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csmiclxtte · 7 months

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Out of Bounds Planets

Do you have Out of Bounds planet in your chart?

Out of Bounds (OOB) is quite literal terms. OOB planets want to push the acceptable limit in society. The energy is running wild, free, and heightened. Maybe even chaotic if underdeveloped. How does OOB manifest in the chart?

[not a professional, things i write mostly quoted OOB articles]

Out of Bounds planet are the planet in your chart with more than 23°27′ declination (the infos are varied from 23°26′ to 23°28'). Meaning that it moves outside of Sun's gravitational domination.

Since the planet is out of the Sun's dominion, OOB planet acts on it's own. Either way, OOB planet emphasizes on its need for independence. OOB planet may exhibits extraordinary, unusual, and out-of-norm behavior. It is also associated with creativity and eccentricity. Think of Uranian or Aquarian energy, something like that. Some sources said that the higher the declination is, the more extreme a planet behavior can be. However some articles also mentioned that the degree doesn't matter. Generally, OOB adds pressure and turbulency in a chart (esp Moon).

Not every planet can go OOB. The Sun, Lunar Nodes, Neptune and Chiron, for example, cannot go out of bounds. Meanwhile, Mars, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Uranus and Pluto can go OOB. Jupiter can go OOB, but it is a rare phenomenon.

How to find Natal Out of Bounds planet:

Go to astro.com

Enter birth time and generate chart as usual

After you have the birth chart, click on the PDF Additional tables (bottom left)

You will have a pdf file, look at the planet positions column (i used Jackie Chan's chart here). The Red colored number indicates the planet that exceed the declination limit, either to South or North.

You can also check your OOB progressed status here. Sometimes progressing planets can become OOB or ceased to go OOB (return to normal).

Which OOB planet do you have?

Out of Bounds Mars

Mars is the planet which have most occurrence of OOB. Mars can travel up to 27° declination. The manifestation of OOB Mars will depend on the sign as well, but generally the typical assertion in Mars will turn into heightened instinct & physical energy. You may think OOB Mars is violent (although in some cases it can be), but it's mostly found in courageous, creative, and ppl with leadership skill. Other than that, OOB Mars can be an indication of great athletic / sports skill (Jackie Chan has OOB Mars). They usually want to do things their way.

It can make a person to be more aggressive, impulsive, and daring. It can also be associated with extra forces, stamina, and a need for domination. That's not always the case tho, sometimes it can result on the opposite (less impulsivity, fear of taking risk, etc) depends on the placement and expression of energy. Generally, natives with OOB Mars are more prone to impatience, selfishness, or anger issue. (i had OOB Mars lol)

People with OOB Mars: Agatha Christie, Vladimir Putin, Prince Charles, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Walt Disney.

Out of Bounds Moon

Moon is the second most common "planet" to go OOB after Mars. The declination can go as far as 29° and the impact is most dramatic of all OOB planets. You can find a lot of articles on this one. OOB Moon can increase natives' need of freedom and solitude. However, since it rules emotions and the subconscious, OOB Moon can result in heightened sensitivity, intuition, and emotional instability like mood swings. Also there may be constant feeling of depression, guilt, or doubt. Since the Moon associates with mother figure and safety, OOB Moon can indicate lack of safety and love from mother side. Also the sign of your Moon can tell what aspect in your life that makes you feel unsafe. Notice if the Moon is in conjunction or aspect to other planet, bcs there would be a certain effect regarding that matter as well.

Steven Forrest wrote in his article that there are some qualities of OOB Moon that he sums up as:

Tendency to walk away from conventionally successful situation

Thinking outside of the box

Escaping social constructs

Sociopathy & criminal behavior

"Nice" & theological outlaws

Eccentric characters

Out of this world

People with OOB Moon: Queen Victoria, Albert Einstein, Oprah Winfrey, Freddie Mercury, Stephen King, Warren Buffett, Vladimir Putin, Boris Yeltsin.

Out of Bounds Mercury

OOB Mercury can go as far as 27° OOB Mercury natives are people who won't hesitate to communicate their radical ideas, and somehow gaining support on their opinions. They have different way of thinking and communicating. In the bright side, it can make natives to appear intelligent and original. However if it takes turn for the worse, sometimes native can be very strange/eccentric in their social interaction, to the point that other people start to feel uncomfortable. This placement can also lead to obsessive, compulsive thoughts or overthinking. These are the people who can be great speakers. They are talented in using the media. On the less advantageous side, this can appear as a hindrance in communication such as: speech problem, exaggeration, or having imaginary voices.

People with OOB Mercury: Elon Musk, Donald Trump, Howard Stern.

Out of Bounds Venus

OOB Venus can go up to 28° declination. OOB Venus natives may have increased charm, magnetism, and an eye for beauty. With the OOB energy, their definition of value and beauty doesn't necessarily correspond to conventional/general view. Rather, they may perceive beauty in more complex and unusual way. This placement can also suggest a highly exceptional artist. They are also entertaining and probably well-liked. However, it can also mean that natives can be indulgent, vain, or hedonistic. They may envy other people and sometimes it can be hard for them to see what they already have.

People with OOB Venus: Charlie Chaplin, Cher, Tina Turner, Larry King, Clint Eastwood, Judy Garland.

Out of Bounds Uranus

Okay, it's like combining Uranian energy with an extra Uranian energy. What's interesting about OOB Uranus is that it can be generational. So OOB Uranus needs a lot of freedom. They will experiment and invent and innovate. They are revolutionary. However the downside of this placement is that sometimes they can be too shocking, too radical, and too detached.

People with OOB Uranus: Louis Pasteur, Salvador Dali, Stephen King, Johannes Kepler, Meryl Streep.

Out of Bounds Pluto

Heightened intensity and magnetism. A feeling of being different. A lot of insecurities and emotional baggage, like there is a constant feeling of separateness. It was mentioned that OOB Pluto can impact on a person's physicality that set them apart from others. Secretive, possible violence and vengeful behavior, also may lead to hypersecsuality.

People with OOB Pluto: Meryl Streep, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Elton John, Paul McCartney, Dolly Parton, Cher.

Out of Bounds Jupiter

Another rare occurrence with minimum description lol. Okay so it is probably seen as more beneficial, because the OOB Jupiter suggests higher luck, as in natives are well-received by public and always feeling lucky. They have a need to expand themselves through travelling and stuffs. Great optimism. It also may mean that the natives have strong belief. Although I personally wonder if the belief is rather strange/twisted, can it can be a sign of cult leader or smth? This placement can be quite dogmatic too if it's taking turn for the worse.

Sources: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

thank you for reading!! <3 i'm not professional astrologer so please feel free to add more and lmk if there's any misinformation! reblogs are very much appreciated ^^

#astrology #astroblr #astro notes #astro community #astro posts #out of bounds #astrology notes #astrology posts #oob #mars #moon #mercury #venus #uranus #pluto #jupiter

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broomsick · 25 days

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Holy spaces & shrines in the modern norse path

Before we dive into the oh-so-diverse topic of holy spaces, let me first specify a few practical tips!

I’m very much aware that the definition of the term “holy” is deeply subjective and varies depending on one’s opinions. I’ll elaborate on a few of my thoughts on the topic further!

In no way are you bound by any rule regarding this aspect of paganism.

I will base my post off of my research, granted, but also on my personal experiences and practices!

Now, what makes a holy space sacred? Not necessarily "holy" per say, but simply sacred.

The very first factor to consider is, what is sacredness? Lots and lots of pagans engage mostly in solitary practice, so much is true. Which is why lots of us find ourselves gravitating towards spaces others may not necessarily find any sense of "sacredness" in. The corner of your room where you tend to pray the most? Sacred. Or the spot in your garden where you perform your harvest ritual every year! It’s the connection we feel to the space that makes it sacred in the first place. But a space being holy depends on whether or not we choose to anoint it in such a way.

When something is sacred to me, I tend to feel a sort of spiritual pull. A swelling of the heart, if you will, like the feeling I get when faced with a breathtaking landscape. The feeling of spiritual connection to a particular spot is the first intuition one needs to tune into when choosing a holy space. After all, staying in tune with one's intuition might be one of the most important aspect of any spiritual practice.

Within nordic practice, a holy space is often called vé, a sacred enclosure. Vé's are attested in numerous toponyms as well as ancient texts, such as Beowulf, or the Skáldskaparmál. Their omnipresence in Scandinavian toponyms might, when considered through a pagan lense, signify something quite interesting: the holiness of a space depends on the space itself, its location, rather than what's inside it— or rather, how grand and ornate it is. When building a holy space for oneself, one does not need lavish decoration, or an elaborate shrine with the gold foil and the statues.

However, there are a few steps one can follow in order to anoint a space as holy, if one wants to reconstruct a few practices from pre-Christian Scandinavia. Although I'll specify that as always, no rule is set in stone when it comes to neopaganism. The choice to abide by them or not is entirely up to the practitioner. And in any case, even as I was gathering these few ideas, it was clear that, as always, pre-Christian practices centered around holy spaces vastly differed depending on the place and the time. Regardless, I think it's fun to do some research on the topic in order to reconstruct on our own terms a holy space in the nordic tradition.

The first step? Having a good knowledge of your area. Both before and during the Viking Age, holy places were more often than not located outside. It can be a great help to know where to find the greenery in one's area. Is there a beach near home that the public has access to? How about a large park where you can spend some time alone without being bothered? Even your backyard does the trick! Anywhere you can see the sky and breathe the open air is already perfect. Now, the Germanic tribes would generally worship near an object of particular importance, such as a grove, a body of water, a clearing in the forest, a hill... Although this doesn't seem to be very present in historical attestations, and considering I'm devoted to Yngvi-Freyr, I'm an especially big fan of worshipping in plains, or fields!

I think it's important for me to note that if you are lucky enough to live near a body of water, you can choose to engage in one of the most popular forms of offering in nordic historical practice: throwing offerings out to sink into the water! This practice was especially widespread, evidence of it having been found as far as Britain and Iceland. Evidently, if one chooses to engage in such a practice, it's important to respect the ecosystems and stick with offerings that won't damage them (acorns, stones, flowers and the like). As for an outdoors shrine located in a forest, or near woodland, it would have been customary during pre-Christian times to center a holy space around a tall tree, perhaps representing the World Tree Yggdrasil.

Considering lots of neo-pagans prefer to keep their practice discreet, it goes without saying that the holy space of your choosing does not need to be especially big, nor especially decorated. It can be as small as it is humble! One of the spaces where I most like to worship is the little corner of the yard, tucked under a cedar tree, where I rebuild my hörgr every year, as soon as the snow melts for good. Nothing too flamboyant!

Now, the second step to building a little outdoors shrine for yourself is to choose a representation of the deity to adore. It's said that the human-like appearance of this representation mattered little to the Germanic tribes, whose representations of the Gods could be rather simple, and not especially ornate. For this reason, it would be perfectly logical to even choose an object associated with the deity in question to serve as the main representation placed in the sanctuary. If we're talking about Freyja, a falcon statuette, or feather could do the trick! As for Fenrir, any wolf imagery could work as well! In the case of Thórr, one could replicate the case of Donar's Oak and choose to center their shrine around a particular tree (the rowan are the oak would make the best choices, if one is to pick a tree sacred to Thórr). These are just examples, and the possibilities in this regard are limitless. This "main" representation can be used as the center of your sacred space, and given offerings during rituals or celebrations. In my case, I like greet this representation both when "entering" the sacred space and when leaving it, as a sign of respect!

If one so desires, it's possible to set up some kind of "delimitation" in order to mark the entrance of the sacred space, or its outline. I like to place either ribbons on nearby branches, or litter stones here and there to lie in a loose circle (we wouldn't want to block the rays of the sun from reaching the earth and keep the greenery from growing). In order to signal the entrance of shrines, the Germanic tribes would generally use heaps of dirt or pillars of stone, among other things.

Another intresting element one might include in their sacred space is the presence of fire! Whether this be a bonfire, incense, a simple candle or even just a handful of ash, there's lots of ways to include the "element" of fire into a modern day shrine. It's a means of warming up the space, so to speak: tending a fire in the shrine is akin to having a hearth in the home!

Ideas for common, historically attested offerings: Ethically-sourced animal bones, gold or golden jewelry, tools, representation of the Gods, beads and beaded jewelry, alcohol, food and meat…

Now, let's pull away from the history lesson and let's dive into modern, neo-pagan practice! I'd wager some of you are wondering, how exactly can one keep a whole shrine, but make their practice as low-key as possible?! After all, I know firsthand that solo practice is especially common among neo-pagans. So my answer to this question is, who said anything about keeping? One piece of advice I've already given to a few fellow pagans in the past is to create a little portable shrine all to yourself! Let me explain myself: you arrive at your chosen location, you put down a basket full of decoration and you put up a temporary space in which to worship for an hour or two. You take out a deity representation, a few candles (if they're allowed on site!), a handful of offerings and a cloth on which to place them. And when you're done with the ritual, you pack up your things and make sure you leave the site as clean as when you first found it. In other words, what I’m suggesting is the possibility of gathering a few designated worship items in order to make oneself a portable, personal little shrine! It might seem like a silly idea at first, but I’ve discovered it’s not only a fun habit, but it’s also greatly helpful on a tight schedule to have a quick and easy way to engage in outdoors practice.

As always, I wrote this post aiming to help fellow pagans find ways to balance historical practice and modern, solo practice! I hope these few ideas did the trick, and wish you all a good and plentiful spring season!

First picture

#heathenry #norse paganism #spirituality #norse gods #polytheism #deities #deity work #paganism #pagan #norse polytheism #history

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geeta1726 · 2 months

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How do the positions of Jupiter and Venus affect different astrological houses?

In astrology, the positions of planets such as Jupiter and Venus in different houses of an individual's birth chart are believed to influence various aspects of their life. Here's a general overview of how the positions of Jupiter and Venus can affect different astrological houses:

Jupiter:

Jupiter in the 1st House: Jupiter in the 1st house is considered auspicious. It can bring optimism, confidence, and a positive outlook to the individual. It may also indicate good health and a strong sense of self.

Jupiter in the 2nd House: Jupiter in the 2nd house can indicate financial growth and abundance. It may bring wealth, generosity, and a harmonious family life. The individual may have a positive approach to handling resources.

Jupiter in the 7th House: Jupiter in the 7th house may indicate a happy and harmonious marriage. It can bring positive partnerships, both in personal and business relationships. The person may be attracted to a partner with strong moral and ethical values.

Jupiter in the 10th House: Jupiter in the 10th house is considered favorable for career and social status. It may bring success, recognition, and opportunities for growth in the professional sphere. The individual may have a strong sense of purpose in their career.

Venus:

Venus in the 1st House: Venus in the 1st house is associated with charm, attractiveness, and a pleasant demeanor . It may enhance the individual's social skills and bring a sense of harmony to their personality.

Venus in the 5th House: Venus in the 5th house is often linked to creativity, romance, and pleasure. It may indicate a love for artistic pursuits, hobbies, and a joyful approach to life. It can also suggest positive experiences in matters of love and relationships.

Venus in the 7th House: Venus in the 7th house is considered favorable for relationships and partnerships. It may indicate a strong desire for harmony, cooperation, and love in marriage or partnerships. The individual may be attracted to a partner with aesthetic qualities.

Venus in the 10th House: Venus in the 10th house can influence the individual's career and public image. It may bring charm, grace, and popularity in the professional sphere. It can also suggest success in careers related to aesthetics, fashion, or the arts.

It is important to note that the interpretation of planetary positions in astrology can vary depending on the entire natal chart, the aspects it forms with other planets, and the specific characteristics of each person's horoscope. If you need information based on your horoscope. So you can use Kundli Chakra Professional 2022 software. which can give you an accurate information

#astrology #astro observations #numerology #astro community #aries horoscope: star sign dates #birth chart #12th house #astrologer #8th house #astro notes #astrology community #astrology observations #astro tumblr #cancer horoscope: star sign dates #astronomy

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huggingtentacles · 20 days

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Alright you just beat Elden Ring. Congratulations! You're now one of the cool folks who can actually beat the game, and you're not ready to put it down yet.

Maybe PvP intimidates you and you just wanna explore the world again. You may try a new build sure, but now that you know more about the game, you might wanna try something different, like a challenge run.

"huggingtentacles I am trash at the game there is no way I could do any of the cool runs, I died to Radagon a bazillion times"

NO, You are good enough to try any challenge run! You can define what a challange is for yourself! There is no need to jump into something insane like a rune level 1 run or a torch only run. You can set any restriction you want, and completing the game with an additional challange is immensely more satisfying (and gives you bragging rights)

There are many different challange runs all varying in difficulty. Here are the runs that I've done personally.

Easy:

Region Lock Run — the premise is simple, you can't leave the region you are in unless you best the major boss(es) of that region. You can't go to Liurnia untill you beat Margit, you can't go to Altus untill you beat Rennala, etc. This run is fun because you can't skip over progression (like killing the Caelid dragon early with bleed to be overlevelled for Limgrave) which makes every fight feel appropriately difficult.

Starting Class Run — Only use the gear you start the game with. You can level up and upgrade your weapons and flask, but you can't use any other consumables and talismans you didn't start the game with. This run is quite flexible in difficulty because whether you choose to, say, use ashes of war or different spells or even golden seeds is ultimately up to you. All of them count.

No spirit summons — for some this is just the normal Elden Ring run, but for most it's a challange. While it can be somewhat difficult, not having spirit summons still leaves you with enough options to steamroll through the game if you. The challenge comes from actually learning the bosses and their patterns and engaging with combat more.

No status effects — As simple as it sounds. Perhaps you used to crutch on bleed, frost, rot or poison, now you can't. There are plenty of other very powerful damage options in the game, so the run is definitely not very hard, it only limits your arsenal somewhat.

Spells only/melee only — depending on what your previous run was. If you're used to standing behind and throwing pebbles, picking up a weapon might be a fun new challenge. And if you are used to your Big Sword, it's gonna be kinda hard to adjust to managing your FP and putting together a build.

Medium:

Spirit Summons Only — moderately difficult because it requires rather extensive knowledge of the game's mechanics. The basic premise is that you can only deal damage using spirit summons. You can restrict it to bosses only or to the whole run in general. It's an absolutely hilarious run. The AI built into the game can beat the entire game for you. Including the hardest endgame bosses like Malenia. Also playing as a support, healing and buffing your summons is really fun :)

No Crimson Flask — LISTEN. I swear it's not that hard. Yes it sucks a bit in the early game, but there are so many tools and options available to completely replace your flask with regen and heal spells. Just level up your vigor. This run is incredibly fun and it's good if you are aiming for harder runs in the future but aren't sure if you have it in you. I know you do ;)

Taunter's Tongue Run — Definitely my FAVOURITE of all of them. Its incredibly simple: you get Taunter's Tongue as soon as you get access to Roundtable Hold and you turn it on forever. Fight invaders alone or with a friend in 2v2s. If you don't have any PvP experience, this is one of the ways to learn. By the end of it, you won't be half bad at PvP, trust me (unless you just run away all the time which is also an option)

Hard:

Rune Level 1 is such a difficult run to do, but the cultural legacy of Fromsoft "no leveling up" runs makes the completion of it so desirable. Completing this run basically makes you part of the small section of people who actually know how to fight every single boss without relying on cheap tactics and cheese. You learn how to counter every move most enemies make because of how unforgiving it is.

But what's more fun is the sheer variety. Stat boosting gear is so common in this game you can literally use almost anything you want as a weapon.

Permadeath — If you die, you restart. Use any tools at your disposal to survive, play it safe, level up your vigor. But most importantly, brace for setbacks. Restarting because of a dumb mistake sucks, but that's why it's such an impressive run to complete. If you can take a loss on Elden Beast and make it to the inside of the Erdtree again, you will achieve one of the hardest challanges ER has to offer.

An easier variation of Permadeath would be "no rune loss" run. There are tools the game gives you to avoid losing runes, but it's still a very difficult run.

Torch Only Run — You pick up a standard torch from Church of Elleh and you use it to Kill God.

An easier variation would be Torches Only run which allows you to use the entire arsenal of torches. Still a very difficult run that requires a lot of skill to beat.

Impossible:

No Thinking About Kissing Malenia run — still working on this one. Can't figure it out. If you have advice please DM me

Feel free to add more challange run ideas!

#elden ring #shitpost #elden ring pvp #invader talk #elden ring invasions #elden ring challange runs

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ddollfface · 3 months

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Hi! I read your alphabet about yandere!athlete and I loved! I also become curious: you said he needed maintain the popular facade in front of others, right? Being cool and a womanizer and other things. My question is: has he ever betrayed the reader while doing that? A kiss? Sex? How does he maintain that image while in a relationship with reader?

𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐋𝐨𝐲𝐚𝐥

𝗟𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗦𝗶𝗰𝗸!𝗔𝘁𝗵𝗹𝗲𝘁𝗲 𝘅 𝗳𝗲𝗺!𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿

Trigger Warnings; bad writing, reader is described as yandere’s girlfriend, um nothing this is really tame tbh If I missed anything, then please let me know ♡ I really liked this anon request! I had never really thought about this before lol, but I think the idea of LoveSick!Athlete defending his relationship to be so cute! Anyways, thanks so much for requesting something! If you have any more questions/thoughts, then just ask)))

Ooo, that's a really good question anon!

So, to answer your question, I need to refer back to things I've said in the past. LoveSick!Athlete makes your relationship known, extensively. Honestly, his teammates will likely know so, so, so much about you, even before you've met. This is cause he'll tell everyone and anyone about your interests; what your favorite food is, whether you like to swim or not, etc.

And he'll make it clear that the two of you are in a committed relationship. Now, this doesn't stop chicks from going up to him and openly flirting with him, even though he's made his relationship status clear. We all know that there are some... determined girls out there, and he seems to attract all of them. It's a big university, after all.

LoveSick!Athlete won't lie, he finds their advances annoying, seeing as he only has eyes for you, you, you, but he has a reputation to uphold, meaning that he'll entertain them, much to your annoyance. Depending on how long you've known each other, seeing as I've drabbled on a childhood friend version of reader, LoveSick!Athlete's reaction and response will vary.

The first reaction is to go along with whatever the girl's requesting, wanting to just get the interaction over with while keeping his reputation intact. He'll nod along with whatever the girl's saying, sweet talk her a little, but all his words don't mean anything. They're just a bunch of empty promises and flirtatious remarks, nothing from the heart. Mind you, LoveSick!Athlete is subconsciously comparing the girl to you.

All he can think of is how you're so, so, so much better than her. How your smile is so much sweeter, softer, and pleasing on the eyes, his eyes. How your clothes are appealing and bring out your own charm, something he's always loved about you. How your perfume isn't overbearing, like hers, or how it's light and matches you perfectly. All of these comparisons pop up in his mind and it just makes him bitter, wishing that he wasn't talking to this girl and instead laying in bed with you, loving you.

Eventually, if the girl tries to get in his pants, he'll wave her off, passing her to one of his, not-as-attractive, friend/s. Of course, he'll make sure that she's willing and actually interested in his friends, not wanting the girl to feel forced into anything. But he isn't talking to her anymore, and he'll relay that information in the nicest way he can. After all, it's possible that the girl doesn't know that he has an amazing girlfriend waiting for him.

He'll be humble; tell the girl that he's sure that one of his friends would be a much better fit for her. That he's too rowdy for her, after all, she's such a sweetheart, he's sure. His friend Chui (just thought of a random name lol) is a real pleaser, you'll see, he tells the girl. And he'll play matchmaker, paring the, now confused, girl with his appciative friend (who's cool with the turn of events).

LoveSick!Athlete has set up so many of his friends and teammates as a way of getting out of hooking up with some random girl.

Then there's the second reaction he'd have, and this one is if he's been with you for a long time (like a year or more). At this point, in your relationship, everyone, and I mean everyone, knows that you're together. There's no way that they couldn't. This means, that if a girl tries to get with him they're actively trying to get him to leave you, or they're new, which is far less likely.

The latter is the more common option, seeing as you're with LoveSick!Athlete every waking day. There's no way a girl couldn't know that you're his girl. And, let's just say, that LoveSick!Athlete isn't too pleased that someone trying to get between your relationship, but, of course, he has a public image to maintain.

To avoid his name being tarnished, he'll play into the lovesick boyfriend stereotype. He'll tell the girl that he's sure she's a great girl, that she'd be a wonderful girlfriend, he'd say with gritted teeth. The idea of calling another girl wondering makes his nose scrunch in disgust, especially since they don't even compare to you, you, you.

Then he'll drop the bomb, that they may or may not know, saying that he's got you, his girl, at home. That you're the girl of his dreams, someone he's been waiting for his whole life. Of course, the girl will swoon, finding his loyalty to be just adorable. And this will change the topic to how great of a boyfriend he is, how you must be so lucky to have someone like him. He'll stay humble, of course, not wanting to see too stuck up. He's gotta stay right in the in-between.

LoveSick!Athlete will rub his neck, faining a blush as he refuses the girl's compliments. How he's the lucky one, that you're such a good girlfriend, better than he'd ever imagine. And if his buddies are there, they'll smack him on the shoulder, teasing him for being a simp or some crap. After that, everyone would completely forget about the girl trying to hook up with him, just what he wanted.

Anyways! That's what I think would happen in this scenario/s. LoveSick!Athlete is a very, very, very loyal man, something I personally find endearing. And he highly values loyalty in all of his relationships, both platonically and romantically. He holds both you and himself to the standard of loyalty.

He feels the same way about his family, too. He'd lie about murder if it meant keeping his sister/brother out of jail. He'd do anything, and I mean anything, for the ones he loves. It's a core value of his, and he would never waver on that front.

How sweet, don't cha think?

#𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙡'𝙨 𝙮𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙚'𝙨 #𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙨𝙞𝙘𝙠!𝙖𝙩𝙝𝙡𝙚𝙩𝙚 #Lovesick #obsessive love #yandere x reader #yandere oc x you #bad writing #yandere x you #yandere male #x reader #yandere oc #reqs open

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transmutationisms · 5 months

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(If you're alrght with another poorly articulated question from an obnoxious high schooler) Do you have thoughts on academics and their position in a labor framework? I know some grad students and have never been quite sure where they fit because they don't always work with "capital" in a traditional sense. Professors are odd to me because they are under university contract, but rather than get paid by the university they often get their own funding from the government. Or graduate sudents, who are often unionized, but I know a paleontology student who studies shark fossils who says he doesnt really consider what he does "making surplus value."

ok well that last person is simply confused lol. graduate students exist because the university profits from having us; it is a capitalist institution. most directly we usually work as teaching assistants or research assistants (or else pay tuition) and more indirectly, graduate programs get funding and university support because their existence contributes to a university's rankings, prestige factor, &c, which is to say its (perceived) profitability. plenty of us study things that don't produce much directly lucrative research, but this does not mean the university keeps us around for shits and giggles or some kind of laudatory interest in knowledge for its own sake. it is a capitalist institution and acts in the financial interest of its owners / beneficiaries.

anyway wrt faculty members, they are also employed by the university because it profits from them (or hopes to, anyway). i think many people get confused by tenureship; tenure is indeed fairly cushy as far as employment contracts go, but it is is still an employment contract, and most faculty are not actually tenured anyway. academics are a classic example of the 'professional-managerial class', which is not a marxian term but is a useful one for identifying those 'upper-middle class' members differentiated by their professional qualifications and status; the prestige and perceived utility of academic knowledge production is partially what makes academics an attractive target for a lot of government and NGO funding. state funding of academic research ofc has numerous functions but, and not to put too fine a point on it, a capitalist state also invests money in things because it is hoping for some kind of return on investment, eg in the form of directly profitable inventions, soft power, &c.

there are distinctions here between different academic employment statuses. an adjunct or contingent hire is paid by the university solely to teach, making their labourer status fairly straightforward. with tenured or tenure-track positions, yes there may also be money coming from outside; however, this doesn't negate the fact that the university is trying to profit from its faculty (else it wouldn't hire them). the professional-managerial class has certain characteristics of both proletariat and bourgeoisie, and there is some variation between academics as a very select few do attain the kind of household name status that can turn them into basically a personal brand. again though: the university wants to extract value from the work (both teaching and research) of academics it hires, and so do outside sources of funding for research projects. knowledge production should not be mystified or abstracted in ways that obfuscate the financial interests of involved parties; though it attains a prestige that few other commodities do, this is still a process that is embedded within the overall operating logics of capitalism.

an additional consideration wrt internal academic class politics is that many faculty use graduate students, postdocs, and even undergrads to perform or assist with their research. these arrangements vary in structure (and between disciplines) but in general, this does mean that many academics produce papers, books, &c that depend upon the labour of many people and rarely compensate these people equally to themselves. this can take the form of a more overtly employer-employee relationship between a professor and their underlings (for example, some labs are run this way) or it can be the case that it's another party (a publisher, say) who is reaping most of the surplus value squeezed from grad / undergrad / postdoc labour. in any case it is important to keep in mind that professors can and often do take on employer (ie, small capitalist) roles in relation to other employees of the university, even though the professors themselves are there because the university and other institutions pay them and profit from their labour.

i hope this is a useful start; obviously there is lots else to be said about the economics of the university and knowledge production as a capitalist process. in general when you are trying to think through this my advice would be not to let the presentation of the university as some kind of cerebral place of enlightenment confuse a materialist analysis of the flows of capital. plenty of workers and capitalists deal with commodities that are immaterial in the sense that 'knowledge' is, or are imbued with similar social meaning and value; the university deals with knowledge production but this does not make it any less an employer (ie, a capitalist institution) than any other institution operating in a capitalist context.

#unionisation is another thing rly---university union politics are kind of atrocious generally lmfao #v rare to find solidarity between academics---even grad students---and other employees of the university like support staff or athletes #ofc many grad students consider themselves not employees but temporarily embarassed PMC. so #academia

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reegis · 5 months

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More Hadeon lore?? I love them sm

aaaa i love to talk about my dumb babies dont give me any excuse..

She’s actually part of like. a whole Thing. which i will now ramble about for ENTIRELY too long, so ill put it under the cut

ahhh im so bad at explaining things even tho theres like. a lot of lore & worldbuilding (by my standards anyways)

but basically all of my angel & demon OCs are part of an idea i have for an rpg/ttrpg?? set in a world where God, angels and demons all exist in the world, mainly in a sort of eldritch sense. God has essentially gone missing for thousands of years - with only scattered miracles to occasionally make Its presence known - and in Its absence, the angels have taken on their own warped interpretation of Its edict while the demons have wreaked havoc, and both have entwined themselves very heavily into human society (mostly to humanity’s detriment).

The players would create a character (human((religious, cult, or agnostic)), fallen angel, redemption demon, etc) that would give them certain skill sets/abilities/affinities depending on their choices, but the overall goal of the game is to Meet/Find God (and your characters reason for this would vary)

The continent in the game is basically one enormous mountain range, with the peaks actually reaching the heavens (think like olympus) with those living closer to the peaks being basically ultra religious societies who still believe God is there and everything that happens is still somehow part of Its plan, and those at the base and few small surrounding islands (which deal with much more demonic corruption and angelic attacks) doubting It still exists, and becoming home to fringe groups of cults creating their own deities (sometimes literally) and agnostics.

Players would meet somewhere at the base and progress up the mountain, and - depending on their group make-up - meet angels and demons along the way, both of which could potentially be foes or allies.

The angels exist in a hierarchy, with the seven Seraphim at the top, but almost all of them pose a potential danger. With God no longer at the reigns, the angels have had centuries to interpret Its will however they see fit. Many of the lowest ranking angels still hold the original ideals and are mostly harmless, granting blessings and offering sage advice, but are of no Real help. Of the higher ranking angels, many have gained their own twisted sort of moral compass and have lost touch with Gods original love for mankind. What is or isn’t a sin, what deserves punishment or what deserves blessing, has become subjective to them and they bestow their judgment upon mankind with great prejudice.

The demons exist in a hierarchy as well. As angels stripped of their holy power (and thus blinded) when they attempted to overthrow God, they seek to earn back their power and sight by stealing souls. The harder to corrupt a soul is, the more power they obtain when that soul finally succumbs. Lower level/weaker demons mainly seek to cause wide spread devastation and death, as they dont have the power to corrupt, but feed on any souls lost. Higher level demons are more insidious, possessing or manipulating people in power, in search of “higher quality” souls to assist their climb.

There are also a small group of “fallen” angels and “redeemed” demons, who exist sort of outside of the status-quo since they no longer fit neatly into either group. Fallen angels are (usually lower ranking) angels that have fallen in love with humanity and rejected their base angelic nature to live amongst them. They forfeit most of their angelic power and assume a more human-like appearance in order to live amongst the humans they adore, but have a still-perceivable “otherness” that leaves them mostly an outcast. Redemption demons are somewhat similar; they have gained/retained enough love for humanity since their fall that they no longer seek to claim human souls for power and are instead attempting to regain Gods love through redemption and acts of kindness. Falling from heaven has irrevocably changed them physically, however, and they face great hardships attempting to fit in to human society.

Of the Seraphim, Hadeon represents the Wrath of God. He is tasked with finding and punishing sinners, those who would blaspheme or turn against God. Originally she was the fair hand of Justice, but in the centuries of Gods absence, his sense of right and wrong have become irrevocably warped. Their presence can first be felt with the smell of ozone, and a sudden intense pressure, like a storm on the horizon. She, and the army of angels under her command, hunt sinners through the streets, meting out their vigilante justice. Where he goes, indescriminate bloodshed almost always follows.

Her mindset is entirely black and white, but despite eons walking the earth they retain a naïveté of human society that makes her pretty easily distractable. He can occasionally be reasoned with and/or distracted, and even more rarely convinced to bestow a blessing.

Hadeon is one of the first Minor bosses the player faces, and your decision to either befriend, escape, or kill her will play a role in your later encounter with other higher angels.

obviously there are all of the other Seraphim, and other high ranking demons that have their own names/info/etc i could literally keep going on and on abt them & more in depth world building forever probably but i will stop now 😔

#this is technically an old anon but. i want to talk about my dumb worldbuilding so now u all have to look at it ty💖💖💖#asks #my art #oc #oc: hadeon #if any of u actually read all of that i owe u my first born child or smthn fjfjfj

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modmad · 10 months

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TPoH: Update!

Update regularity may vary depending on health status, thanks for understanding!

Read TPoH from the start here.

Update here on the TPoH website!

Thank you all for the kind and loving support! If you want to buy books of this comic YOU CAN! Volumes one and two AND THREE are now in stock and you can get even more books in the form of TPatJ and Unbecoming! Find them and more here in the TPoH Topatoco shop right here, or tell your friends about it! There are also always lots of my doodles to buy on nice stuff in my Society6 merch box too!

If you like TPoH and my other work and want to help keep a soul and body together monetarily, please consider supporting me on Patreon, even just one or two dollars a month helps!

#TPoH update #TPoH #the property of hate #all y'all in the tags last week saying 'oh she's gonna get interrupted'#you know me so well heh #web comic #comic

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viky-somebody · 7 months

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ok so idk of its just me still being in shock over the new life series release, but my brain latched onto the evo logo on the statue and now im going insane with theories, specifically over Bigb's episode. (im possibly looking in too deep for evo references and parallels.)

First of all, why is his scroll red. Why is that.

Second of all, he got so much stuff from the secret keeper when he sorta completed the task. (i saw some gold blocks and ancient debris, not bad, compared to the fact that some members didnt receive anything at all except hearts.) Is the watcher favouritism towards him carrying over from evo.

why is the scroll red.

(Bigb's episode 30 of Evo - each member got a chest with loot of varying quality depending on what the watchers thought of them.)

also, Bigb is seemingly planning to build a tunnel to everyones bases from one big hallway. ( Like Grian did, at the start of evo, which then got revealed dramatically to everyone and got blown up later on i believe.) just funky

Another fun fact, the sky near the secret keeper statue turns dark. like when you stood right above bedrock in older versions of minecraft

finally, this is probably a stretch. but the way his scroll is formulated left behind a weird feeling, its less formal than scrolls of the others? (might be wrong on that idk) like,

the task is relatively easy, too. the way this is written reminds me of episode 45 of Evo from SalemsLady for some reason. She was the last person to get her clue for the portal jump, and the watchers seemed to be so tired of waiting for her they didnt even rhyme most of her signs. AND her trial was to simply follow the cobblestone path (the other members all got a big challenge with some riddles and a few epic builds that mysteriously appeared for them). The watchers seemingly gave up and just gave her a simple thing to solve quickly so they can get on finally.

(watcher signs from Salems episode 45 of Evo)

like. its similarly exasperated and slightly condescending tone. idk there might be something there. might be same person (admin?) (watcher in canon?) ???

im having fun

#viky stuff #evo smp #evolution smp #secret life #secret life spoilers #traffic smp #trafficblr #traffic life series #bigb #bigbst4tz2 #salemslady #somebody should make a compilations of all the secret life rewards for the task #also can you tell that that salems episode really caught my attention. during my watchthrough this is the only time the warchers drop #the rhyming and the mystique

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whumpinggrounds · 1 year

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Writing Seizures

Latest installment in Disability Writing Guides! As always, feel free to add something, or come into my ask box with a question, comment, or request.

This post is intended as a writing resource, not medical advice or a comprehensive exploration of seizures or seizure disorders.

Vocab

A seizure is a brief change in normal brain activity. Sometimes this is visible and sometimes not. They can last variable lengths of time and occur with varying frequency depending on the cause. They can be caused by epilepsy, trauma, illness, drug use, or any number of other factors.

Epilepsy is a general term for brain disorder characterized by frequent seizures. A person can have seizures without having epilepsy. Epilepsy is not a distinct diagnosis; there are many different types.

Epilepsy is diagnosed after a patient either has two seizures, or one seizure and an EEG that shows the potential for future seizures.

Again: If a person seizes more than once, they are medically defined as epileptic. A person can be diagnosed as epileptic after only having one seizure if their EEG shows potential for more.

Rescue meds are medications given to stop a seizure currently in progress.

Antiseizure drugs or ASDs, also known as anticonvulsants or antiepileptics, are drugs taken daily to prevent seizures from occurring. These are different from rescue meds.

Status epilepticus is a seizure that lasts longer than five minutes or having a seizure and then seizing again within five minutes without regaining full consciousness. Status epilepticus is extremely dangerous and can cause brain injury or death. Someone experiencing status epilepticus needs immediate medical attention.

Generally speaking, serious intervention would begin before the seizure reached its fifth minute. If someone is seizing past four minutes with no sign of stopping, the people timing the seizure should not wait until five minutes to call 911, administer rescue meds, etc.

A seizure cluster is when a person experiences two or more seizures within a 24 hour period.

A nonepileptic event is an event that may look like a seizure but is produced by a different condition. Examples include ticcing due to Tourette’s or a heart arrhythmia causing a person to pass out suddenly.

Tonic refers to the muscles in the body becoming stiff.

Atonic means the muscles in the body relaxing.

Clonic refers to periods of shaking or jerking in parts of the body.

Myoclonic also refers to short jerking in parts of the body, but is generally more localized/occurring in a smaller area of the body.

Types of Seizures

I’m not going to go through every type of seizure, but I will go over some basics. This is massively simplified, and intended as a general writing resource, not technical or medical knowledge. Feel free to correct if I’m saying something wrong, or add detail.

Seizures are first divided into two overarching groups. Generalized seizures mean that excessive or unusual electric signals are being discharged across the entire brain. Focal or partial seizures mean that excessive or unusual electric signals are being discharged in one specific part of the brain.

Tonic-clonic seizures are the kind most commonly portrayed in media. They involve a total loss of consciousness and involuntary muscle contractions and shaking or jerking in parts of the body. This type of seizure may begin as a focal seizure or a myoclonic seizure (more on this later), but a tonic-clonic seizure is always generalized. Also - this type of seizure was formerly known as grand mal, but this is an outdated term and no longer used.

Myoclonic seizures are partial seizures, characterized by the sudden, involuntary twitching of a muscle or group of muscles. People retain consciousness during these seizures, but do not have control over their body or movements.

Atonic seizures, also called drop seizures or akinetic seizures, cause the sudden loss of muscle strength. They’re called drop seizures as they often (but not always!) cause a person to drop to the ground. A person experiencing an atonic seizure generally remains conscious.

Focal, partial, or absence seizures are seizures that do not involve the whole brain. They can involve repetitive movement like muscle jerking, but more often are characterized by being ��frozen,” feeling “out of it,” or “staring into space.” It may be difficult for observers to tell that someone is seizing. This type of seizure was formerly known as petit mal, but this an outdated term and is no longer used.

Focal onset aware seizures, formerly known as “simple partial seizures,” occur when someone has a partial seizure and retains consciousness and awareness. Someone can look unaware and still be aware when experiencing this type of seizure. This type of seizure may involve feeling “frozen” or repeated small muscle movements.

Focal onset impaired awareness seizures, formerly known as “complex partial seizures,” occur when someone has a partial seizure and loses consciousness or awareness. This is type of seizure may involve feeling “out of it,” “staring into space,” or a loss of memory.

In describing a seizure (in modern-day America), the convention followed is seizure type, awareness level, and sometimes, where a seizure begins if it is a partial seizure. Thus, you get diagnoses like “Focal onset impaired awareness seizures arising from the temporal lobe,” “Focal onset atonic aware seizures arising in the frontal lobe,” or “General onset tonic-clonic seizures.”

These diagnoses are very wordy, and are sometimes shortened. Drop seizures or absence seizures are typically used as more casual terms. Also, as seizures generally begin in one of the four lobes of the brain, epilepsy is sometimes described by which lobe the seizures arise in (temporal lobe epilepsy, occipital lobe epilepsy, etc.)

Process of a Seizure

An aura is a feeling, sensation, or “warning” experienced by a person who is about to seize. Auras tend to present the same way over and over. Someone may not have auras, or recognize an aura as being a prelude to a seizure. Sometimes, an aura occurs and a seizure does not follow. Basically, there are no real rules with auras, but they are pretty common, and are generally not observable except to the person experiencing them.

Fun fact: people who have migraines also tend to have auras! It is believed that Lewis Carrol wrote Alice in Wonderland while experiencing a pre-migraine aura.

The ictal period refers to the experience of an actual seizure, when electrical activity in the brain is at its most intense. What a seizure itself looks or feels like depends on the type of seizures a person experiences, and y’all should conduct research into that for your characters.

Some people need rescue meds administered every time they seize. Others are only supposed to be given if they seize for a certain amount of time (longer than two minutes, for instance). Meds can be administered as nasal sprays, rectally, or tucked under the tongue or into the cheek. Rescue medications are only injected in hospital settings.

Remember that regardless of how often a character seizes or how long they’ve had epilepsy, seizing for more than five minutes, or multiple times within five minutes without regaining consciousness, is a medical emergency. Rescue meds should be administered and whatever medical intervention is appropriate for your setting should be immediately undertaken.

The post-ictal stage occurs after a seizure ends and lasts anywhere from five to thirty minutes. This is the period when a person is still experiencing after affects from their seizure, like confusion, drowsiness, hypertension, headaches, or nausea. Not everyone experiences post-ictal symptoms, and a person may continue to feel exhausted, irritated, or “out of it” more than thirty minutes after they seize.

Seizure Etiquette

Seizures can be surprising and very noticeable. A person that is seizing still deserves privacy. In your story, they should be given privacy, and good friends/teammates/co-characters could steer other people away or block them from being a public spectacle while they seize.

Do not have anyone put anything in a seizing character’s mouth. Ever. This is not necessary and can be dangerous, as a person can choke, or the person attempting to put something in their mouth could get accidentally bitten.

Do not restrain a person that is seizing. The character seizing or the character attempting to restrain them could get hurt, and the restraints are not going to be helpful whatsoever. Characters can move chairs or place cushions to keep a seizing character from hitting them; do not attempt to stop the seizing character’s body from moving how it will.

If necessary, the person seizing can be placed on their side, otherwise, do not attempt to move them.

If a non-epileptic character seizes, it is an emergency. Epilepsy can arise spontaneously at any age, but seizing with no prior history of seizures is a big deal, and the causes for a seizure need to be checked out to understand what caused it.

If your characters have access to medical knowledge and medical treatment, it would be realistic to have them time the seizure so that they know if a character needs rescue meds or has entered status epilepticus.

Rescue meds can be very, very expensive. A character will likely not receive rescue medication every time they seize, especially if their condition is largely stable.

It can be scary and emotional to watch someone seize. Feelings of fear and helplessness are common, especially if what’s needed is for characters to stand and wait to see if the seizing individual needs further help. It’s okay for your characters to feel that and react to that.

Things to Know

Epilepsy mostly presents in childhood and in people older than 60, but can arise at any age. Repeated seizures caused by an underlying condition (brain injury, tumors, strokes) are still considered epileptic seizures, and the person that has them, epileptic.

Repeating it once more: If your character seizes more than once, they are medically defined as epileptic.

The vast majority of seizures do not cause brain damage, or any other kind of damage. They can be frightening, distracting, inconvenient, upsetting, confusing - any number of things. But the vast majority do not cause physical harm, besides the bruises or scrapes that may come from muscle contraction or losing awareness.

Some seizures do cause brain damage. If you’re writing this scenario, please do some research into the type of seizure that would cause brain damage and what kind of brain damage that would be. Do not, for instance, have your character experience a tonic-clonic seizure and then come back in a wheelchair with no further explanation.

Sometimes, the muscle contractions of a seizure can cause spit or foam to collect around someone’s mouth. Sometimes, people bite their tongue, and this foam or spit can appear bloody. No internal injuries occur as a result of a seizure. Any bloody foam or spit is a result of a bitten tongue or cheek, and nothing more.

People who are seizing sometimes lose bowel or bladder control. This is not something they have any control over, but can still be embarrassing and is sometimes a reality of living with seizures.

In the United States, driving laws vary from state to state, but generally a person needs to be seizure free for a period of months (usually 3-6) before they are allowed to drive. The restrictions on driving commercially are much stricter.

Someone diagnosed in childhood may grow out of their epilepsy. Some estimates put the number of kids that will outgrow their epilepsy above 50%. If someone is seizure free for 2-5 years, they may begin to lessen their ASD dose, and may continue until they are no longer medicated at all.

Someone diagnosed in old age will not typically have a spontaneous remission of seizures.

Epilepsy can have a genetic basis or it can arise spontaneously. The fact that it can be passed from parent to child has been the basis of discrimination for a very long time. Be aware of this.

For much of human history, having epilepsy has been hugely stigmatized, and people with epilepsy have been routinely persecuted, particularly in the Western world under the banner of eugenics. As recently as the 1970s, many states were still forcibly sterilizing epileptic people. In writing a character with epilepsy, be aware that the diagnosis carries a heavy weight of stigma and painful history.

Though epilepsy and people who have epilepsy have long been stigmatized and persecuted, it has also long been regarded as a mystical illness, closely tied to spirituality and religion. In many places, people who have seizures are considered to be in religious ecstasy, having visions, or are chosen by higher powers. Consider the setting in which your story takes place and if this kind of thinking would realistically occur. Keep in mind that this view of epilepsy and seizures is not necessarily a positive thing.

Accessibility and Treatment

If you are writing a character who only seizes once (and the setting allows for it), proper treatment would consist of visiting whatever medical establishment exists in your universe, and monitoring or testing to determine the cause of a seizure and if another is likely to occur.

Even though your character is not going to seize again and does not have epilepsy, consider how the single seizure may affect your character. What did it mean to them to (perhaps publicly) lose control of their body or brain?

If your character does have epilepsy, their life will change or has always looked different because of that epilepsy. For example, someone with epilepsy may not be allowed to drive, or may have never learned to drive. It is not safe for someone who has uncontrolled epilepsy to live alone. How would these considerations affect your character’s life and independence?

Think about how having seizures would apply to your character and your setting. Do they feel safe swimming? Spending significant time alone? Are there places that they avoid because it’s too dangerous to seize there?

In real life, people who experience tonic-clonic or atonic seizures often take precautions to ensure their safety should they have a seizure. People who have atonic seizures wear padded helmets to protect their heads. People who experience an aura may get themselves to a safe location, or adjust their surroundings so that they won’t hurt themselves while they seize. What precautions might your characters take to protect themselves?

Seizure triggers. Photosensitivity is a very common one, with flashing lights being especially dangerous for epileptic people. Some seizures have clear, specific triggers, while others seem to arise out of nowhere. Though it may be difficult to tell what exactly triggered a seizure, the modern Western medical establishment believes that all seizures have triggers, though the triggers may not be known. Triggers tend to be environmental cues that the central nervous system over-responds to, like the aforementioned flashing lights. A friend of mine has epilepsy that is triggered by anything coming directly at their face, like balls being thrown towards them. Once, a seizure was triggered by a butterfly flying directly at them.

Seizures can also be triggered by sounds, smells, or sensation, not just sight!

What might your character’s seizure triggers be? Your character may or may not know themselves, but if the triggers are known, how does your character avoid them, or plan their life around them? My friend’s seizure trigger meant that they couldn’t play ball sports, even casually, which kind of sucked. But having a seizure sucked more, so.

In terms of accessible spaces: The more open space, the better, and the softer the surfaces, the better. For instance, people who have seizures may prefer using an accessible bathroom stall, as they are larger, and the person seizing is less likely to become trapped or hurt themselves if they seize unexpectedly in the bathroom. What kinds of spaces does your character seek out, particularly if they are aware they might seize soon?

A properly medicated epileptic character may still have seizures. Medications are intended to control, shorten, and decrease total number of seizures. Sometimes they entirely eliminate seizures, but a person may still seize and that does not mean the medication isn’t working. A character who still seizes frequently and for long stretches of time likely is not properly medicated. Medications should be taken around the same time(s) every day for maximum efficacy.

Life changes, particularly puberty, can make medication less effective.

Proper medication is life-changing for people with epilepsy, and would likely be life-changing for your epileptic character as well. What does the process of getting medicated look like? How does your character feel upon being properly medicated? What in their life changes, and what stays the same?

Are there any drawbacks to being medicated? Side effects? Cost of medication?

If epilepsy is drug resistant, there are a few other options. I’m only going to discuss two, one because it has a long, fraught, and misunderstood history, and the other because it’s Trendy.

Brain surgery is an option for people/character with epilepsy. This is not the scary ice pick lobotomy of the 20th century. Brain surgery is a necessary tool to help epileptic people that are struggling with frequent, severe seizures that do not respond to medication, or when the side effects of medication are intolerable. Surgery can mean removing part of the brain (resecting), killing specific nerve cells where seizures start (lesioning), disconnecting the hemispheres of the brain (corpus callosotomy), or the implantation of a pacemaker-type device that uses electrical signals to block or disrupt seizures.

If your character is getting brain surgery for epilepsy in a contemporary, futuristic, or fantasy setting, please do your own research and ensure that the type of surgery they’re receiving fits their type of epilepsy and their need. Please frame the surgery accurately and avoid falling back on scary tropes about people coming back with different personalities, no personality, or dying in these procedures.

The last treatment option I’m going to discuss here is the ketogenic or keto diet. You may not be aware, but the diet was originally developed to treat children with epilepsy, and there is limited evidence showing that it does decrease or eliminate seizures in children. This diet is extremely high in fat and as low as possible in carbs. The majority of people who believe they are following a keto diet and are in ketosis (body and brain fueled by fat instead of sugar) are wrong. It is extremely difficult to follow a strict keto diet and is absolutely a major life change.

The diet would typically only be recommended for children between 2 and 12 whose epilepsy is resistant to medication.

Why or how the keto diet works to control epilepsy is not well understood. The fact that the brain is fueled by fat products known as ketones, rather than glucose, is thought to be related. If anyone knows more, feel free to contribute that knowledge.

Rethink

If your character gets brain surgery for their epilepsy, and that surgery is framed as negative, think about why that is. I absolutely understand the long, problematic, real-life history behind lobotomies, and I am not telling you not to explore that. Please do think hard about what beliefs you may have, and what messages you may be sending, about people who get brain surgery.

Characters with epilepsy that gives them visions or confers some kind of power. Yes, there are historical associations between epilepsy and religiosity, but remember the real world people who have epilepsy and how this framing may strike them. This is a common trope, so do a little introspection on what about this narrative is compelling to you and what messages you’re consuming and endorsing.

Seizures that occur to add intensity, drama, fear, or risk to the story. What are your characters afraid of? Why are they afraid of it? As always - what messages are you sending about seizures or the people who experience them? How would it feel to read your portrayal as a person who regularly seizes?

A character who seizes but does not have epilepsy. Related to the above - why is a seizure important to your story, but epilepsy is not a part of it?

A character who seizes twice but is not described as/does not identify with epilepsy. For one, this is medically inaccurate, which you should just be aware of. Secondly - what about this diagnosis is undesirable or unnecessary for your story? Why?

Write what you’re going to write, but understand why you’re writing it, and how it might be perceived. In particular, when writing about a complex, widely misunderstood, and stigmatized condition like epilepsy, understand what stigma you may be contributing to, what inaccuracies you may be presenting, and what complexities you may be ignoring, especially by having a character seize without being epileptic.

Resources

A lot of this is written based on my relationships with epileptic people and personal research. I don’t like to recommend media that I haven’t personally read/watched, just because then I don’t know what I’m recommending, but if anyone else has recommendations, please feel free to add them!

How Evan Broke His Head and Other Secrets by Garth Stein is contemporary novel about a Seattle man with epilepsy who is suddenly thrust into parenting a 14-year-old son he didn’t know existed. I read it a while ago and remember it being pretty good, but nothing special (no offense, Garth Stein). Worth noting that while the author is not himself epileptic, his sister does have epilepsy and he likely has better than typical knowledge of the condition.

The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman is a creative nonfiction book about a Hmong family, their epileptic child, and the medical saga they embark on as the American medical establishment attempts to treat their child. It is written about a real-life immigrant family and their daughter and was extensively researched over eight years, focusing on cultural differences, and xenophobia, racism, and misunderstanding in medicine.

This Podcast Will Kill You, which is free on Spotify, includes an hour and forty minute long episode diving into (some) of the etiology and history of epilepsy.

Maintenance Phase is a podcast that is also free on Spotify and has an episode about the keto diet. The main focus of the episode is the keto diet as it is used for weight loss, but it does include some fascinating backstory on the (invented) narrative that the keto diet is a secret that is being kept from the general public.

Please hit me up with questions, comments, corrections, or requests. Happy writing!

#disability writing guide #writing disabled characters #epilepsy #seizures #writing seizures #writing epilepsy #writing characters with seizures #writing characters with epilepsy #disability representation #disability justice #representation matters

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heliza24 · 10 months

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Wilhelm closing the curtains

I know people have varying opinions on the moment when Wilhelm closes the curtains in 2.5, but to me it’s always felt really special, in a way that goes beyond a reaction to past trauma. There is something about that action that feels really sacred to me, but I was struggling to articulate what until I started talking with @bluedalahorse about it. She said something so great that it sparked a bunch of ideas in my head: what if we thought about Hillerska, not just as a school deeply entrenched in the class system, but as a panopticon?

A panopticon is “a disciplinary concept brought to life in the form of a central observation tower placed within a circle of prison cells. From the tower, a guard can see every cell and inmate but the inmates can't see into the tower. Prisoners will never know whether or not they are being watched.” Basically, it’s a conceptual prison where because you could be observed at any moment, you behave as if you are always being observed.

Now obviously Hillerska isn’t a literal prison; this is a metaphor more than anything. But I think it’s a useful way of examining the dynamics in the school. Because the adults at Hillerska aren’t the only ones enforcing upper class values and hierarchy. The students are also policing each other as well. That means that any student could be observed “breaking the rules” established for upper class kids at any time. An important part of the unspoken rules you agree to at Hillerska are to follow the traditions set out for you, and to keep the authentic, vulnerable version of yourself hidden. It’s very important that you only show vulnerability in sanctioned ways, and to the correct people.

There are a lot of tangible ways this system of self-policing manifests. There’s the “get on the table” tradition, which allows the Forest Ridge boys to monitor each other’s hookups to make sure that everyone is picking appropriate partners. There’s the pledge that August makes Wilhelm take after his initiation, to “never betray the proud traditions of Forest Ridge House”. And there’s the system of prefects, where one student is elected to explicitly control and discipline the other students.

I would say that the royal family and the court operate in much the same way. The members of the royal family are always policing each other for good behavior, and the apparatus of the court and the royal staff works to cover up any deviant acts and reinforce the status quo. The royal family is always being observed by the public and the media, so they are always careful to act with propriety. So between the palace and Hillerska, Wilhelm has lived his whole life being observed. He’s never been free of the panopticon.

Thinking about Hillerska in this way can really help us understand August’s actions in season 1. When August records and posts the video, he’s acting in the way that he’s been trained to do. Wilhelm has broken the rules in a few ways: by having sex with another boy, by falling in love outside of his class, and maybe most importantly, by being intimate with someone who lives largely outside of the panopticon and can therefore not be controlled by it. As Nils tells us in season 2, the rules about who you can be intimate with are very image-dependent. You can have gay sex as long as the person you’re sleeping with will be discreet. But Simon is an outsider. His ties to his family and Marieberg mean that he’s immune to the Hillerska panopticon in a lot of ways. So it makes total sense that August would act almost without thinking (he’s intoxicated when he records the video) to reinforce the rules and punish Wilhelm for stepping out of line like this.

To return to the royal family for a minute, I am continuously fascinated by the way that Kristina reacts to Wilhelm threatening to post on social media that he is stepping down as Crown Prince. The most powerful threat that Wilhelm can make is to remove the power of his immediate observers (the royal family and of the court) by exposing his true self to the general public. The panopticon relies on your close circle observing and controlling you, but as soon as you reveal your authentic self publicly, the power of that circle disappears. When Kristina tells Wilhelm “you have to realize that there will be reactions when you threaten us” in 2.2, she basically draws a line between Wilhelm the Person and Wilhelm the Prince. Wilhelm the Person was threatening Wilhelm the Prince, and by extension the whole royal family and circle of observation.

Because of that I think it’s important to remember that Kristina leverages therapy not as a genuine solution for Wilhelm’s mental health struggles, but as a tool of the panopticon. Therapy is supposed to teach Wilhelm how to better control and suppress his emotions, so that he can act more controlled while he is being observed. I know some people like to speculate that Erik was also struggling under the weight of the crown before his death, and that may be true. But I also think it’s important to recognize that Erik was using coping skills that were explicitly approved by the panopticon system. Wilhelm never knew he went to therapy, which meant he was likely using it as Kristina intended, as a way to help him maintain a perfect princely image. He was having hookups with sex workers, who could certainly be controlled and paid off enough to ensure that they never threatened his image. And he was (at least) casually drinking, a form of self medicating that might be seen as more acceptable by his family and the court than relying on actual pharmaceuticals. (There’s certainly a longer tradition of princes and kings drinking than taking antidepressants). I think that if Erik had lived, he would be sympathetic to Wilhelm’s plight. But I also think that he would have encouraged Wilhelm to deal with his problems through officially sanctioned methods, which ultimately wouldn’t have been enough to help Wilhelm.

So now let’s finally return to the window and the curtain. The idea of a window through which the prisoner is observed is crucial to the concept of the panopticon, and I think it’s really interesting to contrast the way that August and Wilhelm react to it. August takes the call from the palace, where Jan-Olaf maps out his future to him, standing naked in front of the window. August is comfortable with this system of observation and control; he’s consenting to Jan-Olaf’s demands without argument and is unafraid to be seen while doing so. He’s a part of and protected by the system, so it doesn’t matter if anyone sees him.

When Wilhelm closes the curtain for him and Simon though, he’s effectively taking himself out of the panopticon. He’s taking away the pressures that come with being observed and freeing them both to behave genuinely. I think that’s a really big deal for Wilhelm, who was raised in the royal system of control and is now living in the social hierarchy of Hillerska. As much as closing the curtains is a reaction to what August did, it’s also a revolutionary act. Claiming privacy in that way is a really big step in Wilhelm’s journey, and I think it’s something he had to do first before he was ready to publicly claim his queerness and relationship with Simon at the end of Season 2.

#young royals #my meta #wilhelm young royals #prince wilhelm #august horn #august young royals #how many times can I say the word panopticon before it loses all meaning

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