species: human | undead | shapeshifter | demon | angel | witch | ghost | incubus/succubus | werewolf | alien | mutant | android | other

Education: high school | college | university | master’s degree | PhD | other

Ayesha attends Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry where she is currently a fourth year, sorted into house Slytherin. In addition to being a halfblood witch, she is also a Seer and a born Legilimens. In her third year, she endured the process of becoming an Animagus and can now transform into a Bengal cat.

I’ve Been: in love | hurt | ill | mentally / physically abused  | bullied | tortured | brainwashed | shot | other

Positive Traits: affectionate | adventurous | athletic | brave | careful | charming | confident | creative | cunning | determined | forgiving | generous | honest | humorous | intelligent | loyal | modest | patient | selfless | polite | down-to-earth | diligent | romantic | moral | fun-loving | charismatic | calm

Negative Traits: aggressive | bossy | cynical | envious | shy | fearful | greedy | gullible | jealous | impatient | impulsive | cocky | reckless | insecure | irresponsible | mistrustful | paranoid | possessive | sarcastic | self-conscious | selfish | swears | unstable | clumsy | rebellious | emotional | vengeful | anxious | self-sabotaging | moody | peevish | angry | pessimistic | slacker | thin skinned | overly dramatic | argumentative | other

Ayesha can be boiled into two parts personality wise: she can be either extremely expressive and warm and bubbly, or she is stuck in a whirlpool of self doubt and insecurity. When she is in the former state, she can come off as quite a charmer and proves to be a wonderful friend; in the latter state, she can be quiet or temperamental, sometimes acting rebellious or recklessly to try and prove that she need to be taken seriously. It is hard for her to find a balance between the two, and at fourteen, she hasn’t grasped how to adequately handle these more negative qualities.

Living Situation: lives alone | lives with parent(s) / guardian | lives with significant other | lives with a friend | drifter | homeless | lives with children | other

Parents/Guardian: mother | father | adoptive | aunt | uncle | foster | grandmother | grandfather | other

Sibling(s): sister(s) | brother(s) | none | other

Ayesha splits her time living at Hogwarts, where she schools, and at home with her mother and father, Sreya and Ariq (often mispronounced at Erik). At Hogwarts, she shares a room with fellow fourth year Slytherins: Rowan Khanna, Merula Snyde, Liz Tuttle, and Ismelda Murk. She has no idea which of her two homes she prefers, though it is a lot more lonely at home considering how much older her siblings were to her growing up and how they are no longer living at home. Her eldest sister, Samia (currently 26), is currently working in public relations for a business focused on beneficial potions usage and creations. She is also planning for her upcoming wedding with fiance Kiran Khatri. Her older sister, Fariyah (currently 21), stays busy with her work within the Department of International Magical Cooperation while balancing dating and living on her own. She is rather close to both, often being cared for by them and being able to visit them when she’s out on holiday. Ayesha also has an older brother, Jakob (24, if alive), who she has never known too much about. When she was still a baby, he had already gone off to school at Hogwarts and he later disappeared entirely from her life when she was six. Everyone has always seen similarities in the two of them which she finds confusing since she had never had the chance to truly bond with the boy. She doesn’t know if she wants Jakob to be truly missing, hiding safely somewhere, or dead.

Relationship: single | crushing | dating | engaged | married | separated | it’s complicated | verse dependent I other

In her fourth year, Ayesha has opened herself up excitedly to the idea of possibly dating someone. It’s something she’s once discussed with Andre Egwu when they had first met, and it’s something she and Rowan Khanna sometimes dream about during late night talks in their room. When the Celestial Ball took place, many students at Hogwarts were worried over what to wear and who to take, and eventually it came down to Andre and Ayesha going to the ball together, both styled by the young Ravenclaw himself. Neither child knows what exactly going to the dance means for them, but after that night, they are much more considerate in how they interact and crushing very heavily on the other.

I have a(n): developmental disorder | learning disorder | personality disorder | mental disorder | anxiety disorder | sleep disorder | eating disorder | behavioral disorder | substance-related disorder | PTSD | mental disability | physical disability | other

Things I’ve done before: had alcohol | smoked | stolen | done drugs | self-harmed | starved | had sex | has a threesome | had a one-night stand | gotten into a fist fight | gone to hospital | gone to jail | used a fake ID | played hooky | gone to a rave | killed someone | had someone tried to kill them

Ayesha has some history with depression and anxiety, though she only realized the presence of the two in her life at around age nine or ten. Acknowledging the possibility of the two at around eleven, it was much harder for Ayesha to start successfully at Hogwarts. Not only was she separated from her childhood home for months at a time, but she was also now in a place full of people constantly distrusting her and underestimating her and, worse, comparing her to her older brother who they had all painted as ‘evil’ and ‘mad’. Whenever she felt like she wasn’t quite enough or overwhelmed by outside pressure, she would unfortunately end up hurting herself in some way to clear that frustration or simply to punish herself for feeling so badly.

[principleofplenitude]

In 2000, Donna Cohen, a professor of child and family studies at the University of South Florida, analyzed records from medical examiners in two Florida counties and found that homicide-­suicide rates among people fifty-five and older had doubled between 1988 and 1998. Cohen told me that there are 108 such cases every year—two each week—a majority of them involving long-­married white couples. Short of contacting every coroner, district attorney, or police chief in the country, the best method for tracking mercy killings is to compile local news reports—an unreliable approach. My clippings and Cohen’s research suggested that these incidents were becoming more frequent, a hunch corroborated by the Violence Policy Center, which analyzed news reports and found that deaths among those fifty-­five and older made up 21 percent of all homicide-suicides in 2001 and 33 percent in 2014. Over time, a pattern became clear: the typical perpetrators were white males; their wives were often diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, dementia, or another long-running illness; couples had been married for several decades; guns were the most common weapon, but hammers and pillows were also used. In the summer of 2012, John Wise fatally shot his wife in the intensive-care unit of an Ohio hospital, where she was being treated for an aneurysm. The gun jammed when he turned it on himself. Some couples may hope to end suffering by legal means, but assisted suicide is permissible in only seven states and the District of Columbia, where physicians are able to provide terminally ill individuals with lethal medications that they may voluntarily use to end their lives. (In Pennsylvania, where the Benights live, efforts to legalize the practice have repeatedly stalled.) The process varies by state, but generally patients must have less than six months to live, make their request at least twice, be mentally competent, and ingest the medication themselves. But even then, few doctors or medical facilities are willing to provide terminally ill patients with this service. Those who can access aid in dying tend to be highly educated and financially secure—most families, burdened with high end-of-life care expenses, don’t have the resources to pursue it. The Benights’ case was among the more straightforward examples I encountered in my research. Becky’s suffering was undeniable, as were the facts that Philip had reluctantly carried out her wishes and had intended to end his own life as well. But even in a case without ambiguity, the term “mercy killing” seems meant to render the act inoffensive, possibly even appropriate, all things considered. But reality is inevitably messier and more complicated. The number of elder Americans is growing rapidly, and while medical advancements have greatly improved health care, they have also prolonged the dying process. End-of-life and at-­home care, meanwhile, remain largely undercovered by insurance and underpracticed by medical professionals. For those struggling with daily activities or pain from physical decline it is often impossible to find—and afford—the help necessary to maintain quality of life. For caregivers, the labor and isolation of caregiving is seldom discussed, leaving their struggles ignored and leading a vulnerable population to reach for extreme ends. As Americans age and the health-care industry fails to address their needs, will courts and communities be forced to sanction mercy killings as inevitable outcomes?

“Going to Extremes” from Harper’s