#‘You need to actually care about the research you should be doing on any profession’ i mutter to myself

[baronessofmischief]

Tag vent. Don’t mind me.

[lesbiansandgayssupporttheminers]

I want to write something long form about the teacher strikes and the state of education in England right now.

You’ll hear a lot of teachers in the coming days and weeks say they don’t want to strike, or they feel guilt about striking. I’ve thought about it, and I want to strike, and I don’t feel guilty, and I think I owe it to students to strike. Maybe not the ones I teach now, but the ones I might teach in five years time.

I owe it to some of the Y7s, 8s and 9s I taught last year who were deeply passionate about science. In particular, I’m think of the Y7s who loved our space topic, and may never get taught by a qualified physics teacher. I’m also thinking about the sort of country they’ll grow up in, the opportunities they’ll have and the future they deserve.

I can write some arguments within the liberal, capitalist context we live in,  for improving education, and specifically why pay and working conditions need to be improved for teachers and why striking is our only option. I know that’s not what a lot of you follow me for, but they may be persuasive if you know teachers or want to talk to people about why they should support the teacher strikes.

1)     There is a national shortage of teachers. This is a fact- we know a large number of teachers do not stay in the profession long term- 1/3 of teachers who trained in the last 10 years are no longer teaching. Other research suggests many of these teachers quit in the first 5 years of teaching. This year, we have struggled to recruit across secondary subjects. In subjects like maths, science, MFL, geography and more, the situation is especially dire- but this crisis is even starting to impact primary schools now. First and foremost, students are going without qualified, subject specialist teachers. In other professions, the Tories acknowledge high pay is needed to recruit suitable staff. Why not teaching- which after all requires a specialist degree and often a post graduate qualification too.

2)     This doesn’t just hurt individual students, it hurts the whole country, because it leaves us with a lack of people who are capable of becoming doctors, dentists, engineers, entering other health care professions, working in the STEM fields that are meant to drive our economy. Investing in education grows the economy long term, and is better for society as a whole.

3)     But it does also hurt the social mobility of individual students. Richer families can pay tutors, or go private to make up for deficiencies in teaching. But those from low income families can’t. Few parents have the time or ability to bridge the gap themselves.

4)     Furthermore, if we think about really vulnerable students- who, make no mistake will be used as a weapon against teachers during the strike- they benefit from well funded schools. They benefit from having consistent adults in their lives. They often take a long time to form relationships with staff. A revolving door of supply teachers (which is the reality in many secondary schools) really hurts them.

5)     Teachers struggle to negotiate pay for themselves. Many schools will baulk at the idea of a teacher negotiating on their own pay, and take deep offense, as if the idea of negotiating pay in a capitalist society when you have an unusual skill is totally unreasonable. So, teachers can only negotiate pay on a national scale. And because the government won’t sit down and negotiate, the only thing we can do is take industrial action.

6)     Ultimately, schools can’t afford to pay teachers well- so any pay rise needs to be fully funded. Again, hence strike action.

 We can say that the teacher shortage is about working conditions too- and it is, for sure. But it’s also true that the teacher shortage appears to be most acute where a teacher’s pay won’t stretch as far because accommodation costs and other costs are high.

I want to take a moment at this point to address the idea of “work to rule”- which doesn’t actually exist in English law, btw.

Action short of a strike in teaching would likely take the form of teachers not running clubs and trips, maybe refusing to do marking as well. These are all things that would negatively impact students, but have a totally negligible economic impact, if at all. It would, inevitably, drag on for months, because the government simply would not notice.

A teacher strike, ideally one that shuts a large number of schools, will have a noticeable impact on the economy, because some parents won’t be able to work or travel. Yes, it’s rubbish for parents, but the impact on students will genuinely be lower than weeks or months of action short of a strike. And it’s the only language the government will listen to, unfortunately.

 I want to talk also about what the Tories are doing to education. I alluded to this earlier, but I think it bears exploring specifically.

The Tories are destroying education. At this stage, I think it’s gone beyond neglect, into a deliberate policy to damage state education. They can’t say that out loud, of course, but why else, at a time of massive teacher shortages, would they cut teacher training places from 2024? Why else would they implement the ECT program in such a way it’s driving early career teachers out of teaching? Why else would they starve schools of funding to such an extent?

Why would the Tories do this?

I’ve got two possible theories for you.

One, they want a poor, uneducated underclass, with limited job prospects, in order to exploit them. And educating the working classes and providing them with opportunities for social mobility runs against that.

Two, some tories take a more eugenicist outlook, they think education is simply wasted on said “underclass”. That no amount of good education would improve the prospects of certain groups, so why bother?

Perhaps it’s a little of column a, a little of column b. Certainly, there are strong objections to teachers in state schools sharing opinions that might be contradictory to the governments’.

So I strongly believe this strike is to preserve the future of education.

 Obviously, if we consider the wider state of the country, there are lot of important reasons to join a wider worker’s movement. And I’m going to come back to that point about working conditions, because part of that is the shortage of funding in other public sector areas, meaning schools are asked to do more and more with less and less.

It’s increasingly clear Rishi Sunak’s Tories are both fascists and disaster capitalists, who are going to take what they can from this country before their party implodes. And you all know what I think of the political alternatives. It’s also true if we wait two years for an election, people will die- not least in A and E waiting rooms, or waiting for an ambulance.

The Tories are happy to let £42 Billion in tax go unpaid (largely by the rich and mega-corporations), and then they turn around and say there’s no money.

I genuinely think this wave of strikes could be the start of something- of meaningful political change that carries this country to the left. Maybe the some of the current union leaders will not push things far enough, but we are the union, so we must push further. And we can use this opportunity to really influence the UK political landscape, and build solidarity for a mass worker’s union.

[lasi-nariyoyoreads]

hey, i'm new around here. just wanted to ask - which career or profession (e.g. a doctor, lawyer, idol, etc.) would seventeen members be most attracted (kinda like an ideal type for a partner or some sort). thank you !

Hi and welcome! This was an unusual but fun ask!

Disclaimer:

My readings are made for fun and you should read them for fun too. So don't take them seriously.

Scoups, rev ace of cups, very classic office job, he might be attracted to people dressed elegantly in a suit, maybe with a pair of glasses on their nose while they complete difficult tasks at their computers.

Jeonghan, 4 of wands, a bit like Cheollie but more focused on a high profile figure that manages a group of people, like idk a manager or someone who deals with the public and is trusted by others.

Joshua, 9 of swords, someone who helps others and has a lot of empathy, like a paramedic, or even more dangerous/unusual jobs like a police officer or a firefighter. Someone who feels like they have some sort of "mission".

Hoshi, ace of swords, someone who uses their "head" and is creative, I can see a writer or a journalist or those that have to provide inputs to create new products in a company (I forgot the same of the position).

Jun, 6 of cups, someone who takes care of the "family", like someone who works with children or old people. So a teacher or a nurse. He might be attracted to those who prioritize their family over their career and that are ready to drop it to stay at home.

Wonwoo, hermit, opposite of Jeonghan, someone who doesn't deal with lots of people and works alone, maybe from home, like a researcher, a librarian or a writer.

Woozi, rev death, I think it's similar to Cheollie, there's this sort of fascination for corporate jobs, maybe it's because being idols is completely the opposite of what an office job is so they might be curious about it. In general, it seems he likes people with steady jobs and with a fixed routine.

Mingyu, rev 9 of cups, it could sound weird, but he might be attracted to shattered-dreams type of people, like idk a broken artist who never manages to get their art recognized and are forced into a low-paid boring job. There might be some desire in him to be a good Samaritan and somehow "save" his loved one.

The8, 8 of pentacles, someone who spends a lot of time on their craft and always strive to improve, like an artist or any other job that requires constant update and passion. The successful person Mingyu's s/o failed to be basically.

DK, 4 of cups, it could be similar to Mingyu, minus the Samaritan part. This person needs to have an artistic and introspective side, even if it isn't their actual job. I feel he doesn't truly care about their profession and cares more about what types of hobby and interests they have.

Seungkwan, rev queen of swords, similar to Jeonghan, someone who has a lot of responsibilities, maybe a team to rule, like a manager or a ceo. This person might come home wearing a frown from all the stress they felt at work, someone he wants to cheer up and spoil.

Vernon, hanged man, no office jobs for him lmao he's into unusual people with unusual jobs like a freelance journalist or a writer or any other job where you don't have a boss telling you what to do and you basically manage everything on your own. A bit similar to what I said about Wonwoo.

Dino, rev emperor, he also likes someone with a serious job who needs to deal with a lot of responsibilities. Someone like a lawyer for example. Someone who works with lots of papers and need to manage several different things at the same time.

[hawkeyedflame]

Hey I'm not gonna lie, you sound like a quack in your recent posts. Even if there is truth to what you're saying, you have to realize your statements sound incredibly out of touch.

It is generally considered common knowledge that many of the conditions you list in your original post have genetic factors, and some of them are known to run in families. Even if there is some research suggesting otherwise, people are going to react strongly to it.

Many people have had relatives die from say, cancer, and to see someone on the internet make a claim that cancer can be treated with a zero-carb diet would immediately be insulted. It is also generally considered common knowledge that people need some carbs to survive, and while this may not be true, putting claims like these together is naturally going to confuse and anger people.

I noticed also that your bio says you are a clinical biologist. Since that does make you a professional, you have to realize that when you say things like what you've said in your recent posts, your words have more weight to them. When you're already saying things that you should know are going to confuse and anger some people, that makes it even worse, because now you don't sound like just some quack on the internet, you sound like a quack who might be in a position that could allow what sounds like harmful ideas that go against generally common knowledge to hurt people.

I know all of that is a stream of wild conclusions based on incomplete context, but that is how many people who will see your posts will think. I'm trying to tell you you have shit in your teeth.

That's a whole lot of words to tell me you've never once in your life considered that the people and institutions who have all the power, money and subliminal influence over your life might have a vested interest in keeping you ignorant and complacent.

Or, tell me you don't know how to think scientifically without telling me you don't know how to think scientifically. Don't feel insulted though, most people don't actually know how, even in so-called scientific fields. "Common knowledge" and "scientific knowledge" is ever-shifting. Things we believed were true yesterday could be proven disastrously false tomorrow. It happens all the time. As for these diseases being known to be genetic, it's simply not true. The evolutionary scale is far too large to see true genetic changes in three to four generations as we've seen with modern illnesses. There is something different going on, likely several somethings. Welcome to complex biological systems. Study some evolutionary biology, because you clearly do not have any sense of the scale of time. (Don't feel bad though, neither do the medical professionals who have handwaved apparent "running in families" as genetic instead of looking for a biologically plausible explanation.)

As for my profession putting me in a position of authority, thanks for noticing. I'm completely aware of that. I happened to have studied these topics deeply and consider myself relatively qualified to disseminate information about them. That being said, I would like to reiterate once again, that I was very explicit in the inciting post that my purpose in making that post was not to start discussion but to vent frustration onto my personal blog, which at the end of the day is still a space for me to express myself however I see fit. Other people can do what they like about that fact. If you hate what I said and you hate that I'm saying things you think are false or dangerous, then the door is wide open. You're not locked in here with me. I do not care if you stay or go.

[the-nysh]

given the parallels between old bang and garou why is it that bang was portrayed as getting some when we havent seen garou have relations and it feels like the flashback was to show garou as just like young bang. also do you think the reason we dont get female practicioners trying to study under bang is due to either him not letting them to avoid his male students being distracted like he was or due to them hearing about his past and worrying about him hitting on them

Because despite their parallels and surface trait similarities, the point is they're not the same people. :O Garou is not the same type of sleazy, promiscuous fuckboy who'd frivolously fool around with women like young Bang (and Suiryu) did for self-indulgent reasons. Cause Garou is far more dedicated and principled (much more like young Bomb) and seriously goal-oriented than he's often given credit for, but people judging and misunderstanding him (Bang included) for the surface person he isn't, is a very common unfortunate thing his character grapples with - both in-universe and out.

So this is actually quite the lesson for Bang to understand - to see Garou for who he is, and to not see (misinterpret) Garou as a simple projection or repeat/copy case of Bang's former self. :O Because the reasons behind their respective behaviors are very different (just like I've said here.) Anyway you can see much of that difference now - when Bang tries to break the ice with him (with a topic Bang relates to most) by asking him the casual girl question and Garou awkwardly uncomfortably and defensively reacts like 'wtf old man!' So Bang narrowing down Garou's own separate interests (congrats he's a pure honest nerd~) and humoring/listening to him without judgment so that Garou trusts him, is a start towards actually getting to know his boy better and see Garou for himself. (Now hopefully Bang doesn't try to encourage/coerce his past self's bad habits onto Garou or I'll be very disappointed in him! Cause current Bang should know better.)

As for the second part of your question, that was briefly speculated about in the notes of this post, but if Bang intentionally segregated genders (or banned women entirely from learning an appropriate defensive art) for misogynistic reasons like that, then that would reflect very poorly on his character. :O It's more likely he lost sight of his school's original principles (to help defensively empower the weak - which ideally should be open and rated E for everyone who seeks help) by prioritizing the strong, neglecting his students' individual needs by being preoccupied by hero duties, and/or by favoring Garou (already someone gifted) as his successor.

The case could also be that a dojo perceived as popular among men (with no current female students or instructors) does not feel very 'safe' as an inviting enough environment to any passing young girl looking for help - it'd be a telling sign for her to avoid that dojo and look for other welcoming alternatives, rather than any active prejudice (or documented risk of harassment) on Bang's part. (Because current Bang is not distracted working with Fubuki - so that's not a problem for him.) Of course, Bang's history and reputation can also play a part - as Charanko joined just to get more popular with girls (Garou only cared that Bang was strong) if Bang's 'popularity' was ever made public or advertised as a selling point. (Or perhaps Charanko just did his research on Bang before joining, which to any other smart girl doing the same, would be a turn-off if she immediately felt excluded as the wrong target audience.) The other case could be that ONE simply didn't include any of this stuff, to avoid writing about such complications seen from a woman's perspective, as other female martial artists thankfully exist (Suiko, Rin-rin) in opm, so it's not like ONE himself sees the art/profession as something exclusively male.

[belugabear]

Day 5: Barbarous

“What….Interesting scars you have.” 

It was hardly the first comment like this that Vanaar had received in Sharlyan. She had received so many open stares–ranging from thinly veiled curiosity to outright disgust– that she had taken to wearing her hair down, covering as much of her face–and those pale, spiderweb fractals–as she could, but the research they were doing was so immersive that she had tied it back without thinking. 

Many people here didn’t approve of her profession as an adventurer. The class divide was just as strong as when she had left what felt like lifetimes ago. This is why her parents had wanted her to study, why they’d saved their earnings as gleaners, why she had left before she could disappoint them. She just didn’t fit in this society. 

The woman continued to stare, and Vanaar knew she was looking for a story, some salacious tale about unhinged rage and brutality. 

You should see how I left my opponent, she would want to hear and…she wouldn’t be disappointed with the truth. That fight with Elidibus returned, that wound that still gaped and ached and burned deep within her, that had not scarred as neatly as the lightning blast she had taken to half of her face…it would make an excellent dinner tale for this woman to recount. Can you believe how they live over there? She would say to her friends.

I’m so glad that we’ve situated ourselves so defensively, her friends might reply. We’re safe from such horrid conflicts. 

Vanaar wasn’t going to give them an inch. 

She nodded and returned to the book that was open before her. With any grace of the Twelve, the woman would take a hint. Instead, she sat down at the small table next to Vanaar. Uncomfortably, Vanaar glanced around the room to see if any of her companions were available to make help me eyes at. Amille had wisely bowed out of this excursion to train–how Vanaar wished that was herself at the moment–and she knew X’kebhi was on a different floor. The others were either impossible to locate, or so engrossed in their research that they didn’t notice her pleading eyes. 

“Your life must have been terribly hard for you to have turned to such a dangerous profession,” the woman prodded. 

“I actually had the chance to study, but I preferred travel,” Vanaar replied. 

The comment had the scandalizing effect that she’d hoped. The woman looked almost offended at the notion. But still, she didn’t leave. 

“Anyway, I’m trying to do some research, so…” Vanaar pointed to the book she had been trying to read. 

“But still haven’t told me how you got such terrible damage to your face. Could the healers not get to you in time? Were the wounds just that deep?” 

Images of that horrid night kept flashing through her memories. The way Elidibus twisted Zenos’ mouth into that wretched smile, the swing of that blade, the few companions she had remaining laying helpless on the ground around her. 

“I’m a healer by profession, actually.” 

This seemed to shock the woman even more than the comment about having turned down the chance to become a student.  

“So they singled you out? Attacked you to get ahead?”

Once more she saw that wicked grin flash in front of her eyes. Vanaar slammed both of her palms down on the table and stood. 

“I chose to go into that battle because there were people who needed me. I chose to engage the foe that gave me this,” she paused to gesture at her face, to pull off her glove to reveal just how far the scar traveled, “because I had already killed the man whose body was being puppeted, and I wanted to make sure he stayed. Dead. 

Several people were looking their way now, but Vanaar didn’t care. She kept her voice low, a deep growl as she focused in on the elezen before her. “When I chose to engage that enemy, many of my closest allies were…gone. I knew that I had no place in this realm without them, so when I went after that man, I was chasing my death. Hope that story does well at your next dinner party.” 

The woman blinked a few times, then stood. She took a few steps towards the door, then turned over her shoulder, as though to ask another question, but as she did, she ran into someone–tall, imposing, the sight of Estinien sent an odd feeling of relief through Vanaar. Besides herself, he and Amille were the only ones who chose “adventuring” as their professions. He understood the looks she was getting, even if his scars lay deeper beneath his armor. 

“The time for questions is over. Kindly leave my friend alone.” 

It was odd hearing “friend” come out of his mouth in this context. Until very recently they had been…the exact terms of their rivalry was hard to put words to. She felt her pulse quicken as she remembered the end of that fight. It was fuzzy, but Aymeric had filled in the details for her. Estinien had saved her. That was even before they had reached this tentative peace between them. As the woman walked sheepishly away, he strode up to her table and placed a hand on her shoulder. 

“Are you alright?” he asked. 

“I never thanked you,” Vanaar said, then quickly added, “--for that night.” 

He frowned and sat down across from Vanaar, blessedly taking up the other available chair. 

“If I’d wanted your thanks, I would have stuck around to hear it.” 

There was some kind of look in his eyes that she could not place–somewhere between longing and regret, inscrutable. 

“I wish you had.”

[astrologershivraj]

How astrology helps me to choose the career?

Astrology is a powerful tool to unlock the actual potential of a person and helps in identifying the right path for choosing the career. It is a tough decision for a student or a job seeker to decide what career they should pursue for? Some people focuses on their passion or interest and some of them follow the path as directed by the destiny with the help of astrology. By the Expert Astrology Consultancy Services proper guidance will be provided to you by the reliable astrologer and you will be aware about the best career choices you can make for a best and prosperous future.

Career profile as per the Zodiac Signs

Aries (March 21- April 19)

Aries people are full of energy with full of strong - willed and independence. These people are considered as the born leaders who are much ambitious and self- motivated. They are usually dynamic in nature who is best suited for field - work and fashion oriented jobs. Suitable career options for the people with Aries Zodiac signs are trading jobs, sales, military and sports.

Taurus (April 20 - May 20)

The special quality of the people with Taurus sign is that they value work stability and excels in the profession that involves practical skills and precision towards work. Ideal career choice for them could be lawyer, great surgeons, engineers or scientists.  Taurus people should avoid the professions which require quick and instant decision making and involves great financial risks.

Gemini (May 21 - June 20)

Gemini people can easily handle multiple responsibilities as they are intelligent and optimistic even in the extremes conditions of their life. They are best in the career option which requires intellectual stimulation such as journalism, teaching and having the keen interest in writing, therefore suitable best as an editor, copy - writer or content writer. They couldn’t stick to any one profession too long as they need constant change and can make new approaches for inventing or doing a job. They can be good politicians and diplomats too.

Cancer (June 21 - July 22)

As Cancerians are too emotional, highly empathetic and intuitive in nature, they suites best for the career of social work, teaching, human resources, etc. They are tactful, discreet and understand human psyche very well. Career like sales job, stock broking, insurance sector and the entertainment sector are not at all suitable for them as such career always involves the element of risks.

Leo (July 23 - August 22)

Leo people are creative and confident. They always possess the power of hunger and high energy quotient in their attitude. People with the Leo sign suites best for the career of entrepreneurship, politics, real estate, entertainment and profession which explores their talent of leading the people in any of the circumstances.

Virgo (August 23 - September 22)

Virgo people are detail-oriented, well-organized and hard-working in nature. They are practical and performs everywhere as a perfectionist. Secretarial jobs, public services, research work, accountancy, graphic designing and health care jobs perfectly suites them best.

Libra (September 23 - October 22)

Libras are diplomatic, cooperative, charming and fair-minded people. They are excellent in the fields such as ambassadors, lawyers, mediators, any field which requires negotiation skills. Since they are the good listeners, so they can do well in the jobs of human resources and personnel departments also.

Scorpio (October 23 - November 21)

Scorpions are passionate and resourceful people with their intelligence and hard work. They can thrive as surgeons, scientists, educators and can also be good detectives or police investigators too. Due to their over-whelming desires , sometimes they struggles with money matters . Such people should avoid the job as an accountant or book keeper.

Sagittarius (November 22 - December 21)

Sagittarius people are highly optimistic, spiritual, straight forward and lively people who can thrive in the careers of politics, sports person, police officer, education, and tourism and hotel industry. They can excel in any career they choose and they also look for short-cuts to achieve success in life.

Capricorn (December 22 - January 19)

Capricorns are disciplined, goal-oriented and responsible people who are logical and persistent in the performance of their jobs. They are best in strategic planning do really well in any project they undertake. They excel in finance, banking, administration, management and IT jobs. They can also prove themselves very well in the government and managerial position jobs.

Aquarius (January 20 - February 18)

Aquarius people do not get distracted easily and possessed with the ability to resolve the issues with their resilience. They are progressive in nature and often do well in the jobs as scientists, inventors, musicians, application developers and veterinarians. They can also do well in the career of poetry, communication, computer technology and organic farming.

Pisces (February 19 - March 20)

Pisces people are creative, artistic, passionate and emotional in nature. They can pursue for the career such as counseling, music, astrology, philanthropists, etc. They can become good teacher too. They are often infused with the sense of compassion and desire to serve others. Careers like banking or businesses are not for them.

Final Thoughts

Making a career decision is not too easy. People choose their career according to their interest and passion but an expert astrology consultancy services could also help a person in choosing a right career option.

[jaineys]

Advice and suggestions for selecting the best life insurance plan

One of the most crucial protections you may receive for the welfare and assistance of your loved ones in the unlikely scenario that something terrible happens to you is life insurance. However, selecting the right type of coverage for you and your loved ones can occasionally feel like a maze. As you go over your personal choices, keep these suggestions in mind.

Choose an independent broker when you want to buy a life insurance policy. Compared to a broker that only represents one insurance provider, independent brokers typically have a wider range of options in terms of cost and coverage. Company brokers are constrained to the products that their company sells and may even be pressured to suggest a specific product by the company.

You might want to think about getting burial insurance while obtaining life insurance. This insurance is reasonably priced and will pay for things like your casket, funeral service expenses, travel expenses, and other similar things. This is certainly worth it because paying for these things out of pocket can be extremely expensive.

Your provider may decide to increase your premiums if you engage in high-risk hobbies or activities like scuba diving or skydiving. Your premiums will surely reflect the fact that some professions are regarded as high risk.

Before you put your name on the queue, carefully read the entire policy. Understand the agreement's price reductions, exclusions, particles, and any other fine print. There can be a provision that prevents payment for pre-existing conditions. You may ensure that your partner will receive the money they require by reading carefully.

Avoid purchasing greater amounts of life insurance than is necessary. Just enough should be purchased to meet your family's needs. If you purchase too much life insurance, you will have to pay substantially higher premiums. But be careful not to cut corners on insurance to end having a plan that won't support your family.

Avoid purchasing insurance plans that pay the person who sold you the policy significant finders fees. These payments go to a broker or agent that handles insurance, and the price is then added to your premiums. If you can find a company that has a "no load" regulations, it is in your best interest to choose it.

Companies that provide life insurance frequently charge smokers twice the standard price. If you smoke, quitting is one way to lower your insurance's monthly premium. Maintaining a healthy weight is another strategy to reduce your insurance price. Smokers who maintain a healthy physical condition have a far lower risk of illness and disease.

If you want to give your kids money for their school, think about term life insurance. Posp Term life insurance is a highly affordable form of protection that can cover your children's college bills and other costs, especially if you're a single parent. You can discontinue the coverage once your children have completed their studies.

Avoid assured issue policies if you aren't suffering from any serious health issues. You can save money by getting a medical checkup, but guaranteed issue insurance do not require one and have higher premiums. There is no need for you to purchase more life insurance that is actually necessary.

The optimal time for a person to actually get a new life insurance plan is before you reach your half birthday. Insurance companies substitute what they refer to as your "age nearest" for your real age. Therefore, if you will turn 30 in six months, you will be charged a little extra because you will be considered 30 already.

Before buying life insurance, you should be wary of advisors who make sweeping claims about their expertise. It's possible that an advisor is mistaken about some facts if they respond to all of your queries without doing any study. Due to the complexity of insurance policies, even the best insurance experts cannot know everything without additional research.

You can feel more assured about moving forward now that you have been provided with specific advice to guide you in choosing the appropriate coverage for your requirements. Once you've done that, you'll experience the immense peace of thoughts that is gained from knowing that you've done everything in your power to ensure the safety and security of your family.

[palmtreesx3]

Taking a break from my normal thirsting for a certain ice cream scooper 🍨⛵... Read on if you wish. Scroll if you don't. It's not a debate. I won't entertain negativity. ✌️

------

There's a lot of weird shit going on in America these days. I wrote the following rant/blurb/piece/ramble under the cut last summer, almost a year ago when shit started to really feel wild in the legislation, not just the media and for "show". When we started to see the ideas that people spewed and talked about like wild fairy tales actually start to become law. A year of this and some of the laws and bills that have come to pass after this trend have been shocking and abhorrent.

There's so much going on in states like FL, TN, TX and more that takes justifiable control away from people who deserve to control their own lives and bodies. There is too many people that don't want to be influenced by others values but want to influence the values of others. There are books being banned for having two male penguins, 10 Commandments being mandated in public school classrooms, children forceably taken away because their mother's hair is cut too short and their dress is to masculine, there is CONTINUED and immeasurable gun violence in places that should feel safe like schools, women toeing the line of the living and the dead while they can't have their own life-saving care because some non-viable cells took up residence in their uterus, women needing written permission from their spouse for a hysterectomy....

It's not about one view. It should be about many views. It's not only about reproductive choice, it's about the choice to live your own, unique and beautiful life any way you choose.

--- READ ON ---

I curse. A lot. If you know me you know that Friday is NOT my favorite F word. I don't necessarily temper my language around my kids - they know that there are mommy and daddy words and I don't give those words a ton of value in that context. I insert curse words regularly. I use them to show excitement. (FUCK YES!) I use them to emphasize frustration. (fuckkk) I use them to express anger. (That's fucking bullshit). I use them to make you pay attention.

I use them because I choose to. I use them in situations that are generally (not always) but GENERALLY at least socially acceptable. I slip up sometimes, but I read the room. I don't always make assumptions that people are comfortable hearing it. I may start if I am comfortable with YOU or in a safer space regardless of your own personal choices on language.

I have people in my life, close friends, sorority sisters, family, coworkers, casual acquaintances. That DO NOT curse. I have never heard them utter a word. Or that do but rarely, and you KNOW they are really deep in that emotion to be muttering or exclaiming the word of choice when they do.

Ya know, there is marked research that shows that people who do curse are smarter, more creative because it's activity in the right brain and have a higher social emotional skills and empathy. People who talk like me are scientifically more honest (I can feel the SHOCK). Science and legitimate research has shown there is correlation to higher levels of integrity, more robust vocabulary and literacy intelligence and even have higher pain tolerance than non-cursers. Do I feel superior? Fuck no. Do people who choose not to curse or do not believe in it feel superior to me? Maybe. Probably. But that's not my problem. They stay in their lane about it and sometimes I never know the difference.

I respect these people no less because they choose not to curse. I love them no less. I think they're no more or less of a person. They are not more moral than me because they don't say fuck. They choose to have that as part of their ethics and morality and everyone's ethics and morality is dictated differently - culture, religion, exposure, personal experience... It goes on. And you know what... People with different values still chose to like me. I still have respect, professionalism, love and friendship even with people who dont have a dirty fucking mouth. * My value is not defined by my vocabulary even when a significant amount of people do not value my vocabulary. *

Now if you don't quite know where I'm going with this yet ...I'll just clarify that I'm not comparing saying the word fuck with abortion. Not outright at least. But I sure as hell argue that I have the right to say any fucking word I want just like you have the right to choose never to utter a curse word in your life. On the continuum is people like me as using profanity as part of pretty regular language. People who casually curse but it's still not part of a typical conversation - maybe to highlight a point or display a very strong emotion. The people who curse to deal with immense stress or pain - emergency cursers. And still people who will find alternative words to express their emphasis differently for their entire life and never even consider using a phrase. All seem perfectly reasonable, huh?

Oddly enough we can have moral, values-based choices that are individualized about almost anything else...cursing, vegetarian or veganism, alcohol use, religion, gambling, educational approaches, clothing (which ironically ALSO primarily effects women). My point is that choice is about the continuum and recognizing that there is one. Veganism and vegetarianism are perfect examples of this. Vegetarians aren't wrong just because Vegans exist.

My point is that I can support someone who thinks they need to make that choice while also simultaneously supporting someone who would also never make that choice based on each individuals views simply because it's NOT my choice. I can also choose to agree on principle or morals but not make it my problem because it's NOT my choice. I can also not know a fucking thing about it because no one owes me the right to know what things are going on between their legs and inside their bodies. You do realize that you can be Pro-Choice and personally VEHEMENTLY against abortion at the exact same time, right? Well guess what.. you can.

The argument for choice is not for or against one single thing... At all. It's for the humanity to recognize that everyone's values are not and will never be the same. It's about the right to wear a mask IF YOU WANT, to decide to take Advil to cure your headache or use peppermint essential oil. It's about my right to have a colorful vocabulary.. and it's about STAYING THE FUCK OUT OF WOMEN'S VAGINAS.

[jimbuchan]

The Pinto Has An Italian Name, But It Isn’t An Italian Car

It matters little how long you have been in the crypto space so long as you know for certainty that your chosen coin or token is the ‘Real McCoy’. This particular criteria, while important, seldom makes the news and takes a back door to the daily price action or volume but if you’re not careful, you could be playing into the hands of the 'financiers’ who have been building a campaign to entice you to buy into their ‘version’ of crypto, but is not the real thing. A good example of this are Futures Contracts which while indeed a part of the asset class, are not settled in cold, hard crypto, but in fiat currency. This means that while 'on paper’ you, and many others hold a 'share’ in the pool, if there’s a windfall, your reward is based on the dollar (or currency of your country). There are other forms of crypto market instruments, but unless you actually custody the asset yourself, it is not really yours, hence the passage “not your keys, not your coins”. The Song Remains Insane While Futures, Investment Trusts and even ETF’s have been around for a long time, the cryptocurrency market likewise is being marketed by major Wall Street players, and hats off to them… they are putting their game face on to convince you their ‘product’ is the best. As Frank Zappa once said, “Art is about making something out of nothing and selling it”, and while the underlying asset (i.e. Bitcoin) is far from nothing, what you are getting at the end is not Bitcoin, but a derivative of their ‘version’ of Bitcoin. The perception being played by those in mainstream media, and in the financial halls of the mighty is that crypto is (i) hard to wrap your head around, (ii) full of pranksters, criminals and ‘ladies of the night’ or more overtly perhaps, simply ‘not for you’. After all, you are a little person and you need guidance and white glove service in order to handle these dangerous goods properly, and as such... ‘we are here to help you’. Sound familiar? The plain truth of the matter for those who are willing to think outside the matrix is that it’s not complicated at all to be your own bank. It’s kind of like weight loss. You can choose to make it complicated through pills, fads or philosophy, or just simply eat less and move more. Custodying your digital assets is likewise as easy by (i) buying your crypto from an exchange and (ii) transferring it to an off-line, cold-storage wallet, like a Ledger Nano. Yours, Or ‘On Your Behalf’ For the newcomers to the crypto space, it’s very easy to trust big-name players in money-markets profess that crypto is scary and is Passé in contrast to traditional investments, which is entirely by design. Of course they are going to say that, because while they are professing the negatives of Bitcoin and other crypto assets, they are in reality stock-piling it for themselves. If you do but a shred of research, it won’t take you long to determine that there is more than enough evidence to support this from JP Morgan to CNBC to others because they want you to stay in the matrix, while they accumulate all the crypto.

It can be a confusing prospect to tell heads from tails when traditionally we’ve been told to do what the big players are doing, but when they tell you one thing but do the opposite, you must make the right choice and put logic first. Like a field that’s been unattended for a long period of time, the only thing that will bear fruit are weeds, which produce nothing of value and if your mind is likewise contaminated with false thoughts of crypto (in their words), you may be kicking yourself when the game’s up. When the dust settles, and the price is out of reach in comparison to when you could have accumulated at the bottom, the next phase in their plan will be to tell us all that the water is safe and, like any major financial institution, we should be trusting them with our crypto assets. This goes back to the importance of storing your own crypto yourself because you are in control, and by being in control, you will pay more heed to your investment and not be at the whim of an entity that instead controls you, monetarily speaking. Left in the hands of others, the best case is that your funds will be available when you choose to withdraw or transfer them. The worst is that you could lose some or all of your investment (i.e. Quadriga) through bad dealings, or through over-leveraged positions (FTX / Alameda Research). It is at these times when folks will be crying foul, so instead, why take the risk, when you can simply store it yourself without remorse of loss. Your Only Friend. The End. Crypto is unlike any other asset class, with the exception that there is a finite amount... a point that is sadly missing from what is being served to us by the financial incumbents and media. Pair this with the importance of self-custody and you have all you need to be both confident and safe in the knowledge of what you really hold. While the underlying ‘promise’ has varied over the years, the ‘look here, don’t look there’ game has been played many times over the decades, with the only difference this time around being the catalyst: Cryptocurrency. And by not owning the physical thing just be aware that if the backers of a crypto fund pull the plug (or are regulated out of existence) the creditors are the ones that get any hope of capital resurrection, leaving you holding the bag Choose to ignore (or dismiss) these basic ideals, and instead believe what they are telling you (or wait until the tier-one institutions say it’s OK), and the opportunity will have passed you by as while the talking heads continue their campaign of False Evidence Appearing Real (Fear), there will no doubt come a time when they will change their tune. What happens then? Your ability to buy crypto will still be there, but at a much, much higher price and if you decide to buy from them and not hold it yourself, your earnings could be nothing more than a fraction of the real deal (via derivatives, futures or other old-world scheme). It’s not that complicated folks... just ensure that if you are going to venture into the crypto space that you hold the tangible asset, and not a fugazi.

Title image by AMT via The Sprue Lagoon  |  Quote by Dread Zeppelin  |  Lyric by Jim Morrison / The Doors

[smokedetected]

R6S Duolingo and language learning HCs

Stupid fluff/crack hcs for some of the r6s operators, inspired by a recent heated discussion in our research group about everyone’s Duolingo habits (lol).

Warnings/notes: none (unless you’re severely traumatized by the Duolingo owl, though if that’s the case, it’s probably already too late anyways) Slight romance and/or suggestiveness in some.

Sorted alphabetically under the cut—I wrote for everyone that popped into my mind at the time.

Ace: Will totally take the initial placement test for Norwegian, just for that cheap and easy XP-boost that will catapult him to the top of the leaderboard and allow him to flex his high score in front of the others. (Everyone knows what’s going on, but let’s let him have this.) Will be extra motivated should you decide to get the app as well and absolutely swoon over you should you decide to take up Norwegian (he still won’t take it well should you outcompete him on the leaderboard, though, so keep that in mind).

Bandit: Doesn’t really care for the app per se, but is more than happy to help expand your knowledge of German swear words and street slang should you decide to take it up, whether you want it or not. If you’re serious about learning the language, he will do his best to help you in earnest and make an effort to include you in the German banter between the GSG9 member (be careful, though, as he will absolutely take the opportunity to feed you wrong and/or offensive words every now and then so he can have a laugh when you cheerfully insult any of the other German operators, thinking you were merely throwing out some German slang). Will be more encouraged than ever to give you German pet names. He would also take the opportunity to introduce you to his favorite German bands and songs (just stay wary of the meaning of some of the lyrics you will inevitably pick up).

Blitz: This is his home turf—Elias doesn’t need to be convinced to download the app, he already has it (and every other language learning app out there) ready to go on his phone. He finds the questions and problems in Duolingo too easy to really challenge him, but he’ll use it to refresh his memory on grammar and vocabulary during breaks or look into the more exotic languages they offer just for fun. Gets very excited if you are interested in languages, too, and all the more so if the language you want to learn happens to be German! He will send you all kinds of materials and resources to help you study, from news articles to memes. When he sees you practicing using the app, he will come up to you and give you a kiss whenever you get an exercise right.

Doc: Gustave always encourages the people around him to try new things and stay flexible, physically and mentally, so he welcomes it when you introduce him to the app. Other operators might complain about the persistent reminders sent by the app, but Doc actually appreciates them—without them, he would quickly forget about the app again as he’s always caught up with work late into the night. Should you decide to learn French, he will gladly practice with you whenever you have a moment of time throughout the day, remaining patient and encouraging even as you torment him with the exhilarating questions about his name and profession that come with the early stages of learning a new language.

Dokkaebi: Will get super competitive and try to get as many of the other Rainbow members as possible into Duolingo as well. They don’t all have to learn the same language, but there will be an internal competition about who earns the most points every week. Will probably act casually about it, but then log into the app again at the last minute before the leaderboard closes, while her fellow operators are either already asleep or focused on something else and absolutely obliterate them and their scores. If you tell her that you want to learn Korean, she might be a bit surprised at first, but will quickly find it endearing when it becomes apparent that you’re serious about it. She loves it when you text her in Korean whenever you learned something new and will in turn send you Korean proverbs and other tidbits you might fight interesting.

Glaz: Not a huge fan of the app (maybe because he doesn’t think the interface is visually appealing?). Would maybe use it to gain a basic understanding of the language of a country he’s sent to on a mission + any themed lessons that catch his eye. If your native language isn’t English or Russian, he would use the app to check out the basics while he’s away from you, though he would much rather get the explanations directly from you. If you inform him that you’re trying to learn Russian, his heart will melt and he will shower you with sweet words of praise and encouragement to make you feel comfortable enough to speak to him in his native language. Will also buy you a premium subscription when you aren’t looking to make learning even more fun for you.

IQ: Monika is smart and a quick learner - you know it, I know it, it’s literally implied in her codename. Quickly uninstalls the app again because she finds the exercises too easy and doesn’t want to bother wasting time on having to unlock the few lessons she’d actually be interested in. If you or another operator were the ones getting her into the app, however, she’d keep it around just so she can keep doing the weekly challenges with you—she finds it cute when you get all competitive about it and it makes her happy that you want to participate in them with her. Her first reaction to you telling her that you want to learn German would be a blunt “Why?,” as she thinks you might get more use out of other languages. Tell her that you’re doing it for her and she becomes incredibly flustered (all the more so should you decide to call her by one or more German pet name(s)), yet happy at the same time.

Jäger: Marius quickly incorporated the app into his daily routine, usually getting his daily session in during breakfast or dinner. Will regularly remind his GSG9 colleagues to use the app by sharing his milestones to their group chat (*screenshot of perfect 2-week-streak* “Und bei euch so? 😏” (”what about you guys? 😏”) Will be very giddy should you decide to learn German—he’s very eager to practice with you and will constantly point out how certain things are called in German as well as give you additional info and expressions. He’ll probably get ahead of himself and it will be nearly impossible to remember everything he’s telling you, but he doesn’t expect you to and is glad to repeat it.

Kapkan: Hates it. Thinks the interface looks stupid, the sample conversations pointless, and was just about ready to ask Sledge to borrow his hammer to smash his phone and computer because he accidentally consented to receive all the reminders and push notifications and it’s driving him insane. If you’re using the app to learn a language and feel like its helping you, however, he is willing to put up with the eye sore that is the Duolingo owl and the noise pollution coming from the app, just for you (particularly if the language you are trying to learn is Russian—his adoration for your efforts outweighs any negative feelings he may have). If your native language is something different from Russian or English, he would make an effort to learn at least the basics in it when things start to get serious. While he’s a diligent student, he becomes surprisingly shy and easily flustered when attempting to speak to you in your native language, so stay patient and give him lots of encouragement.

Montagne: As his perceived lack of proficiency in foreign languages when compared to some of the other Rainbow operators is something that’s been bothering him on and off for some time, he was very happy and receptive when you introduced him to the app. He uses it to quietly practice by himself during moments of downtime as he goes about his day. I feel like he’d be the type of person to have a 500+ day streak that makes you go “damn! :0″ when you see it on their profile for the first time. Is over the moon when you reveal to him that you’ve been trying to learn some French for him and have nothing but praise for even your most awkward attempts at speaking to him in French. Naturally, he will want to repay the favor and take up your language in return, but it will take some verbal encouragement from you before he overcomes his shyness to actually talk to you in your native language.

Mute: would never resort to cheap exploits like raking in a massive number of points by acing the placement test in his native language (as others are rumored to have done), but would quickly figure out the little tricks, bonuses, and power-ups that allow him to continuously earn the highest score possible while learning. Finds the exercises too easy and doesn’t like how you have to unlock certain topics through progression, rather than being able to freely choose what you’re interested in learning right from the beginning. If your native language isn’t English, he will look for other better resources on it on his own. Even if English isn’t your first language, he doesn’t really see any concrete need for you to improve but will respect your desire to do so by providing you with recommendations for English books and movies, as well as the offer of discussing them with him once you’re done with them.

Smoke: While the gamification aspect does hold some appeal in his eyes, he doesn’t really feel the need to follow the path given by the app—he’s convinced that if you want to learn a new language, it should ideally come naturally to you by actively engaging with source materials in it (read: chemical safety data sheets, scientific papers, and online shitposts). Should his daughter discover her love for Duolingo-based language learning, however, you bet he would download and use the app, if only to keep her happy and connect with her (he would, however, be equally happy if you were to compete with her in the challenges in his stead—in fact, he would only adore you more for doing so). If your native language isn’t English, the first thing he would ask you to teach him are swearwords, if nothing else, so he can annoy his fellow operators even more effectively. If things get serious between the two of you, however, he will be more than eager to learn other things as well from you.

Tachanka: Would use the app to learn a few bits in your language as an icebreaker and to surprise you & show you how much he cares about you. Flirty and straightforward as he is, he would then quickly graduate to asking you for some one-on-one conversation training sessions, offering to teach you basic Russian (or flirting/swearwords, depending on how you roll). Should you decide to learn Russian, he will be all over you whenever you use your newly acquired, meager language skills on him — he will be incredibly happy and proud of you. In fact, he might get a little too excited and unintentionally embarrass you a little by boasting about your “skills” to his fellow Spetsnaz members, putting you on the spot when they subsequently demand a first-hand demonstration. He’s quick to pick up on the naughtiest, most suggestive expressions in your native language and will make good use of them behind closed doors with absolutely zero shame, causing your blood to flow to your face (as well as other places) whenever he does so.

Thatcher: Was most definitely pressured into getting the app by someone else on his team and only begrudgingly agreed to use it under the condition that that person would also set everything up for him. He will quickly get annoyed by it and delete it after Duo keeps counting typos he didn’t bother to correct as mistakes, subsequently providing you with ample opportunity to expand your vocabulary of British swearing. If English isn’t your native language, he would try to learn some phrases from your first language for you. He’s very serious about it and somehow selects rather lyrical source materials for this endeavor—on occasion he sounds like an old-timey gentleman plucked straight from a romance novel, causing a blush to appear on your cheeks every time he talks to you like that.

Thermite: Another one who would probably see Duolingo as a kind of dating app with extra steps. Would repeatedly come to you under the pretense of asking you how certain features of the app work, etc., just so he has an excuse to stay close to you. If you’re in an established relationship, he will ask you for a kiss for every exercise he gets right whenever he’s actually using it to practice. Will make an effort to remember the most random sample phrases to repeat them back to his fellow operators in their native language and think he’s hilarious for doing so. If you’re the type of person that gets discouraged whenever you accidentally miss a day, causing your streak to break (the type of person he is), he will briefly log into your account and do a quick and easy exercise just to keep your streak going when he sees you haven’t logged into the app after you’ve already gone to bed. Will also really work with the random, basic phrases he’s learned in your language so far to impress you or at least make you laugh.

___________

thank you for reading! <3  these were very fun to do! If you are missing a specific operator, I didn’t spontaneously have a scenario of them pop into my mind, but you are free to request them.

Next post (in a few days) will be less shitpost-y (I hope, lol)~!

[dr4kenlvr]

soft kisses 4 soft hands

pairings: mikey sano, mitsuya takashi, baji keisuke x gn!reader

genre/wc: fluff (0.6k+)

request: Hello, I noticed you have a Tokyo revenge hc of reader with rough hands from working hard, but may we have one of Mikey, mitsuyu, and baji with a reader that has small, delicate hands that must always be kept soft cause she’s a hand model? Thxs

MIKEY:

"so that's why they're so soft!" <3

has never considered that hand modelling was a real profession until you tell him, and he recalls all the photos of hands he's seen advertising products like watches or makeup

he's interested truly! and he always asks you so many questions about your job hehe

his curiousity leads him to try your hand care routine, hoping to one day achieve what you have

"then you should maybe consider not punching others all the time, mikey."

"hmmm, then i guess i can never have hands like yours" :(

tells emma about you, and she also gets super curious it's so sweet, she offers to go shopping for products that'll help the both of you

she often says how jealous of how delicate your hands are, and is always complimenting them

mikey pays more attention to them after too; he always has a thumb rubbing circles onto your knuckles, or a hand wrapped protectively around yours

offers to do any work that might blemish the quality of your hands, like cutting the vegetables or cooking in general

(even though he sucks at it)

yeah, he should just leave it to emma and you <3

MITSUYA:

is immediately hooked when he learns about what you do for a living, he listens attentively and nods his head every now and then it's so cute

he gets curious and does some research about it that night too, reading articles upon articles about the art of hand modelling

asks you the next day to give him a list of the products you like most, so that he'll have a shopping list for the next time you need to restock

likes to hold your hand with both of his, and give them gentle kisses, telling you "they really are beautiful, i'm a lucky one huh?"

and as he's touching you like you're the most precious gem on earth, you can't help but tell him "not as lucky as i am"

mitsuya will start to pay more attention to his hands after getting some (needed) advice from you

i headcanon his hands to be soft, yes, but also to have some cuts and blemishes here and there due to his sewing hobbies

thanks you for this really, as he's more attentive on how he works

he'll go slow and steady in order to prevent any further injuries

you scold him when he accidentally hurts himself, and although he doesn't like getting scolded at, he sure does enjoy the sweet kiss you give his fingers to "help him heal" <3

BAJI:

"you're a what?"

has never heard of it, but he's into it

model?????? model = money, right? (and yes, he's right)

he finds it super cool, that you can make a living off your hands

"HAH imagine if i could do that," he says as he shows off his rough hands covered in bandages

"uhh better think twice" :p

always finds himself playing with your hands

like he'll just subconsicously reaching for them to twiddle with your finger while you guys watch a show together

or he'll grab your hand and make you put it on his face so he can rub against it

"so.. soft" - his voice is muffled because it's pressed into your palm

is very impressed that you can keep up with all of the routine and care that it takes too

"you've got so much shit here damn! like what's the difference, i just use my mom's stuff"

wants you to sit him down so you can explain and take him through each step of the process

it's so cute, he's listening silently with his head slightly tilted and he'll ask questions which shows he's actually interested <333

always gives you a peck on your hands to "rejuvenate them, duh"

thanks baji <3

taglist: @dai-tsukki-desu @chuuae @kazuhoya @gwynsapphire @eriskaitto @sscarchiyo (send an ask or dm to be added!)

your interactions are very appreciated <3

[whythinktoomuch]

Andrea sighs. “I hate this part.”

“And what part would that be?” Kara spares a small glance for her, but continues to tug on her socks, her shoes, and anything else that she might need on her way out of Andrea’s apartment without a second thought. Again.

“The part where you make me sleep alone.”

Kara whips her head around. “… I’m sorry?”

“Nothing.”

Andrea regrets everything as she buries her head underneath her pillow. Maybe she can blame this sudden onset of weakness on her most recent trend of foregone sleep, or maybe even the very reason for said lack of sleep now standing at the foot of her soon-to-be half-emptied bed. But it certainly isn’t something that deserves any more elaboration, much less voiced.

Unfortunately though, Kara’s never been one to let something go. The rustle of clothing dies away, leading to a padding of steps which leads to the sagging of Andrea’s bed as Kara sits down beside her. “Hey, what’s going on?”

--

“Nothing,” Andrea repeats, her voice firm despite being muffled under her pillow. “Make sure to lock the door on your way out.”

“No, come on…” Kara’s tugging on Andrea’s arm, thumb rubbing gently into her skin. “Talk to me. Please? I’m right here.”

Groaning to herself, Andrea finally sits up, frown deeply set and disgruntled. “Where are you even going anyway?”

Kara takes a deep breath before answering, and Andrea hates how these are the kinds of things that refuse to escape her notice now. “I told you,” Kara says slowly. “I’m meeting a source downtown.”

“Right now? After midnight?” Andrea says with a scoff. “You don’t have a better, more business-friendly time—I don’t know—during the day to be meeting up with these people?”

“I have to go where the story takes me! And I also have to meet my sources on their own terms if I want to cultivate a lasting sense of trust and profess—”

“But for what article?” Andrea demands. “You’ve already met all your deadlines for this week. You wouldn’t be here”—she gestures aimlessly about her bed—“otherwise, so what else could you possibly be researching right now?”

“It’s…” Kara stumbles slightly, and Andrea wills her heart to harden into something that can never sink. “This is for a new story. One that I’m thinking about pitching. Soon.”

“Okay. What story?”

“I can’t tell you yet! It’s not ready,” Kara says, and Andrea just scoffs again. “Hey, seriously. What’s really bothering you? You never care about my work.”

“I’m your boss, Kara. It’s literally my job to care about your work.”

“Just tell me what’s actually bothering you, and I’ll fix it.”

Andrea rubs at her face. “I’d just… really like to know what it’s like to sleep next to my girlfriend for once…”

“Your girlfriend?” Kara echoes. “Who’s your girl—oh!” Her eyebrows nearly shoot up to her hairline. “Wait, oh…”

Groaning once more, now about ready to bury her entire body beneath her pillow if possible, Andrea just waves her hand. “Never mind, okay? Just go.”

“No, hey, hey, hey…” Kara tugs on Andrea’s wrist, refusing, per usual, to let an unwieldy moment die down on its own. “Girlfriend?”

“Forget I even said anything…” Andrea starts, but Kara seems quite unwilling to. In fact, she’s looking at Andrea in complete awe, and Andrea can’t help but straighten up at the attention. Maybe even pushing out her chest a bit just to make a point. “All right, fine, we can talk about this. But you should know right now, that I can’t date anyone who refuses to sleep with me.”

“Pfft, what do you mean? We literally sleep with each other all the time,” Kara protests, until Andrea shoots her a meaningful look—glare. “Oh… Right. You meant, just sleeping, sleeping. Um. Okay. Well, I guess that’s something we can try if you really want…”

Andrea rolls her eyes. “I don’t want you to try it just to appease me, Kara. I want you to want it too. For your own sake.”

“I do want it too! I just didn’t realize that it was something that you’d want. From me, especially.”

“Why the hell not?” Andrea says. “I’m sorry—was the past hour and a half not convincing enough for you?”

Kara flushes all over, sputtering, “No, what I meant was… I didn’t realize that you actually liked me like that?”

“Again. Was the past hour and—”

“I get your point,” Kara says, flapping her hands. “And okay. I, you know… like you too.”

“Oh, how promising,” Andrea mutters, but her nerves were undeniably starting to settle. The flow of conversation now comfortably in her favor.

“And I do want that too,” Kara continues, cracking a smile. “So… let’s do it. Let’s be girlfriends who, you know, sleep together.”

“Deal.” Andrea clears her throat, fidgeting with her sheets. “I imagine that it’ll have to start another night though, no?”

Kara rubs at the back of her neck. “I’m sorry. I just really have to meet this source tonight. It’s really important, I swear.”

“Fine,” Andrea says in a sigh. “It’s not like I don’t understand the need to put one’s career first.”

Kara pouts. She reaches out to cradle Andrea’s face, thumb tracing down her cheek, and Andrea’s not melting, she’s not melting, she’s not.

“I’ll come back,” Kara says at last. “No matter how long this meeting goes for, I promise to come straight back here and sleep with you.”

“Oh, you promise?” Andrea laughs, but there’s a serious glint to Kara’s eyes, twinkling in the way that they do in the strangest moments sometimes.

“Absolutely. I’ll be right back. And I’ll be right here for you, okay?”

Andrea lets out another laugh, ducking her head slightly. “Okay. I guess we’ll see how you do then.”

“Thank you,” Kara says, beaming. “But for now, I really do have to go. I’m actually kinda late now.”

“Then go. I ain’t keeping ya.”

Kara leans in, clearly in askance of a goodbye kiss, but when Andrea goes to cup her face, Kara resists just a tad. “Trust me,” she says. “You kiss me like that, and I’ll never make it out of here.”

“Want to test that little theory?” Andrea asks, her voice dropped into huskier territory, and Kara accordingly flushes pink cheek to cheek.

“Oh… boy…” Kara says in a hushed whisper. “I… er, I gotta go though, so…” She quickly shakes her head. “Yup, gotta go, gotta go. So sorry, but bye!” Pecking at Andrea’s cheek, Kara all but bolts out the door.

With a tiny unseen pout, Andrea sinks back into her bed, her moment of vulnerability already regretted with that aching part of her chest. But Kara promised to come back, and she seems the type to keep promises like that—the girlfriend type, that is.

Andrea’s final thought as she’s drifting off is a fleeting hope that wherever Kara’s rushing off to meet her source wouldn’t be anywhere near the sirens that have been going off. The last thing this would-be relationship needs is for Andrea’s would-be girlfriend to get stuck in traffic this late at night because of fire trucks or something.

//

Andrea wakes up to a sudden dip in her bed, coherent thoughts still slow to return as a column of warmth wraps around her middle from behind. She blinks blearily into the darkness. The sharp bite of smoke lingering in the air somehow only seems to get stronger the clearer her vision gets.

“Sorry I’m late, baby,” comes a sleepy mumble close to her ear, and Andrea starts to chuckle, her surprise melting into blessed relief.

There’s a wry comment sitting on Andrea’s tongue as she glances over her shoulder, but the specifics of it all gets lost when she sees Supergirl curled up against her. “Whoa. W-wait…”

“Oh, m’s’rry…” Supergirl says softly, eyes still squeezed shut. “Forgot to ask… Can I call you ‘baby’ now, since we’re girlfriends who sleep together and stuff…?”

Andrea is reeling, as she takes in the sight. That is to say, the sight of National City’s darling and daring hero rapidly passing out in her bed, blonde hair strewn across Kara’s go-to pillow like a golden halo, her bulk scrunched up into a tiny ball of warmth pressed into Andrea’s side, cape splayed out without a care.

“You’re…” Andrea clears her throat, hopefully ridding herself of the dry stutter caught within. “Excuse me, you’re wearing boots in my bed.”

Supergirl lets out a small whine—there’s a literal, bona fide superhero whining all disgruntled in Andrea’s bed right now—and kicks out her feet. “But I’m so tired, maybe-baby.”

“Maybe-baby,” Andrea echoes, rolling her eyes, because okay, this is definitely Kara all right.

She manages to extricate herself from Kara’s embrace with surprising ease, considering, then manages to tug Supergirl’s boots off one by one with far less ease. But the sight that Andrea’s greeted with startles her into soft laughter.

“Hey. What’s so funny…”

“I like your socks,” Andrea says, slipping back under the sheets, eyes fluttering shut when Kara sidles right up against her once more. “You know, you weren’t wearing those when you left me.”

“Is it really leaving when I come right back?”

“Yes.”

Kara snorts, burying herself into Andrea’s hair with a sigh. “Mm, I like my socks too. Was a gift from Santa,” she says, and Andrea can almost feel Kara wiggling her toes. “I like the smilin’ fruits…”

“Yes, I figured you would.”

Kara lets out a mock scandalized gasp, “It’s s’pposed to be secret Santa, you know…”

“You know what else is supposed be a secret?” Andrea shoots back, arching an eyebrow that is of course lost on her half-asleep almost-girlfriend. But Kara seems to know, because she grins.

“Hm. We can talk about it in the morning, mm’kay?”

“Oh, we most certainly will,” Andrea says, turning on her side, allowing herself to be happily spooned. “Good night, Supergirl.”

“Yeah, yeah, good night, maybe-baby.”

[ravenousnightwind]

The unfortunate thing I've realized about stuff like this, is that even nonprofit organizations that have really great Healthcare systems, do profit in some way, and behind the scenes they don't treat their workers very well. I say this because my partner used to work in a very popular nonprofit research hospital, and even as a pharmacy tech, his job was up to be canceled when covid came about. Even the social worker who called me as a check up ended up spilling her concerns to me over her own job.

From my perspective, it isn't as much the workers as much as it is the higher ups controlling what the workers are doing, potentially threatening their jobs. Even in my partners current employment in a pharmacy of a grocery store, they told them over time that they were going to have to take their masks off. Rules became more lax, however, as time passed.

Still, it's really the system and not the people themselves. Though some of them aren't great either. I can only speak as a disabled person who has a partner who works in the medical profession, though as a pharmacy tech. I'm inclined to agree, though. When you have a sort of authority, they may not take things seriously. I've seen some very awful things medical professionals do from all angles.

However, while I agree it's good to be vigilant, we should be aware that their job does not define their person, and there are good people out there who are doing better. But it is true, you should always, and i mean always, for any reason, question medical professionals. They aren't infallible. If they tell you not to wear a mask, and your immune system isn't great, then yeah, you should probably wear one. Just the same, if they act like things aren't serious, when they totally are, it probably means they don't actually care, and those are the people you need to look out for.

I know how difficult this can be personally because I've been mistreated by people in the medical system simply because they think they know better and have the authority to do whatever they want. Even as so much to let a man die when he's crying in pain. (Yes, I'm serious. A friend of mine once witnessed such an event while a nurse ignored his pleas for help.)

Take care of yourselves, be vigilant, but also be open to trust. While it's true, there are some shitty people in the system. If we demonize everybody in there, then we're also not gonna get the care we need. At least in my own experience, I had to trust someone, and I was lucky enough to find/have medical professionals who actually gave a damn. So if it feels funky, yeah, you probably ought to set boundaries or something.

If you’re a healthcare worker or your friends or a family member or whoever whatever to one, I do not trust you perspective about patient welfare. Mask mandates have lifted in the hospital/clinic settings. Many, many sick people and infected but asymptomatic cycle through those doors daily, and each of those people see other people who see other people.

I have to go back to the doctors in June to check to see if my body is still trying to kill me, and this is after not only that entire fucking year, but also those worst months in the fall— I have to go back after the mask mandate was lifted in my clinic.

I have to go in there and see the nurses and doctors who decided to stop masking. I won’t know if the nurse touching me has touched someone else who has COVID, or became infected by an asymptomatic patient that they saw prior to me.

I’m genuinely so scared to see if my doctor decided to work without a mask. She’s the best doctor I’ve had so far (and that’s saying a fucking lot), and I don’t know how to sit in the same room if someone who was wanting me to not die last year is not wearing that n95 anymore. I don’t know how to look at her and not see a betrayal yet again, a blatant showing of someone’s refusal to care about disabled patients, disabled people.

My immune system is shit, and I cannot afford to get it. I caught a simple cold after five years of not getting taken down by a virus all because of my body being too weak to fight back. My fiancée and I have managed to be extremely cautious over the years, and I’m so fucking thankful I have not caught it because this would ruin my entire life, and could possibly end it.

Does anyone know a good therapist for medical trauma 💀

[five-rivers]

So first, I just want to say that I love Mortified, especially the arcs involving Ereshkigal and Innana. The whole thing is absolutely incredible, and I'm always thrilled to see an update. Second, I was rather hoping to offer you a prompt I've had swirling about my head. What if there is some sort of research facility exploring "that which is unknown and previously thought to be impossible" (i.e. magic but they don't call it that because people don't really know about magic and ghosts in this AU) and Danny's class is invited to go on a field trip there. At first, everything is normal, but just after the class leaves the researchers realize that their instruments show that some sort of Eldritch Horror is nearby and they start freaking out, but it's just Danny. I don't know where else this would go though.

Mr. Lancer chewed on the end of his pen.  It was a disgusting habit, he knew, but he could never quite get himself to kick it, especially when he had a problem to confront.  

Said problem was, presently, that enough of his students had expressed an interest in careers in ectology and paranormal science that he really had to give them a relevant field trip.  Unfortunately, there were very few reputable options for such a field trip.  The Fentons were unsafe, Axion Labs refused to give tours, the GIW were essentially a government sponsored hate group.  Most other ‘ghost hunting agencies’ were outright scams.  

But there had to be something nearby.  Or at least in the state.  Maybe not something that explicitly or solely dealt with ghosts, but something.  

Maybe...

Oh!

He shifted to sit straighter in his chair.  That would work.  He started typing an email.

.

“We got a what?” repeated Johannsson.  

“A field trip request,” repeated Deer.  

“Like... from a school?” asked Johannsson, cautiously.  

“A high school,” confirmed Deer, sounding rather stunned.  

“Do they... know what we do here?” 

“Evidently,” said Deer.  

“Like, they know we research magic and telepathy and stuff.”

“Yes.”

“And astral projection, higher-dimensional beings, alternate universes, that kind of thing?  Fringe science?”

“He says the junior class is interested in the ‘paranormal sciences.’”

“Wow,” said Johannsson, finally bringing his coffee up to his mouth and sipping at it cautiously.  “Where,” he started, “where are they from?”

“Um,” said Deer, peering at her computer screen.  “Casper High.  One sec.”  She started typing.  “It’s in Amity Park?  Do you think it’s a joke?”

“Ah,” said Johannsson.  “No, that tracks, actually, if it’s Amity Park.  We’ve got some weird readings on file from there, if you look it up.”

“It’s close,” said Deer.  “If we get readings, why don’t we have a presence there?”

“Another agency called dibs first,” said Johannsson.  “We have enough trouble.  No need to step on toes.”

Deer looked up at Johannsson incredulously.  “We fight eldritch abominations from the edge of reality,” she said.  “Is the boss really worried about stepping on toes?”

“Hey, that’s how we get funding,” said Johannsson, shrugging.  “We don’t want to end up like MKUltra.”

“MKUltra was a scam, Steve.  And also mostly illegal.”

“Yeah?”

Deer shrugged.  “Anyway, should I send this on, or...?”

“Yeah, go ahead.  The boss will probably get a kick out of it, if nothing else.”

.

“I would not have told the boss about this if I knew I’d be the one babysitting a bunch of teenagers,” said Deer through a clenched smile.  She jerked on the hem of her blouse, not used to the more formal clothes she was wearing on this momentous occasion.   

“Yeah,” said Johannsson, “but it isn’t like we get a lot of people coming into this profession for this profession.  And they’re kids.  So be nice.”

“I’m always nice,” grumbled Deer.  

“Well, look like it,” said Johannsson, elbowing her.  He caught sight of the yellow school bus.  “Here they come now.”

They waited until most of the students had gotten off the bus to approach.  

“Hi,” said Johannsson, “you must be Mr. Lancer.”

“That’s me,” said the rather frazzled-looking teacher.  “Come on kids, let’s get settled down.  Listen to our guides.  Let them introduce themselves.”

“Yeah, hey,” said Johannsson, waving.  “Welcome to the Edge Institute, where we study that which is unknown and often thought to be impossible.”

“Hi,” said Deer, frowning at one group of students in particular.  Johannsson followed her eyes.  

The trio in question didn’t seem particularly out of the ordinary.  Except...  Well, there was a reason Deer worked here.  

“I’m Steve Johannsson,” he said, getting back on track.  “This is Sylvia Deer.  We mostly work in report processing and assessment, but that brings us into contact with all our other departments, so we’re more than suited to show you around.”

Sylvia put her thumbs up.  “Yep,” she said.  

“Most of what we work with isn’t terribly dangerous, however, there are exceptions to that rule, and we have some classified projects, so don’t wander off.  Stay within view of us at all times.”

“What if we need to use the bathroom?” asked a student.

“Well, that’s different,” admitted Johannsson.  “We’ve got a couple scheduled stops, so make sure you go at those times.  Other than that, don’t go through any doors we don’t open for you and don’t touch anything without asking first.  Got it?”

There was a soft murmur of assent.  

“Come on, kids,” said Mr. Lancer, clapping, “he asked a question.”

The murmur became slightly more unanimous.  

“Right,” said Deer.  She jerked her head towards the building.  “Let’s go.”

“Anyway,” said Johannsson, “this is reception, which is the only part of the building freely open to the general public.  If you do need to go to the bathroom, they’re right there.  We’re going to hang out here for a few minutes, get everyone taken care of.”

Most of the students made their way to the restrooms immediately, however, that one trio stayed put.  

“Hey,” said the smallest of the group, “do you guys hear that?”

“Hear what?” asked Johannsson.

“Um,” said the boy, slightly rocking forward on the balls of his feet, “there’s, like, an alarm or a siren going off?  It’s really faint, but is everything okay?”

“We’d get a text,” said Deer.  “Not to mention an announcement on the PA system.”

“And the radios,” said Johannsson, tapping his.  

“Right,” said Deer, nodding.  “Maybe you have tinnitus or something?”

“Isn’t that recurrent, though?” asked Johannsson.  “He’d know if he had it.”

“I do not have tinnitus,” said the boy, firmly.  “I really think there’s an alarm going off.  Or maybe someone has a mosquito ringtone.  Gosh, I hate those...”

Johannsson glanced at Deer and noted that she, once again, was staring at the children rather intensely.  Mostly at the boy, but that made sense since he was the one speaking.  

“Danny has good hearing,” said the girl, who was decked out in an array of gothic and mystic symbols.  One which, on closer inspection, would probably be fairly effective at passive protection.  

Johannsson wondered if that was the result of research, intuition, or sheer luck.  

Perhaps that was why Deer was looking at them like that?

“Maybe I’m just imagining it,” said Danny, shaking his head.  “Let’s go to the bathrooms.  There’s probably a line by now.”

Once the kids were gone, and Johannsson and Deer were more or less alone in the entry hall, Johannsson turned to Deer.  “Think we should call Detection?”

“Yeah,” said Deer, pulling out her phone.  “There’s something not right, here.”

“Maybe he’s a sensitive?” suggested Johannsson.  “He could be picking up a project.”

“Or maybe he’s like you and he’ll break every piece of tech invented in the last twenty-five years as soon as he touches it.  Or he was cursed by a goddess, like Vicky in Containment.  Or maybe he just has tinnitus and is in denial.  I still don’t like this.”  She finished dialing Detection and brought the phone to her ear.  “Hey, I-”  She pulled the phone away, glared at it and cautiously brought it back.  “What’s going on?  An incursion?  Then why aren’t we on lockdown?”

Johannsson’s blood ran cold.  “An incursion?  How big?”

Deer held up a hand.  “That doesn’t-  You know we can’t detect everything!  It doesn’t matter if nothing else gets triggered, the protocol is lockdown until we can determine- If you had done your job, the kids would still be on the damn bus!”

At this point, Deer’s shouts had drawn the attention and worry of Mr. Lancer and several of the students who had emerged from the bathrooms.  

“Is everything alright?” asked the man.  

Johannsson glanced at Deer.  “No,” he decided, just before the security shutters slammed down and the emergency lighting came on.  “I’m really sorry,” he said, “but it seems like some of our colleagues were overly excited about your tour and didn’t, er, follow proper procedure following a, uh, event.  So-”

The PA system stuttered into life.  “Attention.  A level seven entity has been detected.  All nonessential personnel, please proceed to the nearest shelter.  Repeat-”

“Seven?” echoed Johannsson, starting to sweat.  “Seven?”

“It’s probably a false alarm,” said Deer, putting away her phone and smiling in the way only people who feel very ill do.  “None of the other incursion detectors went off.  No radiation associated with dimensional breaks or anything.  We should still get everyone to a shelter.  Maybe you can round up everyone from the bathrooms?”

“Right,” said Mr. Lancer, who was enviably calm.  

“Is an entity like a ghost or something?” asked one of the kids, who clearly weren’t grasping the gravity of the situation.  “How strong is a seven?”

Level seven entities couldn’t be described in terms of strength alone.  They were eldritch, uncaring gods that tore at the fabric of reality with their very presence, creatures that had no business being on the material plane.  They shed bright magic and dark science in their wake, leaving those unfortunate enough to see them grappling with madness that was not.  

He really wanted to know what was happening in Amity Park (ghosts?) that made these people so blasé about the alarms, flashing lights, and security shutters.  

Wait a second.  

He unclipped his radio from his belt.  “This is Johannsson, calling detection.  Can you describe the signal to me?  Over.”

The radio crackled.  “Slowly rising over the last thirty minutes, peaking and plateauing in the last ten.  Why?  Do you have something?  Over.”

The bus had arrived ten minutes ago.  Johannsson closed his eyes.  “Maybe.  Will inform.  Over and out.”

He looked over at the bathroom where Danny and his two friends were emerging.  Danny had his hands pressed over his ears.  Whenever the overhead lights flashed off, the boys eyes reflected green.  Just for a second.  

Yeah.  Johannsson had something.  The question was, what was he going to do about it?

[c-ptsdrecovery]

Things I wish mental health professionals and researchers understood about trauma

--There are two major kinds of PTSD: “simple” PTSD, and Complex PTSD (aka C-PTSD). Simple PTSD is caused by a single traumatic experience. Complex PTSD is caused by multiple traumatic experiences, usually extending into early childhood. 

--Complex PTSD, although it gets less attention, is actually more common than simple PTSD. The majority (though not all) people with PTSD actually have Complex PTSD, not simple PTSD. (You can also see this in the fact that childhood trauma is considered a predisposing factor for developing “simple” PTSD)

--The DSM-V requires that a person have gone through a “life-threatening” experience in order to develop PTSD. This is obviously incorrect to anyone who has experience in treating (C)PTSD. Emotional neglect alone is sufficient to traumatize people, especially children. Many people with (C)PTSD have never experienced a life-threatening situation, and requiring this for a diagnosis means a hell of a lot of people aren’t getting the help they need. “Small-t” traumas need to get a hell of a lot more recognition as trauma, rather than focusing entirely on “Big-T” traumas.

--A lot of people who experienced childhood emotional neglect (CEN) do not realize that this was traumatic for them. This comes from a combination of factors, including cultural issues (our culture is really bad at recognizing emotional neglect and trauma in general), experience (if you grew up with emotional neglect, you tend to think it’s normal), and alexithymia (an inability to “feel” or identify one’s own emotions, which is a common symptom of childhood trauma and CEN). Rates of diagnosis for trauma disorders are therefore much lower than the rates of people who are actually experiencing those disorders.

--Focusing on brain chemistry in the treatment of disorders such as depression and anxiety often comes at the cost of ignoring the (often unrecognized) traumas that frequently contribute to or cause these mental health disorders. While medication is a helpful and frequently necessary part of mental health treatment, more focus needs to go toward other kinds of treatment.

--Because of the mental health profession’s poor track record at recognizing trauma, we really don’t know how many cases of issues like depression and anxiety are associated with (often childhood) trauma and how many are simply caused by a chemical imbalance. It could be that the vast majority of mental health issues are actually traumagenic (caused by trauma), at least in part. We simply don’t know.

--In particular, I suspect our numbers are skewed by trauma’s intergenerational nature. People who have been traumatized, especially if they haven’t had sufficient treatment, very frequently go on to traumatize their children. This being the case, and the childhood trauma having gone unrecognized by our mental health programs, how accurate are the studies that look at genetic versus environmental factors in the development of mental health disorders? If researchers are just asking participants, “Have you had a life-threatening experience?” or even “Have you been traumatized?” to find out whether they are actually suffering from past trauma... that is deeply insufficient for actually establishing whether they ARE traumatized. Almost up until the point where I was diagnosed with Complex PTSD, I would not have told you I had been traumatized. Nonetheless, I had become so depressed as a result of my trauma that I had started making suicide plans. I was deeply traumatized, but I could never have identified that for myself for 30+ years of my life. The actual magnitude of the effect of trauma hasn’t, I think, been TOUCHED by the state of current research on the topic.

--Patients suffer a huge amount of additional trauma from the ignorance of therapists. Huge numbers of therapists believe and advertise that they know how to treat trauma, but actually have not been trained in the (often very delicate) work of trauma therapy. This can lead, not only to growing despair in their patients, who go to therapy for years and yet never seem to get any better, but also to therapists inadvertently re-traumatizing their patients through clumsy (if well-meant) therapy. Best practices for trauma therapy need to be established and taught widely, and a better universal (or at least national) system of certifying therapists for trauma work needs to be instituted. Trying to find a good trauma therapist is a traumatizing MORASS that even a mentally healthy person should not have to try to wade through.

--Many mental health professionals are abusive toward their patients--especially, it seems, in the case of psychiatrists. It has long been known that the medical field attracts narcissistic personalities: some kind of system needs to be developed to try to weed out abusive people from medical professions, perhaps especially the mental health field. Mental health professionals need to be trained in how to approach trauma survivors, and also in what constitutes emotional and mental abuse. Out of the four psychiatrists I have seen, I was directly emotionally abused by two of them and (perhaps inadvertently) traumatized by the other two. People with mental health struggles are the LAST people who need to be traumatized by abusive or ignorant medical professionals, and psychiatrists should be the LAST medical professionals to be doing the traumatizing, yet here we are. Weeding out abusive personalities from this field--and educating about what constitutes abusive behavior--needs to be proactive, not reactive. Mental health patients frequently do not recognize abusive behavior as abuse and frequently do not have the emotional resources to lodge official complaints about it when they do recognize it--not to mention how often such complaints are ignored or insufficiently dealt with further up the line.

TL;DR:

Mental healthcare in this culture suffers hugely from:

1) ignorance of the true nature of trauma and its effects

2) lack of understanding of how to treat trauma (and how to interact with traumatized patients)

3) lack of standardized, research-based, reality-based guidelines for care