#both have the same disease but different symptoms

[pixelatedraindrops]

RAINCODE 4KOMA COMIC PROJECT

This is another project that I'm currently working on with @kazinsblog! We adore makoyuma and they're our number one faves.

So we decided to make a little 4koma style side special of Kazin's mini series "The Kanai Ward Case Files"

This intro is the only normal comic in this story.

Prologue: Flu season hits worldwide, and Makoto calls Yuma one day and gives him the warning. Yuma notices his congested voice so he wants to head to to Kanai Ward to check on him. But meanwhile, Yuma is trying his best to hold his cough as he talks on the line. Only to suffer the fit after Makoto hangs up. He isn't well either.

When Yuma arrives in Kanai Tower finding Makoto completely disheveled and passed out at his work desk, he ushers the stuffy CEO to bed. The two were shown pushing themselves while being sick alone. But now that they're together, these stubborn workaholics will finally rest and break from their duties in order to take care of each other.

further information below

Of course since I'm involved in this project, they're obviously not going to be doing well... XD But this story is going to be a lot more fun and lighthearted than others I have written. (It's essentially written in a silly sick filler episode of a cartoon kind of vibe) meaning less whump, and more sick comfort and hilarity. There may be a few somewhat whumpy ones here and there (I can't resist) but it won't be as common.

Full Story Summary:

This RainCode fan side story revolves around slice of life comedy 4koma style strips with scenes of Yuma and Makoto being sick together and spending time with each other in Kanai Tower for about a week. They both have different halves of cold symptoms, Yuma with throat based, and Makoto with nasal based. (hence the title) Various cute and wacky stuff happen between the two and their bond grows stronger spending this sick week together away from their duties as detective and CEO. They may be sick and miserable, but at least they're in it together! What could possibly go wrong?

The comic strips will be drawn by Kazin, but there will be some bonus art that the two of us will work on together (similar to the title which was a collab by us both)

Also, both of us agreed that these strips should be posted on my blog rather than Kazin's. Reason being is that this story is based on illness and my blog is half an illness blog so it makes more sense to share it to mine. You all likely expect this sort of thing from me at this point anyway… XD (I’m also the director so I write the descriptions of them.)

And this series will continue to be ongoing so long as Kazin and I have ideas. (we currently have almost 100 strips planned)

I will update this in separate posts whenever more strips get fully digitally drawn by Kazin whenever she can work on them. With the tag #kanaiwardcasefiles h&h. Some strips will be random, some will be two parters, and some will have a timeline or are connected to others.

We both hope you look forward to this project! There will be a lot of funny and cute moments between these two, so we hope you makoyuma enjoyers are excited!

Also bit of a fun fact: This was inspired by when my mother and I had covid late April 2024. Something similar happened to us, and we each had one cold-like symptom more than the other. So I thought of this idea!

[hayatheauthor]

How To Write And Research Mental Illnesses 

Mental illnesses are a large aspect of literature often incorporated into various different genres. However, even with their prevalence, many authors are often unaware of how to write about mental illnesses accurately. If you’re an author writing a character with a mental illness, here are some tips on how to write with mental illnesses. 

Don’t ‘Self Diagnose’ Your Characters 

When writing about mental illnesses it’s important to consider whether or not your character would realistically have this mental illness given their situation and story. Many authors often ‘self diagnose’ their characters without actually taking the time to research these illnesses and figure out whether their character would develop this illness if they were a real person. 

I say ‘self diagnose’ because as authors we generally do diagnose our characters based on our own interpretations and plans for them and their story, without looking to real people with these illnesses. 

Just because your character is going through an unproductive slump doesn’t mean they they are depressed. Just because your character is nervous and experiencing stage fright doesn’t mean they have anxiety. 

Take the time to look into these mental illnesses and genuinely consider whether or not your character has a mental illness, or if you’re just self diagnosing and wrongly labelling them. 

Do Your Research 

Whenever I blog about such sensitive topics, I always find myself ultimately mentioning this one point. This is because even with so many resources available to us both online and offline, writers still choose to be blissfully unaware of sensitive topics mentioned in their WIPs or stories. 

I sincerely cannot stress how important it is for a writer to do their due diligence and research the topics they write for, especially if it is something as sensitive as mental illnesses. 

Once you have established that your character would realistically develop or undergo a mental illness given the situation they are in, it is now time to research what exactly they would go through. 

A simple google search can tell you everything you need to know about your character’s mental illness. Or, you could reach out to people you know who suffer from the same illness and ask them questions about it. 

Researching your character’s mental illness helps ensure you don’t accidentally misrepresent that illness or create symptoms that are inaccurate and insulting to people who do suffer from that mental illness. It will also provide you with a sense of ease as an author, and allow you to work on your WIP without having to worry about accidentally offending an entire community. 

Remember The Three Ss

One of the biggest challenges writers face with writing with mental illnesses is unrealistic representation. Unsure where to start with your research? Here is a simple guide for you to keep in mind. 

When writing about mental illnesses, you need to recall the three Ss: 

Symptoms 

Side effects 

Stages 

Symptoms 

Every illness or disease has its own symptoms, the same applies to mental illnesses. When writing about a character with mental illnesses, you need to take the time to research the symptoms of this illness and how these symptoms can impact your character on a day-to-day and general level. 

For example, a character with PTSD would face trouble sleeping and concentrating, would be irritable, angry and face overwhelming guilt or shame. These symptoms can all make it hard for a person to excel at school or the workplace and can lead to delayed deadlines, unfinished work, and a lot of stress and anxious thinking. 

A character with PTSD would likely not be able to handle being at the top of their class, unless they completely engross themselves in their studies to the point where they can’t think of anything except that. However, if that were the case then they would find it very hard to handle ‘normal’ situations and wouldn’t be getting a lot of sleep. 

Side Effects 

A side effect is a temporary and commonly unwanted effect of a drug or medical condition. Unlike a symptom, a side effect can be harmful or beneficial and most go away on their own over time. 

They wouldn’t be considered as ‘serious’ as a symptom, however, they can still significantly impact your character, their story, and their dynamics with the characters they interact with. 

Following the above example, a character with PTSD would generally suffer from an inability to develop or maintain positive, healthy interpersonal relationships and an inability to trust others. They also often face side effects such as social isolation, chronic feelings of fear, etc. 

These are all side effects that would make it hard for a character with PTSD to maintain emotional relationships. You can use this to portray their sudden lack of connection with friends and family, and how they find themselves only associating with people who have either been through or understand their situation. 

Stages 

A person with cancer, or other such physical illnesses, doesn’t suddenly hit a chronic level overnight. The same logic applies to mental illnesses. Mental illnesses don’t just develop overnight. Your character won’t suddenly wake up one day in chapter ten and have a full-blown panic attack because they developed a panic disorder. 

Yes, people can face symptoms or side effects pertaining to a mental illness after facing a traumatic event. However, when writing about such events, it’s very important to do your research and consider whether or not a person would realistically undergo such serious symptoms in such a small timeframe given the circumstances. 

Outside of incidents that are a direct result of a traumatic event, it’s important to consider the stages your character would experience as a result of their mental illness. 

For example, a person with PTSD goes through five stages, the first being the impact or emergency stage, during which they struggle to process or deal with the situation they have gone through. Then comes the denial or numbing stage. 

Following the above example, a numbing stage would be akin to when a character pretends the traumatic event never occurred and throws themselves into their work or school. Then comes a rescue stage, which would be when other characters begin to intervene or when the character comes to terms with the events and starts to better themselves. 

Knowing the stages of your character’s mental illness allows you to accurately plan out what happens in your story and create a realistic portrayal of their suffrage. It also helps flesh out your story for your readers and allows you to seamlessly incorporate your character’s illness into the story. 

Don’t Define Them By Their Mental Illness

Now that you have a general idea of how to write and research mental illnesses, I would like to end this blog post with a small reminder. People with mental illnesses are human. They have personalities, hobbies, likes, dislikes, and other such traits that often have nothing to do with their mental illness. 

When writing with a mental illness, it’s important to take this into account and ensure you don’t constantly define your character by their mental illness, or even worse, reduce them to their mental illness. 

I hope this blog on how to write and research mental illnesses will help you in your writing journey. Be sure to comment any tips of your own to help your fellow authors prosper, and follow my blog for new blog updates every Monday and Thursday.  

Looking For More Writing Tips And Tricks? 

Are you an author looking for writing tips and tricks to better your manuscript? Or do you want to learn about how to get a literary agent, get published and properly market your book? Consider checking out the rest of Haya’s book blog where I post writing and marketing tools for authors every Monday and Thursday. 

[wayfayrr]

Mossss!!! I just got off of work and I haven’t been able to stop thinking of Sky being a human <333333 ! He’s just so babygirl, a scrunkly lil baby <33

Making me think of reader sticking close to Sky- honestly projecting rn, he just looks so warm and safe to be around, I’d be taking so many naps with him <3

But also making me think that Sky would probably do better in the modern world, considering it’s all humans and precious bean would never have to worry about monsters again. And Sky with cats!! Getting to hold cats!!! AND THE PUPPIES <33333

But also I’d love to hear any other headcanons you have about human Sky <3

~🍀 anon

I hope your shift went well clover!!!

Sky is simply the sckrunkliest link - he's so babygirl and lovable in everyway <333 no there's no bias in who I write for the most wym?

Sticking close to him would just be so lovely in hyrule, he's the one in the chain that understands the most about you - he's got the kindest/calmest demeanour of them all and he's tied for best cuddler with twi what else is there to really want? if you chose him out of all of the others he'd try his hardest to prove to you it was the right choice.

sky is 100% the fastest link to adapt to the modern world you're so right about that. he struggles with tech about as much as all the rest (cept wild and tears ofc) but the other things? he's not got the same issues with food because milk isn't alcoholic to him (milk powder can be found in bloody anything so the rest of the chain are struggling for a bit), he isn't as intertwined with magic so he doesn't have any withdrawal symptoms seeing as earth doesn't have any. the animals are just another cherry on the top for it!

as for other headcanons?

✦ I think I've touched on it, but sky growing up in skyloft is the reason for his poor stamina. Hylians tend to handle high altitude and lower oxygen environments a lot better than humans and hence his stamina is way lower than it should be. (he also gets very confused when he sees you struggling with the altitude until it's pointed out humans aren't built for it)

✦ The chain are very shocked when they see him bleeding for the first time! another hc I have about hylians is that they have orange blood (this is based on botw/totks shading) so when they see his red they think there's something wrong with him

✦ He can't use most potions and magic has a lot less of an affect on him, less because he grew up with it outside humans it has next to no affect, so he has to take specialised potions and has them prioritised seeing as worst case scenario anyone else can have rulie heal them. Wild is in charge of altering and making sky's supply! Luv handed over her recipes for a good lot of rupees when they made it back to skyloft again <3 wild's the most consistent at making them so sky just has to put his life in his hands.

✦ His resting body temp is also a little higher than the chains, they had to be reassured several times that he wasn't simply running a fever

✦ the both of you are immune to a fair few hylian diseases and the ones you do get have different symptoms, however the two of you can both get each other sick - so no cuddling while one or the other is by order of time :(( Rulie also gets very sad he can't heal the two of you

✦ The rest of the chain are almost jealous of how fast you and sky bonded, and it's over things that none of them share with you. The most is twi having experience with Ordonians who are human. But being able to talk to you about human issues and get close to you through things like that? yeah they're envious to say the least

[odditycircus-2002]

Medusa! Reader and Shang Tsung in MK 1 (Part 1)

NEXT

SPOILER ALERT FOR MK 1 STORYMODE

A/N: I hope y'all like this as I've been hyped for this game since I heard its release!!! I was so excited for the possibilities that I watched the full storymode cut as soon as it came out to take notes! Be aware, given this is a new timeline, there ARE gonna be some changes from the other hc/s you've known, but rest assured that doesn't mean I have forgotten. Please enjoy!

You were born around the same northern canton as Shang Tsung, yet you would come to know him in adulthood. You were born as the second eldest to your village's apothecary during your childhood. You never knew your eldest sister, who was taken at infancy to become Umgadi; despite this, your mother always spoke highly of the daughter she never got to know. To the point of being grating to everyone around you, including yourself. On the other hand, your father had high hopes for you to someday take over the apothecary of your village, having seen your innate talent and intrigue for medicine from an early age.

You reveled in the pride your father expressed for you. Although, your mother gave you a different time of day despite your best efforts. Because of your frustrations, you would come across to others as prickly and shrewish. Although deep down, you just wanted a chance to make BOTH your parents proud.

That day came, but not in the way you truly hoped, when a plague struck your village from another nearby canton. Thankfully, it wasn't Tarkat, but that didn't make the one that came any less deadly.

You and your father worked day and night to help treat your village, giving them depleting medicine to ease their symptoms. However, that doesn't mean you didn't have your fair share of corpses you had to help burn to stifle the plague from spreading.

When your father became ill from overworking, you took it upon yourself to search for a cure. It took weeks of secretly digging corpses out of the burn puts and cutting them open (something that wasn't so hard for you to stomach, oddly) to find which combinations of elixirs were the most effective before you found a cure. Even then, it took weeks of trials and tribulations before you finally succeeded. However, to others, you seemed to have cured your village overnight by some miracle, making both your parents proud.

From then on, through the grapevine, it wasn't hard for the newly crowned rulers of Outworld, Sindel and Jerrod, to hear the word of an upcoming healer making a name for herself around the northern cantons by healing most ailments and diseases. Eventually, they would invite you to study at the palace to further your knowledge of medicine.

You were already stunned to hear of Outworld's rulers inviting YOU, of all people, to study at their palace. Imagine your amazement when you first saw the luscious and lively city of Sun Do. Yet the city seemed pale compared to the crown jewel of Sun Do Palace.

When you were escorted into the palace, instead of immediately heading into the throne room as instructed, you slipped away from Li Mei's watch to head toward the legendary Hanging Gardens. While exploring the garden's flora, you took the time to sketch out the plant life you've never seen to look up later while listing off the medical herbs you could gather from there. In fact, you were so caught up in what you were doing you didn't immediately acknowledge Empress Sindel when she entered. When she invited you inside for tea, did you finally look up from what you were doing and realize who you had spoken to the entire time.

You quickly bowed as you started to ramble out apologies for not properly greeting your Empress, stating how you meant no offense or disrespect. Sindel only gave a small chuckle and brushed it off, stating it was a relief to know the healer they invited to study here had so much potential. From there, after getting berated by Li Mei about how there won't be a next time for you to slip from her, you meet Jerrod.

Jerrod and Sindel watched you flourish into a benevolent and dedicated healer, eventually the Head Healer for the Palace, often treating the royal family, Imperial Guard, or Umgadi. While there, you were also trained by Li Mei herself to defend yourself, to prove that every member of the Imperial House is capable of defending Outworld.

You and Sindel grew to have a close friendship. In fact, you treated Sindel the most when she was pregnant with twins and watched as both came into the world. You, too, helped with the upbringing of Mileena and Kitana after Jerrod's death. Sindel found she could confide in you, knowing any secret with you is safe, assured in your loyalty to her and the royal house.

However, that's not to say your friendship with Sindel didn't get into trouble occasionally, specifically in matters concerning Tarkat and those afflicted with it, as your role as a Healer conflicts with Sindel's policies.

You took it upon yourself to become one of the lead researchers into Tarkat, including going to the colony of those afflicted in the Wastes. What you saw appalled you and sickened every part of you that is a Healer.

Yet, as Sindel continues to ignore your suggestions on improving Tarkatan's life, a wedge forms between you. Still, that doesn't stop you from advocating giving Tarkatans better treatment than what they currently have. You and Sindel's skirmish reaches a crescendo when Mileena, infected with Tarkart, one day approaches you.

You tried everything you could to treat her in secret from Sindel, fearing the Empress would banish her own daughter. Yet neither of your efforts would be successful as Sindel and Kitana eventually learned about Mileena's affliction. You and Sindel argued about how Mileena's illness should be dealt with, with you calling Sindel a hypocrite for protecting Mileena when she doesn't do the same for the rest of her sick subjects.

Thanks to the new sorcerer, Shang Tsung, that Mileena found, she was temporarily cured before she could go on a bloody rampage. Immediately, you asked Shang how he figured out how to treat Mileena's symptoms. To which he answered by offering a partnership, stating that together, you both had a real chance to cure the princess and all of Outworld. An invitation you were not going to turn down, much to the Sorcerer's delight.

Thanks to Shang Tsung backing your argument, Sindel had a laboratory built near the Tarkatan camp so you could further your studies for a cure. Although, secretly, it may have also been a way for you to put some distance between you and Sindel since you felt you needed time away from her and the city.

Shang Tsung introduced you to Syzoth, who he claimed would work as an assistant. You were unaware of his enslavement to Shang. Although more at ease in your presence, you couldn't help but notice how twitchy Syzoth can be, especially whenever Shang is in the room.

You recognize Shang's mannerisms, dialect, and choice of clothing to be from the same area you're from. Despite the familiarity you two connected with, you were wary of Shang when he refused to indulge in what he used to be. While he finds your caution understandable, that would not stop him from trying to woo you.

At first, he wasn't quite successful in using honeyed words and shiny trinkets since you were too caught up in your work to care for them. Frustratingly for him, you struck a faster friendship with Syzoth over your interests in each other's cultures. Yet, it didn't escape Shang's notice that Syzoth would cringe at your dark humor and be unable to fully understand the theories you would share with him.

Shang Tsung changed his approach to you after taking note of you and Syzoth's interactions (and punishing Syzoth in private). He got this chance when you let slip a dark joke that some would say is in bad humor. You slap a hand over your mouth when you realize what you said. Yet, to your surprise, the sorcerer you saw as pretentious and full of himself let out a genuine laugh to the point he had to step back from his worktable to reorient himself.

Shang Tsung didn't fake finding you humorous, yet he's not complaining about it, especially when it meant seeing you direct your smile toward him. One small but genuine one he scarcely ever saw directed at him. He found himself wanting more.

Such a small moment led to a friendship that intertwined with your partnership. Shang got you talking about your work and what you hope to accomplish with it, occasionally encouraging you. You would find him sometimes jotting down notes when you share with him theories you developed about Tarkat, including how its mutative properties cause an excessive amount of bone to grow from a person and could probably strengthen a person if used right.

"Yet, I would never actually see if that's true. Not only would it be incredibly painful, but it would be an act against nature.

"Of course, yet shouldn't progress be something healers should strive for?

"Indeed we do, but not at the cost of lives."

Syzoth watched as your relationship with Shang Tsung flourished, thus leading you to share a few apothecary secrets your father taught you. The Zatteran wishes he could've told you about the man you looked fondly at, yet he kept his mouth shut for the sake of his family.

Unbeknownst to you, Shang Tsung would take some of your ideas and theories with Tarkat and then make them into a horrid reality, all right under your nose. For all you knew, the basement level of the lab would eventually be used to treat patients.

Yet, you didn't think Shang Tsung could ever be so depraved. Not from the charming and intelligent man you came to know through long discussions and walks near the lab. However, you started to grow suspicious since you saw Syzoth often head downstairs, but Shang Tsung discouraged you from looking around below. This eventually spiraled into a confrontation between the two of you.

You argued that both of you are partners and thus are equals. Just, what was he hiding down there? However, when you confronted the Sorcercer and gave him a piece of your mind, that's when disaster struck.

You were standing under a shelf when a glass jar containing proto-type Anti-Tarkat serum fell directly on your head. You screamed at the searing pain of glass and the serum entering your eyes.

The chain reaction of the shelf then collapsing and causing more elixirs to fall on your face didn't help with the pain. Your skin started to peel away, leaving your entire body in patches of red rashes, and your hair fell out in clumps. Your screams filled the entire laboratory as you collapsed to the ground. You didn't see the panicked look on Shang's face as he instructed Syzoth (who saw the whole thing) to carry you.

A/N: Sorry, that's all for now, folks. I reached the word count limit.😅 Don't worry, part 2 is coming out real soon!

[wumblr]

since everyone in public health is dead at the wheel, you should know: monkeypox has a r0 value of about 2 (omicron BA2 and measles are both near 12, which is about the maximum we know of, until we get clearer data on BA4/5 next month).

r0 value is number of likely infections per patient, so that also means monkeypox infections will likely double until it reaches peak infection. this could be a million people by the end of the year because it is 400 now (in the US).

it is aerosol and fomite transmissible. fomite viral particles survive in the environment for two months.

vaccination is currently available only for confirmed cases, and we will likely only be able to produce a million doses by end of year. they will likely not be distributed to the most at-risk people. this will likely not be enough to prevent widespread infection. i might recommend seeking testing in absence of symptoms, to catch any asymptomatic infections.

anyone born before 1980 is likely to already be vaccinated for it (smallpox vaccination seems to remain 85% effective with no waning, although the new vaccine recommended is jynneos and healthcare providers are hesistant to offer the older vaccine because it scars the injection site). if you're 40+ it might be a good time to get into volunteer outreach or hospice care.

it may have a fatality rate between 1-10%, more likely 1-3%, this is affected by factors like overall immune vulnerability, nutrition, and heatlh. severe progression is characterized by nausea, dizziness, shortness of breath, and other systematic-failure indicators. the virus had already mutated substantially by the time it was detected, so this may be an indicator that there are far more unknown, mild cases (i.e. bringing the fatality rate down substatially, one would hope.)

it is distinguishable from chickenpox because the sores progress at the same rate, while in chickenpox each sore may be at different stages. any healthcare provider or sexual health clinic will likely be able to test for both. now is not the time to ignore symptoms. petechiae are also a post-covid associated sequala, i believe they also progress at different rates like chickenpox but i'm not sure if there's a clear clinical definition of covid sores yet. it's also possible these represent undetected pox cases. it was likely circulating as early as april.

monkeypox infection may cause as a few as one sore, which scabs and then peels. debridement or exfoliation is not recommended, precisely because viral particles can survive for two months, although it's believed to stop being transmissible after the first layer of skin heals. vitamin A is recommended during recovery, ideally from nutritionally dense foods.

chickenpox can also cause facial paralysis. hepatitis-associated liver failure in children has been essentially confirmed as a post-covid sequela (adenovirus was ruled out as a cause of hepatitis, if you heard about that, although it is also still endemic). dysentery, cholera, and polio are back. between 10-30% of covid patients are now likely immunocompromised from long covid, although severe cases are less than 10%.

our failure to manage this has damaged the collective immune imprint, things that used to be rare or eradicated can now gain a foothold much more easily. this will keep happening until we end capitalism, we didn't have to live with influenza or salmonella either, and they make bank off the 1.3m deaths of heart disease and cancer every year too.

correct me if i'm wrong but i'm pretty sure everything except that last part is stated in this PDF. also had to look up the r0 value separately, i don't think that's in there

[actual-changeling]

Aziraphale Does NOT Have Depression

or: Please Have a Look at the ICD

or: This Word Does Not Mean What You Think It Does

I cannot believe I even have to make this post, but here we are. Hi. Hello guys. Maybe I should start a series called "Alex fact-checks meta posts" because I have seen things that should have never been written.

A small excursion before we start: The way things usually work in academic circles is that the person making the claim needs to provide proof for said claim, which is then peer-reviewed by unrelated academic parties. That involves not only making sure that the results they are basing their claim on are replicable—meaning that if someone else were to do the same work, they would receive the same result—but also that their methods were ethical and functional.

If it turns out that their methods or any other part of the process are not replicable, functional, or otherwise waterproof, then the paper is marked as not being correct and that it should be disregarded.

While this is far from academic circles, these rules still apply to any kind of conversation or discussion, especially that last part:

If you make a claim, back it up, or it should be disregarded.

With that, welcome to the peer-review of "Aziraphale has depression" claims. Obligatory note that this is not about fanfiction or headcanons but people claiming that Aziraphale canonically has depression.

You may sit in front of your screen and think Alex, why do you think you can write this post? To which I happily respond that not only am I professionally diagnosed with both Dysthymia and Recurrent Depressive Disorder, I have also a) done my research offline with psychiatrists and psychologists and b) know how to read academic literature because my degree very much requires me to be able to do so.

If you want to go and fact-check what I am about to present—which you are explicitly invited to do in case you want to publicly disagree with me—you can find the entirety of the ICD 11 right here.

No paywall, completely free access.

For those who have never heard of it, ICD stands for "International Classification of Diseases", which is by now on its 11th version and written and maintained by the WHO/World Health Organization. It contains all kinds of relevant information, like diagnostic criteria, about all diseases. As you can see, this includes mental disorders and illnesses:

Let's get into it!

First things first, there is no such thing as "depression", that term is a colloquial reduction of a number of different disorders categorized under Mood Disorders -> Depressive Disorders. Said category also contains any and all diagnoses related to Bipolar Disorders.

"Depression" is nondescript, loose, and can mean a long list of things, and social media has diluted and romanticized its meaning. For the purpose of this post, we will have a look at the criteria for three diagnoses:

Dysthymic disorder (shortened here to dysthymia)

Single episode depressive disorder, mild ( // to single episode)

Recurrent depressive disorder, current episode mild ( // recurrent)

I assume people mean a crude mix of these when they say "depression". Both recurrent and single episode can be diagnosed with dysthymia, but they cannot be diagnosed with each other. Recurrent automatically excludes single episode as a diagnosis, which I think is obvious if you think about it.

Before we look at the symptoms themselves, here is something very important to keep in mind about diagnoses: There are two requirements that pretty much every listed disorder and illness in the ICD has.

The first is that the symptoms are not related to something else—whether that's another mental disorder, a physical illness, or simply a cultural influence. It needs to be clear that they are due to something outside of what is already known and not circumstantial.

The second one is that the present symptoms are causing significant distress and impair a person's functioning in at least two different areas of life.

Or, to put it bluntly, a disorder needs to be disordering or it isn't one.

Additionally, the severity of the displayed symptoms needs to be taken into account. If several of them are not causing any negative impact on someone's life, they are not symptoms and cannot be counted.

Now, I will very much reduce the information the ICD provides us with or we will be here forever, but it is all correct and not partial in its meaning. To keep everything neat and tidy, I created a nice, colour-coded table:

If you disagree with what I marked for Aziraphale, great, please provide me with textual evidence of where exactly he exhibits each criteria, that it is not related to periodical stress or something else, and cannot be attributed to exceptional circumstances (like the end of the world).

The ONLY symptom we ever see Aziraphale consistently show throughout all six thousand thousand years is the one marked in yellow: low self-worth or excessive or inappropriate guilt.

However, if you paid attention to what I explained above, you will notice why this is in no way indicative of a depressive disorder.

Not only is it one symptom out of several required ones, it can also be explained by something else, which is the emotional neglect and abuse heaven subjected and subjects every (former) angel to. The same can be said for any anxious symptoms he exhibits sometimes, emphasis on sometimes.

In conclusion, Aziraphale does not have depression, and I think making a case that he does will be almost entirely built on assumptions and subjective interpretations, not anything that is in any shape or form supported by text or subtext.

Does that mean all of his struggles are somehow invalid? No, of course not. They are simply not due to a disorder but something else, that's literally all this post proves. It makes no moral judgement.

[aquaquadrant]

I was wondering if you had an estimated date of when you will post the next HTP chapter?

Like, leaving us on such a cliffhanger must be a crime! It cant be legal!

Anyways, while I wait for it, Ive decided to copy paste every chapter into a doc and mark it up color code style for all my over analyzing needs. It took me an hour but it was worth it.

Have a good week and take care :)

(This is meant to be genuine, not mean or passive aggressive, just so you know. While I indeed am anxiously awaiting Chapter 10 by highlighting the chapters on a doc like that one photo of a bible page that’s highlighted with different colors. This isn’t meant to be mean or pressuring, take your time and take care of yourself)

⬆️(Ah poo, Im an over thinker

hey there, no worries y’all- i love seeing my reader’s enthusiasm and it’s reassuring to see continued interest in the series. i’d been hoping to have BOTH of the final ‘from eden’ chapters done before summer. but i have to admit, progress on the next chapter hasn’t been as forthcoming as i’d expected, for a couple reasons.

the first is health-related. not to be too TMI, but i recently got diagnosed with crohn’s disease. my symptoms started ages ago but have really ramped up in the last couple months, and the diagnosis was a lengthy and involved process (started the hunt back in november, presumptively diagnosed after a colonoscopy in feb, definitively diagnosed when biopsies came back over spring break) and even when i was simply waiting for results, it occupied a lot of my mental capacity. and ofc it happened to line up with me turning 26 and needing new insurance, which has caused lots of delays. anyone dealing with the american health care system while chronically ill will tell you it’s a frustrating, exhausting process. as of right now, i’m still waiting to start treatment 🫠

but honestly, even more than that, the biggest thing stopping me from writing is… me? 😂 so there’s this thing that happens after i post a chapter that’s like… decision paralysis? except it’s just that sometimes, i literally can’t bring myself to start the next chapter. it’s like, i have this unfounded fear that all my writing up until this point has been some magical fluke out of my control, and i’m not capable of ‘pulling it off’ again. i guess you could call it a form of imposter syndrome (which i already encounter enough in my vet school life). it gets worse after posting something that was a particularly massive undertaking or was insanely well-received bc i’m scared i won’t be able to top it- even though the impact of storytelling is supposed to be cohesive, and it’s unrealistic for every chapter to be ‘bigger and better’ (what does that even mean?) than the last one because they serve different purposes at different points in the story. i know this, rationally, but that doesn’t stop the irrational fear of failure from making me avoid writing.

i’m not sharing this to make excuses or garner sympathy, or fish for compliments, and certainly not to make anyone feel guilty for asking about updates. i just feel like maybe this will resonate with anyone who has the same experience. and also to share hope, because despite how often this feeling rears its ugly head, i’ve still been able to push through and get back to writing- and i’m always very happy with the result. sometimes it just takes longer than i’d like (pro tip: writing on ur phone is less intimidating, tho it’s more of a pain). but in any case, the next chapter of ‘from eden’ is well underway and i still hope to have the series done before summer’s end^^

[aspiringwarriorlibrarian]

You know, I rarely come across popsci articles that make me angry enough to do a point by point debunking but here we fucking are.

"Fact" 1: Your cat doesn't love you.

Citations: Two studies. One that was inconclusive on whether cats care if their owners leave and come back, but the author has decided that there is "proof enough" that they don't. Marvelous investigative work. The other is that cats hear their owners but don't come when they call. Strange, because dogs do the exact same thing and have to be specifically trained to be called.

"Fact" 2: Your cat isn't really showing you affection

Citations: 1 study stating that cats rub your legs to spread their scent (we already knew that), one stating that cats who don't like being petted but tolerate it have higher stress levels than cats who just run away (yup. not all dogs like being petted either), and one study that found that cats use different purrs with humans when soliciting food and when not, which the author then flat out lies about by saying that cats only use purrs for humans when they want food. Because fuck reaching, let's just straight up lie and hope no one clicks the link to call bullshit. What the fuck.

"Fact" 3: They're an environmental disaster

This one is just straight up true. Feral cats are the one if not the most dangerous invasive species humans introduce. Stop letting your cats outside and spay and neuter any you find. What I object to is the framing of feral dogs as a "lesser" threat. They're third on the list after cats and rats and pretty much every study on them concludes with "we need a LOT more data, this is a much bigger problem than we thought". You don't become the planet's most common carnivore without squishing a few hundred (or thousand) more species on the way.

"Fact" 4: They're going to make you insane through T. gondii infection.

It's here that we get the usual flurry of studies on how people with T. gondii infections turn schizophrenic or get into more traffic accidents or become business majors (I'm not kidding about this). What it doesn't mention is a) some of those studies need to be redone and b) the biggest risk to getting T. gondii isn't having a litter box, it's eating undercooked meat. Studies have been inconclusive on whether cleaning a cat's litter tray actually increases the chances of T. gondii, and have focused primarily on pregnant European women. I'm not saying that this might not be a threat, I'm saying that hyperfocusing on a maybe infection with unclear symptoms is kind of stupid when we have plenty of well-documented zoonotic diseases from both dogs and cats.

So yeah, click the links on pop sci articles to make sure they aren't lying to you about the results of the study.

[krissykakesss]

Infectious 91 - Vilis Obstrepere

About: A disease called Morsephaguilous has spread across Ponyville, controlling everypony in its way.. now it's a rhetorical choice between death or going insane. Who did this?

How do you get it?

It starts at the ears. The disease originates from lab bats who were exposed to chemicals. The victim gets it by inhaling a smoke-like smell, or hearing a certain sound then getting bit. To avoid it, you must cover your ears and wear a face mask. After the sound produced has ended, then the infected pony will bite the victim on the neck. There are quite a few symptoms of this disease, and they all come from different stages.

Examples of symptoms from each stage:

Rotting ears

Deafening

Pupils dialating

Grossed eyeballs

Foaming + bleeding out of the mouth

Sclera turning blue

Hydrophobia

Hearing static

Vision becoming sharper

Voice becoming more hoarse

First infected: Marble Pie

Stage 1: Early Infection

The disease is first transmitted to the ears. And then the pony's ears start rotting. The infected pony starts to feel nausea, giving them the urge to fall asleep. The ears feel weird and the pony's pupils start excessively dialating so much that the iris darkens. They excessively smile a lot, in which they can't resist the urge to. This stage seems pretty mild, (it only mildly hurts, but only where the biting spot is) compared to the other ones. To stop the infection, the pony has to stay up for 2 days straight with absolutely no sleep (adrenaline injections, coffee and cocaine can help), and then the infection will start to fade overtime (you can also amputate the ears and sanitise the bite mark during the 2 days to stop it). If the pony succumbs to the urge to fall asleep, then when they wake up, they'll immediately have Stage 2 symptoms.

Sanity: 91%

Survivability: 71%

Cannibalism: 2%

Stage 1.5 (sub-stage)

This is a sub-stage where the infected pony starts to experience both Stage 1 and 2 symptoms, and this is when they are trying to cure themselves from Stage 1. They are now in a very paranoid state and don't really interact with anyone. However, this only occurs if the pony's immune system is weaker than others. This can be pushed through by doing the same thing as in Stage 1.

Sanity: 68%

Survivability: 61% (varies on the pony)

Cannibalism: 10%

Stage 2: Early-Mid Infection

This occurs after the pony wakes up after the 1st stage.

There is now only a 33% chance of reversing it. The pony's vocal chords are being destroyed from the inside. Their sclera starts to turn blue and their iris/pupils are completely black, and their vision gets sharper and better. The infection spreads through the cochlear, and now the pony at this stage is 40% deaf. The pony's eyebrows start to deform and they will foam and bleed at the mouth excessively. Their legs will start to release open wounds, and their senses are heightened.

Sanity: 52%

Survivability: 58%

Cannibalism: 27%

Stage 3: Mid Infection

At this stage, the pony's cannibalism starts to grow, rapidly. This occurs __ hours after Stage 2. Their voice is extremely hoarse at this point, and have to use all their strength to form a sentence. The pony's sclera is now completely blue and their vision is 30% greater than normal, complete opposite with the ears though. This is one of the most painful stages a pony goes through. Then, the infected pony's hoove nails sharpen and grow at a fast rate (if anyone tries to clip the nails, they will grow back even longer). Also, at this stage, symptoms of scopophobia/schizophrenia start to happen. (I guess you could say they start to hallucinate).

They start hearing static.

Sanity: 38%

Survivability: 45%

Cannibalism: 54%

Stage 4: Rabid

The static grows louder. It never stops.

The pony is now completely non-verbal, completely deaf (all they hear is static) and also completely numb. They have almost no control over their cannibalism. In fact, at this point, they start to often times eat themselves. Their eyes begin to bleed where normal tears have nowhere else to go. Their eyes become a lot more realistic, like the ones you see in real life, and the tips of their limbs start to turn a burgundy red. Their cannibalism urges have grown stronger than ever, and their ears have completely deteriorated. The pony now has hydrophobia and is not able to consume any liquids, except for liquid pain. Their vision has increased by 50%, time feels as if it has lasted for over a decade, even though it hasn't. The pony has a strong sense of feeling like they're being watched. Though, it is possible to rip off the jaw to ease the symptoms and stop the excessive foaming.

Sanity: 16%

Survivability: 20%

Cannibalism: 70%

Stage 5: Late Infection

Their opens up, really, 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 wide (resembling the urban legend Kuchisake-onna). The pony's limbs are now extremely flamboyant and flexible. They have now fully developed the manipulation skills to lure in other ponies to they could infect them. Their eyes start grossing out at this point, and small bubbles/spores come out of the place where the ears are supposed to be. This is usually the stage where most infected ponies die, via going to a body of water and then drowning themselves.

Sanity: 10%

Survivability: 13%

Cannibalism: 89%

Stage 6: Mutated

This is the last documented stage of the infection. Black roots now grow out of the pony's ear spots. Smoke spores grow out of the legs, and their cutie mark disappears. Their eyes are now really grossed out. Their legs are now a burgundy colour all over. Their mouth (if the jaw isn't amputated) is nothing but foam. Their vision and senses are amazing. The pony now can detect another victim from 10 metres away.

Sanity: ? (maybe 3%?)

Survivability: ?? (nobody knows)

Cannibalism: 94%

There are way more stages, but they aren't documented yet, because most infected die at Stages 5-6. The symptoms are all the ones that the ponies (surviving) were able to document, and the disease isn't very well-known about, because it's only in a lab.

How to stay out of it?

Stay outside, no matter how much you wanna seek shelter or go inside. The infected can lure you into a house, flat or even your own home and brutally maul you

[hearteyes-for-killmonger]

Miguel O'Hara x Black Reader. A short and simple to the point Dominant Miguel series with fluff and smut included as it progresses. Go on a lil journey in love with Miguel.

Chapter 5: The Talk

"Oh, you're a dominant dominant. Were you trained?"

"Now, what do YOU know about THAT?"

"Not much," you admit, sliding down on your back into the couch, your phone beside you. "So, do you have a submissive now?"

"You tell me. Do I have you?"

You can imagine Miguel telling you what to do, being stern.

"That depends on what we discuss... in person when I see you."

"Hm. I like that. There's an exhibit at the Guggenheim that's leaving soon. How about I'll pick you up Saturday at noon and we'll make a day of it while we talk."

You grin, biting your lip.

"First Mastro's, then you cook with me, now you want to take me to the Guggenheim. Who sent you?"

"El Diablo."

"Anyway. We can finish this conversation on Saturday. It's getting late, and you, Miguel, need to sleep." You can hear his subtle gust of air, like a cough. "Goodnight!"

"I'll see you Saturday," he warns as you smirk, hanging up.

Wednesday to Saturday, the texts fly back and forth. He loves his work but hates who you refer to as his overseers. You'd like to see him with his own healthtech startup in a lab developing medication that can be mass produced and pitched to Big Pharma. That way, he'd be in a position to do things in a more ethical way. He wants that, too. He doesn't feel good about himself when he's injecting experimental poisons and diseases and studying the victims' symptoms as they die painfully.

On your end, you like your job. You're just at the point where you want to share your life with someone special. You don't want the games or the uncertainties. You need to be locked in and committed to something. He claims to want the same.

He picks you up at your home, and again, he's five minutes early.

"Great minds think alike," he comments upon seeing you. The two of you have slightly coordinated unintentionally. You re-adjust the collar of his blush Henley. You went with a bubblegum pink petal-sleeved blouse that he touches as well.

"Ok," you brush him away, "Let's go, you got me excited. I'm ready for the Guggenheim."

You lock your front door and follow him to his black Audi, where he closes you into the passenger seat. This is the first time you've ridden with him. He's a relaxed driver, and for you, it helps that his sleeves are rolled up to his elbow for you to enjoy his forearms. He likes to drum on the wheel with his fingertips and sometimes bites his already short nails. He has a pair of glasses he keeps in the car, you assume to read with.

You've been to the Guggenheim once as a teenager with your class. Coming as an adult on a date is different. It doesn't seem as expansive, but it's just as grand. The two of you do what's recommended and take the elevator to the top floor to work your way down the spiral interior. There's a lot of minimalism and empty white space with sprawling white marbled tile like you remember.

"A lot of the art, if I'm honest, is boring because I don't relate or feel it. I know it's modern art. It's cubism. It's this. It's that. What does it mean to me? Where's the culture?"

"Culture? You don't go to the Guggenheim for culture," he smirks.

"Then why do you go?"

"Well. It's scenic. A little pretentious. It's not too crowded. We can walk and talk like we're doing. Tell me something about you. Do you have siblings?"

"An older sister and a younger brother.

Your family is close, and you tell Miguel about them, going back to your childhood. You've got a lot of core stories that paint better pictures than the ones that surround you, good and bad. An hour into exploring, food begins to call. There's an eatery inside the museum that's like a smaller upscale cafeteria. There's only a few people.

The both of you order something light with no alcohol. Personally, you'd prefer to go into the conversation you've been waiting for with a sober mind. Until the food comes, you keep it to small talk, favorite colors, and causal interests. He likes red. He's good at bowling. The food comes to your table, and subtly, you bring the conversation back to the other night.

"So," you look across the table at Miguel, alerting him to a subject change with your eyes. His eyes adjust from questioning to smiling. "What type of rules do you have for your submissive?"

"Why did I know this subject would breach so soon? It depends."

"On?"

"Well, first, let's talk about how you see this developing between us. What do you expect from me as a dominant?"

He watches you closely as he eats.

"I'm expecting reliability, consistency, companionship, and monogamy for however long it lasts. What do you expect from me if I'm your submissive?"

It's your turn to inspect him with your fork stabbing your plate.

"I expect you to always be always with me and respect my boundaries. I expect you to follow my directions and do your best to please me. I expect you to be open-minded and willing to try new things. I want to maintain your trust so that you feel secure. These things take work from both ends, but I'll add patience, understanding, and mutual respect."

"That's simple enough," you nod.

"Okay, then Step 2. Kinks. Your turn."

"Hm," you smile, tickled as you think over all you're into. He takes out his phone to make a note. "I'll be specific. I'm interested in submission, bondage, spanking, oral sex both ways, wax play, forced orgasms, orgasm denial. Please don't do that a lot, though!"

"Which ones have you already tried?"

"All of the above, but not in the context of a bdsm relationship. It was with different partners. We experimented."

"Are you open to trying more?"

"I am," you say honestly. It's getting you wet thinking about it and listening to him.

"I'll name a few things I've done and I want you to say yes, maybe, or hell no."

"Ok," you wait, watching him. What has your little Miguel been up, you wonder.

"How do you feel about nipple clamps?"

"Yes."

"Nipple weights?"

"N- Maybe."

"Nipple suction devices."

"Yes?"

"Teeth/fingers/nails against nipples or other sensitive areas"

"In moderation, yes."

"Ok. What about clamps or clips on your clit?"

"Yes?"

His brows wiggle in surprise. "Pressure or suction?"

"Yes."

"Flogging or whipping."

"On my clit? Neither."

"What about in general?"

"Nothing too painful, and I'm not into blood. If it doesn't make me bleed or have permanent marks, it's fine."

"Ok. Enemas?"

"Miguel! You've given enemas?" You whisper in disbelief, leaning in.

"Are you kink shaming?"

You sip your ginger ale. "I'm learning new things about you."

"So no to the enemas. Would you roleplay?"

"Hell yes. Add mild public play," you smirk, already developing ideas of what you want to try within the next hour or so. A small hint of a smile lifts the corner of his mouth.

"Last ones. Elecrostimulation."

"No."

"Cum play?"

"Yes."

"Mm. Fisting."

"Nope."

"I think that's a pretty good scope. Now, hard limits."

"No blood. No lasting damage."

He laughs. "Ok. What about any allergies I should know about?"

"None too specific. I have weather and outdoor related allergies. Dust, pollen, the usual."

"Give me a second. I'm sending you a text. Read it and tell me if you agree."

Within the next minute, he texts a drafted contract naming all you've mentioned in categories: consensual acts, soft limits, and hard limits.

The fundamental purpose of this contract is to allow the submissive to explore their sensuality and their limits safely, with due respect and regard for their needs, their limits, and their wellbeing.

He's added more into the limits.

No permanent scarification, mutilation, and other such damage. Insertion of potentially tissue-damaging things into orifices. Drowning or suffocation. AB/DL. Drug Use. Body function paraphilias. Anal play (on Miguel).

"I don't even really want to ask what some of these refer to. If you say they're hard limits, I'll believe you."

"You'd be surprised what I've been asked to do. That's why having it written to refer back to is a helpful thing. Our boundaries are spelled out from the start."

You text back your agreement with your name attached. Enough of what the two of you won't do. You're ready to get more into what you will.

@dashhoney25 @lettidarawest @soufcakmistress @ljstraightnochaser @princessstevens-blog @eye-raq @thiccdaddy-mbaku @destinio1 @iamrheaspeaks @hidden-treasures21 @bidibidibombaclaat @forbeautyandlife @blowmymbackout @misspooh @thotyana-in-this-hoe @purplehairgawdess @thegucciwaffle @goddessofthundathighs @theegoldenchild @thadelightfulone @sultanabby @mysticalblackhottie @baekhyunbabybunni @fd-writes @richonne4life @tgigoldie @thehomierobbstark @capswife @blackpinup22 @harleycativy @lishabaybee @playgurlxoxo @sunshine-flower

[theamityelf]

Can't I know more of DD Makoto dynamic with Hajime, Fuyuhiko, and Chiaki? Does Komaeda still got DD or not? How would his dynamic with DD Makoto in both case?

I think I'll say for now that Nagito doesn't get despair disease, specifically because Junko considers them really similar and doesn't want to do the same thing twice. Like, I think an argument can be made that she gave Nagito despair disease in canon as just a proxy because he was the closest thing she had to Makoto (in her view). But here, in her eyes, Nagito is way more useful healthy, and Makoto is way more useful diseased.

Nagito would almost certainly want to be among those caring for the ill, and I think he would have a real appreciation for the implications of everyone's symptoms. "I see. I'm sure they would all hate to see themselves like this. A despair capable of overcoming such strong personalities? I'm so excited to see it defeated!"

That said, I think Hajime, Fuyuhiko, Mikan, etc. would not want Nagito around the sick ones. Nagito would be in a very particular place where he wants to make himself useful at the hospital but everyone is aware that it could be really dangerous to leave someone so interested in the killing game alone with any of the ill (especially Ibuki).

And I think the result of this is that Nagito and Hajime would both spend a lot of time around Makoto together. (More on that later!)

I'm deciding whether Chiaki would be there, because in canon she is among those quarantined at the motel, but I do think she would be really good at handling diseased Makoto, just because she's so good at taking everything in stride and just calmly going, "Stop that." And I like to imagine diseased Makoto causally yanking out her game cartridge while she's playing it and her huffing with the most irritation anyone has ever seen from her. So I think I will loop her in with them.

I think Fuyuhiko would be constantly annoyed by diseased Makoto; they would be in constant conflict, and it would be really funny. Earlier in the killing game, I imagine Fuyuhiko would toss threats and barbs at Makoto kind of a lot, and Makoto would just take it and move on with whatever he's saying or doing, but now Fuyuhiko (through whatever means; there's no telling who's still alive at this point) has undergone some character development, and he cares about the people here, and as comeuppance for his past behavior, he's left to get explosively mad at a Makoto who will deliberately provoke him. Just chasing Makoto through the hospital threatening to murder him if he doesn't sit down and eat his food!

Whereas Hajime I think would be a little reflective about it. I think seeing Makoto in a state of poor health and acting really out of character would make him realize how close they've become and how much he's come to care about and rely on Makoto. I'm imagining some introspective moments where he's just like, "The real Makoto isn't like this at all. The real Makoto would be encouraging me not to give up."

(Honestly, since there's no telling what the cast looks like at this point in the story until I actively plot all that out, I could see some of the characters who are dead at this point in canon choosing to help out, or even taking the place of Akane or Ibuki as diseased, but for the purposes of this post we'll ignore that.)

Maybe the group organizes in such a way where Mikan cycles between patients to check on and Fuyuhiko, Chiaki, Nagito, and Hajime watch whichever two patients she isn't with. So, for example, Mikan is checking on Akane, so Fuyuhiko and Chiaki are with Ibuki and Nagito and Hajime are with Makoto. Mikan moves on to check on Ibuki, so Fuyuhiko and Chiaki go to sit with Akane. Mikan goes to check on Makoto, so Nagito and Hajime go to check on Ibuki. It just kind of cycles like that.

They split up differently when one or more of the caretakers need to rest, so sometimes Hajime, Chiaki, or Fuyuhiko have to watch someone alone, but Nagito is never watching anyone alone. He's not allowed. (Officially. He'll sneak in if he can.)

Nagito and Hajime have very different reactions to diseased Makoto. Like I said, seeing Makoto like this makes Hajime feel strongly how much he likes regular Makoto, so he's pretty upset each time this Makoto acts rude and contrary, but he's also committed to helping him. Whereas Nagito is thinking of it more in terms of what can be learned about what kind of person Makoto is, that this is the version of himself that the despair disease creates, and he's deeply curious as to how the disease works and whether one of the infected can overcome its effects. He's watching the patients very closely to see what they'll do. He's smiling and acting relatively normal, and he's encouraging Hajime to stay positive, but he's also kind of willing Makoto to prove himself, in even these circumstances. He'd be messing with Makoto a bunch.

When it's revealed that Mikan had the Remembering Disease and, as I mentioned in the other post, attempted to kill Makoto, Nagito just consumes the idea that Makoto overcame despair, both by not killing anyone under its effects like Mikan did and by successfully evading Mikan. He might clap.

[crippleprophet]

[ID: the “wait, it’s all [blank]” meme of one astronaut pointing a gun at the other, edited to read “wait, it’s all celiac?” / “always has been.” with the word celiac in a groovy pink font. end ID]

happy celiac awareness month 💓🖤💓 folks expressed interest in my #Controversial Opinion, so here we go:

as someone who “has” non-celiac gluten intolerance, i don’t believe it exists.

this, as with all of my diagnostic opinions, is built from both health research & sociology, specifically the genealogy of (my) disabilities – how the labels we use & the divides we create between diagnoses are socially constructed. conditions don’t announce themselves as discrete entities; instead, labels are given based on, at best, current medical understandings of symptoms + clinical visualization measures (imaging, bloodwork, genetic testing, etc). conditions that were once considered two separate things may eventually be restructured under the same diagnostic label, & what was once considered one singular disease may be divided into separate categories, in response to new information or the new recognition / respect of existing information.

the issue with this system, though – with access to healthcare which is predicated upon diagnosis, which is itself predicated on checklists of symptoms & clinical visibility – is that we don’t know shit. our bodies are not required to present symptoms in accordance with the ICD 10, & chronic illnesses are very much an “ask four doctors, get five answers” situation.

for example: without any of my symptoms, imaging, or bloodwork changing, i’ve been diagnosed with active ankylosing spondylitis, ankylosing spondylitis that is in remission, fibromyalgia, & spondyloarthropathy. the only difference is the doctors: their belief or lack thereof in my symptoms, their familiarity with current research, & the diagnostic systems they abide by. under the NHS, it was definitionally impossible for me to have ankylosing spondylitis that was not visible on an MRI, therefore i must have been in remission, even as my symptoms were just as debilitating as before & treatable by immunosuppressants.

how this pertains to celiac: as with all chronic illnesses, symptoms of celiac disease are a broad spectrum. some people have severe growth impairment from a young age; others may only have minor skin manifestations. other common symptoms are vague & potentially attributable to any chronic illness, such as fatigue, depression, & gastrointestinal issues. crucially, though, damage to the small intestine is still occurring even in people with celiac who do not flare after consuming gluten.

following this,

the diagnosis of non-celiac gluten intolerance has nothing to do with symptom presentation or severity. it doesn’t even mean there is no clinically visible damage to the small intestine. rather, it just means you didn’t pass the test:

in my case, not only was the (notoriously unreliable) antibody blood test negative, but so were subsequent tests for the genetic markers associated with celiac.

two people with the same exact experiences can get put into two different boxes, solely based on bloodwork – but that’s not how genetics works. it’s pretty much impossible that only those two markers dictate whether or not someone has celiac, or any given disease, because genetics are infinitely more complex than that; equally, plenty of autoimmune disorders can have a genetic component but are not exclusively found in people with that particular marker (ankylosing spondylitis & HLA-B27, for example).

therefore, i firmly believe non-celiac gluten intolerance is celiac disease, just influenced by other genetic factors and/or antibodies we haven’t yet identified.

there are a whole host of issues created by the false divide of celiac vs non-celiac gluten intolerance, certainly including things i’ve never considered, but here are a few examples of what i refer to as diagnostic violence, the physical & social consequences of these forms of categorization:

celiac disease increases people’s risk for small bowel cancer. but if it’s been determined by the medical establishment that according to their criteria, you don’t have celiac disease, then you won’t receive cancer screening.

since a food intolerance is not considered an autoimmune disease, there is no medical evidence of an underlying cause of arthritis, for example, making it that much harder for people to receive diagnosis & treatment for autoimmune symptoms.

diagnostic paperwork & a letter from a doctor is almost always required to receive accommodations, & food-related accommodations are notoriously difficult to obtain at universities which require the purchase of a meal plan without sufficient gluten-free options, for example.

as a response to the dangerous ableism permeating societal attitudes toward gluten-free food, many people (diagnosed) with celiac fall back on communicating the seriousness of their needs at the expense of their undiagnosable peers. “it’s not just an intolerance!” i read over & over – never mind that gluten made me so sick i lost a significant amount of weight, my hair fell out, i had signs of multiple vitamin deficiencies, & i could only keep down liquids.

this is honestly the most blatant example i’ve come across of the complete arbitrariness of diagnostic categories, but it’s far from the only one, & i’d love to hear other folks’ controversial opinions – what physical disabilities do you tell people you have without a diagnosis? do you consider yourself to have that condition, or is this just for expediency of communication? how does your undiagnosability affect your interactions with community formed around that diagnosis?

your experiences are real, your symptoms are serious, & it is not your fault that white supremacy demands a categorizability which all bodies inherently fail. join the club – we’ve got plenty of gluten-free snacks. 💓🖤💓

[briarpatch-kids]

may i ask what the difference between ME and mitochondrial disease is? i’ve heard they’re linked but i’m not sure, and the internet didn’t have much info

ME is chronic fatigue syndrome, so basically a collection of symptoms surrounding chronic fatigue and symptoms caused by chronic fatigue. I'm not sure if there's a known cause yet, I've seen things suggesting it's autoimmune, some saying it may be mitochondrial in nature, and other theories. I don't know a huge amount about it because I don't have it, but I do know a lot of people with mitochondrial disease get misdiagnosed as having severe ME/CFS because of how similar they can look. I'm not the best source on ME/CFS and I suggest you ask people who have a severe case more about what that entails.

For mitochondrial disease, which I know more about because I have one of them, they're a collection of usually genetic diseases that all have the same basic cause: mitochondria are broken, missing parts, or like in my case, just plain missing. This causes issues in energy production, and depending on where your mitochondria are broken, the percentage that are broken, and how they're broken, you can have different symptoms. (Is there enough energy to run your eyes, your digestive system, etc)

Most mitochondrial disorders cause fatigue, but they can also cause a lot of other things. For instance, there's a type that causes seizures that gradually get more and more severe as more mitochondria in the brain are broken, or one that causes you to lose vision and hearing. Or my type of mitochondrial disease, myopathy, that looks like muscular dystrophy but with bonus content like gastroparesis, heart wall thickening, and other symptoms that are related to "muscles don't work." One of the "Get checked" flags for mitochondrial disease is 3 or more "systems" having problems. (Like muscular, neurological, and heart. Or hearing, vision, and digestive system. Stuff like that) CFS can also cause bonus symptoms like gastroparesis, further complicating things.

Mito is often considered more progressive than ME is, but that's more of a CAN progress verses a WILL progress sort of issue. (Meaning mito will almost always get worse over time, but ME/CFS can also progress in some cases but not others)

All in all, both mito and me/cfs are both not well studied, not well understood, and have so much variation within them that its hard to discuss the differences in a way that's not like "well they're different, except when they often overlap in severity, symptoms, progression, and other traits." Most of the time you need a muscle biopsy to truly tell the difference. Someone could just have droopy eyelids and occasional seizures but it's mitochondrial, or someone could be bedbound with a feeding tube and chest port and have ME. We are all tired as hell either way and want better medical care.

[touchmycoat]

been thinking a version of hanahaki where it's not unrequited love but unwanted love that manifests as plant growth, and it's not just love but potentially all feelings. Symptoms building up to the full development of the plant are more obvious, and for most people, actually producing and expelling the plant means a total exorcism of that unwanted emotion—as in, it will never grow again. The plant is your immune system's response to the disease of unwanted feelings, and once the plant is mature, you now have immunity to that unwanted feeling.

anyways the qijiu version of this where SJ is a biological anomaly. Fully manifesting a plant doesn't make him immune—it just keeps growing over and over and over again, and hanahaki becomes short-term solutions to a larger, more persistent question. The unwanted feeling in question? His care of YQY, of course. Canon-compliant: he joins Cang Qiong and is fucking determined to forget Qi-ge as he'd been forgotten, but he still sees, much to his displeasure, the hardships YQY has to go through as the next Sect Leader. SJ investigate and seethes from the shadows because there are snakes everywhere and YQY isn't fucking accounting for it. SJ doesn't want to care but does. SJ doesn't want to help but does, steadfastly burying all evidence of his involvement in securing YQY's well-being.

The only "evidence" he can't hide is the growing forest of bamboo on Qing Jing. There's minor relief, some apathy to be had every time he vomits up a tender bamboo shoot, and ironically, those are the times he's most civil to YQY. Apathy hardly begets passion, after all, and spite runs on passion. But over and over again, the same care takes root, and for the times when the plant is still maturing inside him, SJ can't help but care. He resents YQY for it. He resents his own body's failure to properly immunize him against this single feeling. But there's nothing for it except to keep planting.

Sometimes, he contemplates burning the whole forest down. It's not like it would make a difference—once out, the plant doesn't hold any magical properties, nor does it need to be kept alive for the "immunity" to hold. He'd only planted them at all in the first place because—well, because—

They got out, didn't they? They may have been unwanted but they did their jobs; they cleared the disease from SJ's body for just a moment, at least, and whatever the world thought, SJ wasn't nastiness incarnate. Stupid to vindictively crush a bunch of bamboo shoots, wasn't it? And once they were out they would either dry up and die or take root and thrive; it was no skin off SJ's back to just chuck them into some dirt and let them do their thing.

But now the bamboo forest was famous. A true sign of its owner's beauty, elegance, and righteousness, was what they said. Only a true junzi could cultivate such a sight. The irony was painful with these motherfuckers. How dare they finally buy into SJ's grift of the great immortal Shen Qingqiu because of this? How dare they see the horrid, relentless proof of SJ's greatest weakness and decide that it was actually SJ's greatest accomplishment?

(He's both furious and devastated by the thought that this forest would be the most beautiful thing he's ever produced, as his relationships with his peers become more difficult. He hates the thought that this persistent care has and always will be the best part of him, that the other things he's doing to compete and survive are far more ugly.)

Anyways, this should be a fix-it. How? LQG puts it together? He's on patrol duty and so sees the rapid growth of the bamboo forest, even out of season. He delegates guards for merchant caravans and so sees the import manifests, where there's never any bamboo shoots being imported. He doesn't think too hard about it 'cause it could just be magic bamboo, but it means he's not very shocked when on a poorly timed mission, he spots SQQ with the symptoms of hanahaki. The pieces come together, and he's immediately judgy.

Hanahaki's debilitating. An expulsion can come during a fight. It's idiocy to let it run rampant.

You think I vomit up a lung once a week by choice? Immunity doesn't build for me so save your amateur doctor crap for someone who'll actually buy it.

I know you don't have immunity, that's not what I meant.

What exactly do you mean?

Whatever feeling you don't want? Want it.

That's the way LQG's been taught, at least. Look—pain is your body's way of telling you its needs, that something is wrong. Feelings are the same way. Not so much the fleeting feelings from moment to moment, but rather the persistent ones that have the strength and truth to manifest as hanahaki. If it's strong enough to give you symptoms, it's strong enough to teach you something about yourself. It's strong enough to be necessary for you to process.

The quintessential example from LQG's training is a student who one day loses a competition they fully intended to win. They are ashamed and devastated. Symptoms begin manifesting but they hide them, and one day, they cough up a small desert rose. From that day on the student was no longer ashamed of that loss, but had also completely lost all drive to work hard. The shame that they did not want was entwined with the desire to be a better fighter, and by not processing and accepting both those feelings in time, the student lost them both permanently.

The stakes obviously weren't as high for someone of SQQ's constitution, but still. Hanahaki wasn't without pain, and like LQG said, it would be bad to let it get the better of him during a battle.

As if it were that easy, SQQ replied, incredulously.

I didn't say it was easy, LQG said, annoyed. You just have to do it.

How, SQQ asked, do you want to care for someone who betrayed you? Someone who forgot completely about you and left you for dead?

Did they have a reason?

No.

You know this for certain?

Yes.

LQG was quiet for a long time.

So why do you care for them? he finally asked.

SQQ was quiet for a long time too.

Beside what they did to me, he said, they are, I suppose, good and kind.

Why does that matter to you?

There was enough emphasis on the you that SQQ sneered, knowing full well LQG meant an insult to his character. Indeed—SQQ hardly cared for good people. He'd never once indicated a belief that kindness ought to be fairly rewarded.

I wish it didn't.

LQG learned something about SQQ that day: the aloofness was, at least in part, an act. He said he didn't give a shit, but it wasn't true. In fact it was so untrue that he'd bled up a mountain of bamboo to cope with that lie.

I care for them on the basis of the devotion they showed to everybody but me, SQQ laughed. So tell me, Immortal Liu. Should I want this feeling?

LQG sighed, frustrated and final.

No. We'll find another cure.

[dailyanarchistposts]

E.1 What are the root causes of our ecological problems?

The dangers associated with environmental damage have become better known over the last few decades. In fact, awareness of the crisis we face has entered into the mainstream of politics. Those who assert that environmental problems are minor or non-existent have, thankfully, become marginalised (effectively, a few cranks and so-called “scientists” funded by corporations and right-wing think tanks). Both politicians and corporations have been keen to announce their “green” credentials. Which is ironic, as anarchists would argue that both the state and capitalism are key causes for the environmental problems we are facing.

In other words, anarchists argue that pollution and the other environmental problems we face are symptoms. The disease itself is deeply imbedded in the system we live under and need to be addressed alongside treating the more obvious results of that deeper cause. Otherwise, to try and eliminate the symptoms by themselves can be little more than a minor palliative and, fundamentally, pointless as they will simply keep reappearing until their root causes are eliminated.

For anarchists, as we noted in section A.3.3, the root causes for our ecological problems lie in social problems. Bookchin uses the terms “first nature” and “second nature” to express this idea. First nature is the environment while second nature is humanity. The latter can shape and influence the former, for the worse or for the better. How it does so depends on how it treats itself. A decent, sane and egalitarian society will treat the environment it inhabits in a decent, sane and respective way. A society marked by inequality, hierarchies and exploitation will trend its environment as its members treat each other. Thus “all our notions of dominating nature stem from the very real domination of human by human.” The “domination of human by human preceded the notion of dominating nature. Indeed, human domination of human gave rise to the very idea of dominating nature.” This means, obviously, that “it is not until we eliminate domination in all its forms … that we will really create a rational, ecological society.” [Remaking Society, p. 44]

By degrading ourselves, we create the potential for degrading our environment. This means that anarchists “emphasise that ecological degradation is, in great part, a product of the degradation of human beings by hunger, material insecurity, class rule, hierarchical domination, patriarchy, ethnic discrimination, and competition.” [Bookchin, “The Future of the Ecology Movement,” pp. 1–20, Which Way for the Ecology Movement?, p. 17] This is unsurprising, for “nature, as every materialist knows, is not something merely external to humanity. We are a part of nature. Consequently, in dominating nature we not only dominate an ‘external world’ — we also dominate ourselves.” [John Clark, The Anarchist Moment, p. 114]

We cannot stress how important this analysis is. We cannot ignore “the deep-seated division in society that came into existence with hierarchies and classes.” To do so means placing “young people and old, women and men, poor and rich, exploited and exploiters, people of colour and whites all on a par that stands completely at odds with social reality. Everyone, in turn, despite the different burdens he or she is obliged to bear, is given the same responsibility for the ills of our planet. Be they starving Ethiopian children or corporate barons, all people are held to be equally culpable in producing present ecological problems.” These become ”de-socialised” and so this perspective “side-step[s] the profoundly social roots of present-day ecological dislocations” and ”deflects innumerable people from engaging in a practice that could yield effective social change.” It “easily plays into the hands of a privileged stratum who are only too eager to blame all the human victims of an exploitative society for the social and ecological ills of our time.” [The Ecology of Freedom, p. 33]

Thus, for eco-anarchists, hierarchy is the fundamental root cause of our ecological problems. Hierarchy, notes Bookchin includes economic class “and even gives rise to class society historically” but it “goes beyond this limited meaning imputed to a largely economic form of stratification.” It refers to a system of “command and obedience in which elites enjoy varying degrees of control over their subordinates without necessarily exploiting them.” [Ecology of Freedom, p. 68] Anarchism, he stressed, “anchored ecological problems for the first time in hierarchy, not simply in economic classes.” [Remaking Society, p. 155]

Needless to say, the forms of hierarchy have changed and evolved over the years. The anarchist analysis of hierarchies goes “well beyond economic forms of exploitation into cultural forms of domination that exist in the family, between generations and sexes, among ethnic groups, in institutions of political, economic, and social management, and very significantly, in the way we experience reality as a whole, including nature and non-human life-forms.” [Op. Cit., p. 46] This means that anarchists recognise that ecological destruction has existed in most human societies and is not limited just to capitalism. It existed, to some degree, in all hierarchical pre-capitalist societies and, of course, in any hierarchical post-capitalist ones as well. However, as most of us live under capitalism today, anarchists concentrate our analysis to that system and seek to change it. Anarchists stress the need to end capitalism simply because of its inherently anti-ecological nature (“The history of ‘civilisation’ has been a steady process of estrangement from nature that has increasingly developed into outright antagonism.”). Our society faces “a breakdown not only of its values and institutions, but also of its natural environment. This problem is not unique to our times” but previous environmental destruction “pales before the massive destruction of the environment that has occurred since the days of the Industrial Revolution, and especially since the end of the Second World War. The damage inflicted on the environment by contemporary society encompasses the entire world … The exploitation and pollution of the earth has damaged not only the integrity of the atmosphere, climate, water resources, soil, flora and fauna of specific regions, but also the basic natural cycles on which all living things depend.” [Bookchin, Ecology of Freedom, p. 411 and p. 83]

This has its roots in the “grow-or-die” nature of capitalism we discussed in section D.4. An ever-expanding capitalism must inevitably come into collision with a finite planet and its fragile ecology. Firms whose aim is to maximise their profits in order to grow will happily exploit whoever and whatever they can to do so. As capitalism is based on exploiting people, can we doubt that it will also exploit nature? It is unsurprising, therefore, that this system results in the exploitation of the real sources of wealth, namely nature and people. It is as much about robbing nature as it is about robbing the worker. To quote Murray Bookchin:

“Any attempt to solve the ecological crisis within a bourgeois framework must be dismissed as chimerical. Capitalism is inherently anti-ecological. Competition and accumulation constitute its very law of life, a law … summarised in the phrase, ‘production for the sake of production.’ Anything, however hallowed or rare, ‘has its price’ and is fair game for the marketplace. In a society of this kind, nature is necessarily treated as a mere resource to be plundered and exploited. The destruction of the natural world, far being the result of mere hubristic blunders, follows inexorably from the very logic of capitalist production.” [Post-Scarcity Anarchism, pp. viii-ix]

So, in a large part, environmental problems derive from the fact that capitalism is a competitive economy, guided by the maxim “grow or die.” This is its very law of life for unless a firm expands, it will be driven out of business or taken over by a competitor. Hence the capitalist economy is based on a process of growth and production for their own sake. “No amount of moralising or pietising,” stresses Bookchin, “can alter the fact that rivalry at the most molecular base of society is a bourgeois law of life … Accumulation to undermine, buy out, or otherwise absorb or outwit a competitor is a condition for existence in a capitalist economic order.” This means “a capitalistic society based on competition and growth for its own sake must ultimately devour the natural world, just like an untreated cancer must ultimately devour its host. Personal intentions, be they good or bad, have little to do with this unrelenting process. An economy that is structured around the maxim, ‘Grow or Die,’ must necessarily pit itself against the natural world and leave ecological ruin in its wake as its works it way through the biosphere.” [Remaking Society, p. 93 and p. 15]

This means that good intentions and ideals have no bearing on the survival of a capitalist enterprise. There is a very simple way to be “moral” in the capitalist economy: namely, to commit economic suicide. This helps explain another key anti-ecological tendency within capitalism, namely the drive to externalise costs of production (i.e., pass them on to the community at large) in order to minimise private costs and so maximise profits and so growth. As we will discuss in more detail in section E.3, capitalism has an in-built tendency to externalise costs in the form of pollution as it rewards the kind of short-term perspective that pollutes the planet in order to maximise the profits of the capitalist. This is also driven by the fact that capitalism’s need to expand also reduces decision making from the quantitative to the qualitative. In other words, whether something produces a short-term profit is the guiding maxim of decision making and the price mechanism itself suppresses the kind of information required to make ecologically informed decisions.

As Bookchin summarises, capitalism “has made social evolution hopelessly incompatible with ecological evolution.” [Ecology of Freedom, p. 14] It lacks a sustainable relation to nature not due to chance, ignorance or bad intentions but due to its very nature and workings.

Fortunately, as we discussed in section D.1, capitalism has rarely been allowed to operate for long entirely on its own logic. When it does, counter-tendencies develop to stop society being destroyed by market forces and the need to accumulate money. Opposition forces always emerge, whether these are in the form of state intervention or in social movements aiming for reforms or more radical social change (the former tends to be the result of the latter, but not always). Both force capitalism to moderate its worst tendencies.

However, state intervention is, at best, a short-term. This is because the state is just as much a system of social domination, oppression and exploitation as capitalism. Which brings us to the next key institution which anarchists argue needs to be eliminated in order to create an ecological society: the state. If, as anarchists argue, the oppression of people is the fundamental reason for our ecological problems then it logically follows that the state cannot be used to either create and manage an ecological society. It is a hierarchical, centralised, top-down organisation based on the use of coercion to maintain elite rule. It is, as we stressed in section B.2, premised on the monopolisation of power in the hands of a few. In other words, it is the opposite of commonly agreed ecological principles such as freedom to develop, decentralisation and diversity.

As Bookchin put it, the “notion that human freedom can be achieved, much less perpetuated, through a state of any kind is monstrously oxymoronic — a contradiction in terms.” This is because “statist forms” are based on “centralisation, bureaucratisation, and the professionalisation of power in the hands of elite bodies.” This flows from its nature for one of its ”essential functions is to confine, restrict, and essentially suppress local democratic institutions and initiatives.” It has been organised to reduce public participation and control, even scrutiny. [“The Ecological Crisis, Socialism, and the need to remake society,” pp. 1–10, Society and Nature, vol. 2, no. 3, p. 8 and p. 9] If the creation of an ecological society requires individual freedom and social participation (and it does) then the state by its very nature and function excludes both.

The state’s centralised nature is such that it cannot handle the complexities and diversity of life. “No administrative system is capable of representing” a community or, for that matter, an eco-system argues James C. Scott “except through a heroic and greatly schematised process of abstraction and simplification. It is not simply a question of capacity … It is also a question of purpose. State agents have no interest — nor should they — in describing an entire social reality . .. Their abstractions and simplifications are disciplined by a small number of objectives.” This means that the state is unable to effectively handle the needs of ecological systems, including human ones. Scott analyses various large-scale state schemes aiming at social improvement and indicates their utter failure. This failure was rooted in the nature of centralised systems. He urges us “to consider the kind of human subject for whom all these benefits were being provided. This subject was singularly abstract.” The state was planning “for generic subjects who needed so many square feet of housing space, acres of farmland, litres of clean water, and units of transportation and so much food, fresh air, and recreational space. Standardised citizens were uniform in their needs and even interchangeable. What is striking, of course, is that such subjects … have, for purposes of the planning exercise, no gender; no tastes; no history; no values; no opinions or original ideas, no traditions, and no distinctive personalities to contribute to the enterprise … The lack of context and particularity is not an oversight; it is the necessary first premise of any large-scale planning exercise. To the degree that the subjects can be treated as standardised units, the power of resolution in the planning exercise is enhanced … The same logic applies to the transformation of the natural world.” [Seeing like a State, pp. 22–3 and p. 346]

A central power reduces the participation and diversity required to create an ecological society and tailor humanity’s interaction with the environment in a way which respects local conditions and eco-systems. In fact, it helps creates ecological problems by centralising power at the top of society, limiting and repressing the freedom of individuals communities and peoples as well as standardising and so degrading complex societies and eco-systems. As such, the state is just as anti-ecological as capitalism is as it shares many of the same features. As Scott stresses, capitalism “is just as much an agency of homogenisation, uniformity, grids, and heroic simplification as the state is, with the difference being that, for capitalists, simplification must pay. A market necessarily reduces quality to quantity via the price mechanism and promotes standardisation; in markets, money talks, not people … the conclusions that can be drawn from the failures of modern projects of social engineering are as applicable to market-driven standardisation as they are to bureaucratic homogeneity.” [Op. Cit., p. 8]

In the short term, the state may be able to restrict some of the worse excesses of capitalism (this can be seen from the desire of capitalists to fund parties which promise to deregulate an economy, regardless of the social and environmental impact of so doing). However, the interactions between these two anti-ecological institutions are unlikely to produce long term environmental solutions. This is because while state intervention can result in beneficial constraints on the anti-ecological and anti-social dynamics of capitalism, it is always limited by the nature of the state itself. As we noted in section B.2.1, the state is an instrument of class rule and, consequently, extremely unlikely to impose changes that may harm or destroy the system itself. This means that any reform movement will have to fight hard for even the most basic and common-sense changes while constantly having to stop capitalists ignoring or undermining any reforms actually passed which threaten their profits and the accumulation of capital as a whole. This means that counterforces are always set into motion by ruling class and even sensible reforms (such as anti-pollution laws) will be overturned in the name of “deregulation” and profits.

Unsurprisingly, eco-anarchists, like all anarchists, reject appeals to state power as this “invariably legitimates and strengthens the State, with the result that it disempowers the people.” They note that ecology movements “that enter into parliamentary activities not only legitimate State power at the expense of popular power,” they also are “obligated to function within the State” and “must ‘play the game,’ which means that they must shape their priorities according to predetermined rules over which they have no control.” This results in “an ongoing process of degeneration, a steady devolution of ideals, practices, and party structures” in order to achieve “very little” in “arrest[ing] environmental decay.” [Remaking Society, p. 161, p. 162 and p. 163] The fate of numerous green parties across the world supports that analysis.

That is why anarchists stress the importance of creating social movements based on direct action and solidarity as the means of enacting reforms under a hierarchical society. Only when we take a keen interest and act to create and enforce reforms will they stand any chance of being applied successfully. If such social pressure does not exist, then any reform will remain a dead-letter and ignored by those seeking to maximise their profits at the expense of both people and planet. As we discuss in section J, this involves creating alternative forms of organisation like federations of community assemblies (see section J.5.1) and industrial unions (see section J.5.2). Given the nature of both a capitalist economy and the state, this makes perfect sense.

In summary, the root cause of our ecological problems likes in hierarchy within humanity, particularly in the form of the state and capitalism. Capitalism is a “grow-or-die” system which cannot help destroy the environment while the state is a centralised system which destroys the freedom and participation required to interact with eco-systems. Based on this analysis, anarchists reject the notion that all we need do is get the state to regulate the economy as the state is part of the problem as well as being an instrument of minority rule. Instead, we aim to create an ecological society and end capitalism, the state and other forms of hierarchy. This is done by encouraging social movements which fight for improvements in the short term by means direct action, solidarity and the creation of popular libertarian organisations.

[danikore-does-pole]

Y’all camp halfblood would be THE place to figure out how much of ADHD and dyslexia are social disabilities or medical disabilities.

For those of you who haven’t stumbled upon the social, medical and combined theory of disability before lemme give you the run down.

The social model says you aren’t actually disabled it’s society that is disabling. If everywhere was wheelchair accessible and designed to be used from a wheelchair would you still be disabled. Same with if the world was designed to minimise sensory overload would you still be disabled by your sensory issues. If everyone was blind the world would be built for blind people so you wouldn’t be disabled if you were blind. Basically the social model says it’s a systemic issue that you’re experiencing rather than your body being the problem.

The medical model of disability says that you are disabled by your body and by treating the symptoms and causes you become less disabled/ able bodied. Here you get things like chronic pain, autoimmune disease, paralysis, brain damage, epilepsy. Things that even in a world built to accommodate you would still probably impact your functioning.

The combined model of disability is the combination of both previous models. You might be disabled by your chronic pain making it hard to leave the house and get things on your to do list done but also by a lack of accessible infrastructure which might force you to push past your limits to get things done and injure yourself in the process. These can be having stairs but no lift, or having to walk further than expected due to inaccessible transportation.

Now back to CHB

Camp halfblood is designed by and for demigods, the majority of which are children with ADHD, dyslexia and probably many other mental health issues. So why would CHB be designed the way the rest of the world is?

Here you can actually work to accommodate campers instead of trying to make them fit within a system. Are new campers given stim toys? Are they encouraged to pace while listening to instructions? Is information given in 3 or 4 different formats to help people remember what they need to do?

While being dyslexic because they’re hardwired to read Ancient Greek instead of English doesn’t sound right (to my knowledge dyslexia applies to all written words and it’s probably that there’s godly magic that gives them this skill that mortals interpret as dyslexia) let’s assume Demigods are born fluent in reading Ancient Greek and find it easier than English, are all the maps, sign posts and pamphlets in Ancient Greek? Why wouldn’t they be if everyone finds it easier?

In a place designed for neurodivergent children what changes? And how different is it to the rest of the world? Are there quiet zones for people who can’t focus with noise? Are there noise zones for people who need music and TV to focus on hard tasks?

In what ways does ADHD still impact campers negatively? The social model suggests that if everyone was disabled no one would be, is that the case? How does executive dysfunction get managed? What about hyper focus? We know Annabeth often forgets to eat when she’s working on a big project, does camps scheduled meal times help with that?

I just have questions about this