#but his different personality and behavior isnt the result of a big age difference

[sonknuxadow]

its kinda strange to me how people act like movie sonic is a little kid compared to other versions of sonic and have the other sonics like. baby him. in crossover stuff. yeah movie sonic is a little guy hes like 13-14. but most other sonics are 15 so theyre also little guys and theres really not a big age gap here. and they also have friends who are younger than them that they dont treat like that. so idk why they would be acting like movie sonic is a little 5 year old if they ever met him

[welkinsky]

can i request itachi having feelings for a female anbu captain(where shes also a hyuga and a master of gentle fist+ created her own jutsu at a younger age.) and just a few months before the uchiha massacre, she becomes a rouge ninja after a family issue that she had? then itachi is surprised to see her in the akatsuki when he first joined. i hope this isnt too much!

Itachi X Reader | Rogue Hyuga Fellow Anbu Leader

Itachi Masterlist

When you both were in the anbu you didn't exchange words very often until this one time, when you both were put in the same team. You first hand got to witness his famous skills and it will be an understatement to say that you were a huge fan.

For him he observed how calm you are in the worst situation which obviously made you the compatible team leader. Plus he acknowledged your skills too.

After that missions you two were close to being friends. Although it is forbidden for anbu members to be friends or anything close to that. So you both kept it a secret.

You loved spending time with him because your household was way too strict and it is tough for you to be level headed with them since your principles are way too different. He somewhat helped you with that. Plus you both had the same principle in most cases.

But things never got better. For them you were just another member who did exceptionally good. You were never really appreciated for all the things that you've achieved at such a young age!

Also, they hated the fact that you hang out with someone from the Uchiha clan that often and they were really mean to him too. You were kind and gentle person with a good heart and whenever this used to happen you'd feel so embarrassed to be a Huyga and would genuinely feel bad for him because every time he took it lightly. He always just smiled and walked away. He understood the differences in clans and so did you but that doesn't give anyone a right to behave like this to him!

But this one time it happened again. You couldn't take it and you talked back to one of your clan member. It obviously resulted in a big deal.

For the first time you told your family how you felt and how being a "Huyga Product" wasn't IT for you! You were a person with a individual personality too!

But the moment they discarded this as a "idiotic behavior", it broke your heart and you felt trapped there. And the moment you heard "should have invested that time in your brother." That was it for you.

You finally understood that for them the training the nurturing behavior was just an "investment".

Without giving it a second thought you left the village and that is when you came across Akatsuki. You knew very well that now no one will believe you if you went back to the village and told them the story so you joined the Akatsuki, so that if not stop them, you can slow them down a bit.

When he saw you at Akatsuki:

To say that he was shocked was an understatement. It was clearly visible on his face. You were shocked too but a little relieved because you knew he could never do anything of that sort to actually hurt the village that he loved so dearly. But his expression changed from shocked to disgusted. It was tough but you kept your cool.

Then you got to know about the massacre and that is when you were confused and intrigued at the same time. Now you were doubting him but deep down you knew that there is something that is not meeting the eye.

You tried confronting him but every time you tried you met his cold gaze and harsh words like "you're not worthy to be here" or "How are you not dead already, I'm surprised"

He knew that there was no going back for you now. Even if he tells you the reason there is no way you can take back from being an Akatsuki member.

But he was sure that you will not be at peace till you found out what happened.

He slowly explained you everything that happened and gave you your answer. Not only that, he also made sure that you had a way back before he passed away. Making sure that you were out of reach from everyone till the time it was all over.

Even after being reincarnated he paid you a visit before passing away.

______________________________

Itachi Masterlist

Thanks For Reading and for the ask! You can send new ones too if you liked this. I know this was long overdue thanks for being patient!

If you liked it you can check out the masterlist too!

A-Z Headcanon

[alovelyburn]

Rambles about The Golden Age Arc - Part 3

When I was at university studying psychology, one of my professors raise the question of free will... and then kind of went into what “free will” means in psychological circles vs theological circles. Essentially she said the debate for psychology isn’t “is our fate controlled by some greater plan” but rather “are we, given who we are, capable of choosing anything other than what we choose?” 

That doesn’t mean implying that its literally impossible, but is that something you would actually do?

This comes up because I’m thinking about the role of causality in Berserk. Fans generally talk about things like Griffith’s transformation into Femto as “destiny,” which isn’t wrong I know, but the series itself refers to everything as happening in line with the laws of causality, which isn’t the same thing. If you look at the semi-canonical lost chapter you see the Idea of Evil describing its method for bringing Griffith to this point. Essentially, it manipulates events to funnel events in a specific direction to achieve its desired outcome.

And that includes arranging for the right people to get together to have children who then have children who have children who have Griffith, and arranging for Griffith to be in the situation he’s in when the behelit starts screaming.

What I’m saying is, he’s designed to be the person he is, because the person he is will inevitably do what he does under the circumstances that he finds himself in. This isn’t me writing apologia btw, its more like musings over the worldbuilding. But it’s interesting to think about, isn’t it?

Anyway back to...

Rambles about The Golden Age Arc - Part 2

1. I’m working from the oversized deluxe volumes but using scans of the original paperbacks for the graphics so sometimes I do notice some differences, e.g. Shisu -> Cis. Another change from the original volumes - Chudor has been changed to Tudor.

2. Tudor’s infantry names just send me. I do remember reading somewhere  hat they’re based on the actual kinds of names that French armies used in the past, but I really cant get over the like, Yellow Dog Green Giraffe Light Crossbow Shield Cavalry thing.

3. One thing that always pops out at me as, I guess different? between a lot of fan perceptions of Guts and the actual canonical one, is just his... appearance? Most of the western Berserk fans tend to be kind of... errr, mired in I guess traditionally masculine behaviors and outlooks IDK how else to put it. And as a result fanart of Guts tends to be hypermasculine and all angles and darkness but honestly he’s a bit of a prettyboy isnt he? (Devilman gets a lot of that too which is... interesting considering the central relationship that none of that art ever acknowledges).

4. Surprising no one, I think the thing I would most want flashbacks to is the three years between Guts joining the hawks and the Zodd encounter. It’s funny because the Golden Age isn’t necessarily my favorite arc  - it’s way up there, but I do remember liking others just as much or even a little more - but it’s still the area that’s least explored despite its outsized impact on the plot. Obviously with Miura gone, that isn’t a thing that’s likely to happen but it does make me think. 

First of all, look at the way the Raiders adore Guts. It reminds me a lot of the way the Hawks as a whole act to Griffith - another sign that Guts is a baby epic, himself - but there is a big difference, too.  He’s right up there with them, they’re rushing up to him and grabbing onto him and crowding around him. In short, he is part of the army, and they regard him as one of them, albeit simultaneously above them. The best of them. Whereas Griffith’s relationship with the Hawks is much more distanced. The beginnings of that are already visible in the earliest Golden Age chapters, but at the time they could at least still sit around him and share a drink, whereas now he’s beginning to drift. It’s inevitable, and something I’ll talk about uhh when I get to the cave flashback, but inevitable or not, it’s a demonstration of what kind of relationship he has with the Hawks at this time.

Oh right, there’s also something I forgot to mention last time, which is...

Guts does Griffith’s hawk stare sometimes, too. And I do think that’s important as a signifier that they are two halves of the same piece essentially. Different items forged from the same material.

5. I really love early Casca. Honestly, the main thing that keeps me from being wholly on board with Guts/Casca as a romance is the awful effect it had on her characterization as she slipped from being a full character into being The Girl.  I do think her relationship with Guts was more interesting when they were foils, but I’m not necessarily against foils -> friends -> lovers as a concept for a romance, it’s just that I feel like her personality disappeared.

Anyway, here she’s mostly a vehicle for exposition I guess - she lets the readers in on the dynamic that’s been formed over the past few years, and ultimately brings ou the old Guts in new Guts... but the fact that it’s an accusation that he doesn’t care about his teammates that brings the wild dog back out in him is, in itself, evidence of how much he’s changed. 

The pre-Promrose relationship between these two is a bit difficult to pin - they’re obviously close, but I’m not wholly sure whether Guts actually realizes how close they are. By which I mean obviously he and Griffith seem to be hanging out a lot - everyone knows Guts is Griffith’s favorite, no one’s really shocked that Griffith acts like a lunatic where he’s concerned even if Casca’s the only one with a near-complete understanding of why... but Guts himself is always a little “.....” about the way Griffith is with him. The little nostalgic blushy smile, for example, or later on the Zodd situation. I would say the assassination of Julius kind of highlights the difference between the way Griffith sees their relationship and the way Guts does, because even if Guts knows Griffith cares about him by that point he still looks to Griffith as a leader - someone he has to look up at - whereas Griffith has long since started seeing him as a peer, which is why he asks Guts to go after Julius instead of ordering him.

Anyway that scene above makes me think about the film version - the one that took place on like a grassy hill for some reason. I DON’T KNOW WHY? The dialogue from Griffith is also changed in the OVA from “Even that part of you is part of my plan” to something to the effect of “fight for me, guts!” which is not nearly as character-revealing. 

6. I just think it’s hilarious how literally everyone knows Griffith is weird about Guts except Guts himself. It’s like:

Rickert: Zodd! He’s immortal! He’s like a battlefield god! No one can stop him! Judeau: Man if Guts runs into that guy he’s just going to change in like a crazy person. Everyone: STARES AT GRIFFITH FOR SIGNS OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN.

Also someone send Zodd some pants.

Anyway, Zodd’s complete one-sided curbstomp of Guts is fantastic because it ends up emphasizing how much Guts’ abilities will advance by the BSM arc where he’s out there killing apostles on the regular. But ... even then it’s never easy, 

Pretty sure this is the first time (chronologically speaking) that we see Guts in mortal terror. Even against the wolves he was just like, well i guess it’s time to go. 

Honestly I don’t think any of the adaptations fully captured the horror of these scene - and in the OVA i was deeply distracted by Zodd not moving his mouth. But just imagining going into this fortress and finding all those corpses and then turning a corner and there’s a goddamn gigantic cat-minotaur thing curbstomping Guts of all people - it is genuinely horrifying. 

But now I’m going to talk about how silly the Griffith is a sociopath thing is again. Putting aside that literally everyone knows Griffith is prone to short circuiting when Guts is in a bad situation, we also have 

Griffith knows this situation is incredibly dangerous. He knows that his people can’t handle this and he seems to know they cant handle it even if he’s with them. He also knows Guts, his most important person, is in danger. What does he do? Does he throw his followers under the bus as distractions so he can go and grab Guts and leave? Does he weigh Guts vs his dream, realize that even if Guts is his strongest soldier, if he himself dies obviously the dream will never happen? No. He sends his people to safety (because... he cares about them and doesn’t want them to die needlessly?) and then throws his own self into the mouth of danger rather than leave Guts there to die. 

And look at Casca. She’s doing that face - the face Guts made when the wolves came in. The face of someone staring down their horrible fate. 

For Griffith, leaving Guts there to die is just not even an option - it doesn’t ping his radar, and everyone knew it wouldn’t that’s why they were all staring at him when they realized Guts is probably in danger. 

Long story short, if Griffith cared about his dream more than he cared about Guts, he would have left Guts there to die instead of risking his own life, knowing the dream would die with him. And if he didn’t care about anyone except Guts and himself, then the obvious choice  would have been to sacrifice the team and escape with Guts. But instead he does the foolhardy thing - also notably the thing that Guts would do, the thing Griffith recognized in Guts from day one (gambling his life on impossible odds, all while fighting to survive), and puts his own neck on the line.

Just saying.

Also, if you want to think about the implications on how Griffith feels about Guts... 

Notice that Casca, who we all know loves Griffith, has to be physically stopped from doing the same thing.  This isn’t the only time there’s overlap between the way Casca and Guts react to Griffith - there’s also a lot of overlap in how Guts reacts to Griffith and the way he later reacts to Casca... but more on that as we go. 

Zodd’s relationship with the Godhand is also pretty interesting - his deference to and respect for them stands out even comparative to other Apostles. And of course, this does make sense because his respect goes ot the strongest, and who is stronger than them? Pretty much just IoE I suppose. 

Notably he also immediately recognizes Guts as the, I guess, primary sacrifice. Because he is obviously, given Griffith’s behavior right in front of his eyes, the person Griffith loves most.

It’s interesting because in this moment it seems like she just means if Guts weren’t so reckless, Griffith wouldn’t have gone in there after him and gotten his ass kicked by a monster. But in retrospect, she really means something more like... “if you hadn’t made Griffith irrational and emotional and weak, he wouldn’t get into these situations.”

7. Whenever I see these meetings between Griffith and nobles and such I think of them kind of... treating him like a tool, right? And that is kind of the problem he has just... in general - people who don’t relate to him as a person. He’s a tool or a symbol, a messiah... Guts is the only one who sees him as a friend/human being really, and that’s about to get blown up too. So here he is navigating court, knowing that some nobles just see him as some kind of novelty - oh look at the commoner who can act like an aristocrat! - and some see him as dangerous (and are actively plotting his demise), and some see him as their ride ot success... and meanwhile there’s the Band of the Hawk, who loves him but as an abstraction more than anything else (Casca aside. Kind of.) Just seems a bit lonely, doesn’t it?

And of course he’s also in mid-transition, changing from a commoner to a nobleman and also in many ways from a soldier to a politician. The latter being the thing that really costs him the duel later. And while the Hawks mourn for their drifting connection with him, they at least have each other whereas he’s increasingly isolated.

Anyway.

8. I see the Guts and Griffith and Casca dynamic referred to as a love triangle - Guts wants Casca, Casca wants Griffith, Griffith wants Guts - but I don’t actually think that is technically true. Because Guts really doesn’t want Casca - he thinks she’s crazy and won’t get off his back and it’s pissing him off. I guess some people read that as sublimated attraction but

To me, he really does just seem incredibly pissed off and probably... hurt that she’s constantly accusing him of not caring about people and ruining Griffith’s life and such when he does care about people, and he cares a lot about Griffith.

Eventually their feelings do start turning to one another obviously, but it kind of happens at the same time? Upfront I’ll say if it’s a love triangle, it’s much closer to a “which of two suitors will the center point choose?” style triangle than an “everyone loves the wrong person” style triangle... and the center point is Griffith, not Casca or Guts at this time. It moves to Guts later on, appropriately when the epic hero baton is passed from Griffith to Guts as well.

9. Interesting to note that Griffith doesn’t even like nobles.

The point of why Griffith wants to be a King so bad does get discussed from time to time - I think it’s a number of things, really. It’s the desire ot see how far he can push himself and what he can acquire and accomplish yes - the chase for the sacred junk so to speak. But I do also think he wants to restructure the way society works as far as hereditary power, gender roles, etc. The fact that he never says it outright isn’t especially important because you see it in action - he accepts everyone who wants to go with him, regardless of ethnicity, sex, age, and he brings out the best in his people and then gives them the titles and responsibilities they deserve regardless of those things as well. Even the incarnated Griffith later in the series does this, and adds taming the apostles and making them true citizens of society to the mix.

It’s a good dream, though its effect on him is uh, questionable, and realistically it probably wasn’t going to happen regardless because that King was never going to let Charlotte go.

...honestly, I do wonder if, had Guts not left and triggered Griffith’s mental breakdown, he would have ended up assassinating the King so that Charlotte could choose her own husband.

I mean, probably.

Goes back to the Berserkian notion that Gods, Demons, Angels, and spirits are all sort of the same thing in different types. Thus the Godhand are both Archangels and Demon Kings.

10. I could really just write a ship manifesto about these two. 

This shojo scene is the closest Griffith is able to get to admitting the depth of his feelings for Guts... until the meeting on the Hill of Swords when he presents it as a past tense. The idea that yes Griffith is always going to prioritize him and there’s no specific or functional reason for it, no purpose being served and it’s just how he feels... that’s the heart of that relationship, for good and for ill. 

And again, it’s directly addressing the argument that it’s about Guts’ value as a soldier, which is why... I keep saying this and keep banging my head on this wall... that interpretation is just obviously wrong. Because Guts straight up asks and calls him on his “you’re good in a fight idk idk” reasoning and Griffith doesn’t defend it or double down on it even hes just like, “Well... I’m just going to do it, I do not know what to tell you. It is what it is, my friend!” And what it is... is that he would literally rather get himself killed than lose Guts.

So. You know.

There’s that.

11. It’s wild thinking about where the King goes from this scene though. He seems so calm and measured and reasonable. I would say this is intentional though... because the thing is, the King is mostly there as a proxy through which we can understand Griffith, as he never talks about his own thoughts or feelings. So we start them in the same place - a calm, composed person of fair mind who believes in forging a more egalitarian society, but with a lot of baggage and dysfunction teeming underneath the surface.

The first meeting of Griffith and Charlotte is also portrayed in a very romancey way for obvious reasons. And it’s appropriate really because throughout most of the story Charlotte is living in a different story than everyone else, specifically a romance novel. And Griffith does kind of construct that story for her, with... interesting results.

As a sidenote, Julius is ridiculous like he smacks Griffith for keeping Charlotte from falling over? What was he supposed to do, let her break her neck tumbling down the stairs? Pfft.

That is the look of a Griffith forming calculations, my guys.

12. Foss looks so much like a monster egg that if I didnt know he’s still around later I would legit think he’s a Godhand pawn like the fortune teller Griffith got his benefit from to begin with.

13. Guts really reminds me of those people who say they’re going to take a job just for now and they keep saying that literally until they retire 30 years later. It’s just interesting that it took him 3 years to decide that he’d commit himself to Griffith’s cause “for now.” That’s not much different than what you said three years ago, Guts!

The comparison between the night he fled from his first merc band and this night is interesting - the night he left the only home he knew, and the night that he chose to consider this place - or, really, this person - to be his new home. Guts does have a hard time seeing his own value - that’s the only reason he would still be surprised, three years on, that Griffith would and will go out of his way for him. It seems appropriate that Griffith’s saying that wha the does is just for Guts’ sake would spur Guts to decide to fight for Griffith’s sake as well.

It’s quite.

...romantic, really. Sad sad.

Now my brain is frying and I almost lost this whole thing in a pasting accident so I’m quitting while I’m ahead.

[zeynepbal]

Started cleaning home like 3.30 in the morning, after I woke up to a continuing talk with a friend on whatsapp at 3 am.

While tidying and cleaning the house I was thinking may be I was a bit harsh on him because after all he did not say anything bad and all he thinks is my good will - yet now after thinking an hour while tidying the house I am pretty sure it is not good for me

Society is a strange concept. You can never stay all free unless you go and start a life by yourself in the jungle. Otherwise you always have to be a part of it - even when you dont think so. My dad my mom always and still making me erase some posts which I think they are mostly right about their criticism because they are the only people may be who truely knows my way of thinking yet there is one more thing they know : how others may think and can understand my thoughts in a different way.I can clearly and confidently say that being a parent of mine should be really tiring. Dealing with a “child” for 37 years who mostly has a different point of view than the society.

Same is valid for my friends. I do think that it should be really haed to deal with me. When you make a dirty joke to your friend and when she does not get it constantly should be annoying. And think that when she gets it she just scolds you for being childish.

I dont understand how people connect certain images with certain situations. Kissing a cat video might be found “sexy” by people or wearing a short skirt can be thought as trying to be alluring. Throwing a birthday party for a friend could be understood as trying to steal him from his wife for example. Or I dont know how but being good friends with a male friend and telling here and there that you missed him can be seen as you two have something special. Or hugging a person can be misread as having something between.

I find these thoughts always so “not understandable”. I do like implies and I use them a lot only when I am broken or only when I have to tell some one to do sth or only when I need to reject someone. Because I dont like to hurt anyone yet I dont understand how people can think you imply something when you say you miss some one or love some one or like someone. These words are good words. These are full of emotion words. However howcome in the end all are connected to romantic relations I don get - even while writing here as “romantic relations” I struggled because a person can love a tree and it may be romantic in a way yet it is not the way generally people understands. I remember one certain memory: my mom telling my ex fiancée that I might write a poem for a freaking chair as if it is a person which does not mean that I am in love with anyone.

And now yeah we are there.. Lets return the beginning of this page. Yeah I was harsh on a friend and thought a lot during cleaning the home. Why I was harsh was because he thinks that I need someone in my life - which I surely dont think so , decided this morning. As I wrote him “ I do make talks about relationships, I do behave as if I am interested but I am not. I do have these “fake” standing because of my age. Because when I behave as if true myself people find it fake because up to society a 37 year old woman should be interested in the stuff like this. So they do not accept I dont give a damn heck about these talks.” And this is why I always act as if. Today I just though how unhappy I was when I was about to get married at the age of 26-27, was waking up in the middle of the night and thinking how I truely did not wanna get married : and it was the society in the first place making me say “yes” to a person that I did not wanna get married because up to society a woman should do this do that etc etc etc.

And now it is an another phase: the phase that in order not to be misunderstood or labelled I have to act as if I am interested in some men otherwise people or their girlfriends see you as a threat as if their husbands or boy friends are made up of gold and you are hitting on them. Hello! I am not interested. So first in order to stop these gossips about you you should behave as if you are interested in someone otherwise people dont get you may not be interested in anyone. I dont understand why it should be black and white in every situation and dont get why people are so blind to gray. Another point is in order people not to misunderstand your gender you have to show your interest to men. I dont care if they think I am not straight or so but they talk. They talk a lot. And in year 2021 people still think being a gay is something funny and not normal. I pity these people yet I am straight and it is the same rudeness calling a gay as straight when you call a straight person as a gay. So in order not to be misunderstood I do have to make “men” talk on social media or in my life because people dont get “how come you dont?! At a 37 person howcome you cant have any specific point on men you find sexy?! How come you cant have a type?! Oh come on you are lying!!” I actually dont lie yet in order to deal with these situations I learnt to lie. As I told my friend this morning “I seriously do some talks because otherwise is impossible for people and I just dont wanna deal with them”

And this is actually how society puts a pressure on you without knowing. Lots of friends trying to make me up with some one: and my honest opinion this is so “waste of time” meeting with someone for a date. I mean isnt it? You both know that you meet on a specific purpose to understand if you are compatible or not and to me being compatible doesnt mean “love”. They find me rude when I say “no” to these date offers or imply that I am not interested because to them we would be very good or they are wanting my goodness which I reject. And what they dont understand within all these years is, ME. How I see the things. I like things being in their natural way. If I ll have a relationship it should happen in a natural way. I should fall in love for example. But no! For the society as a 37 year old (up to them beautiful) woman should not be alone or if she is alone there should be something wrong with her. And may be something wrong with me because I do care about emotions rather than “shoulds”

So as a result today I decided that I wont be making the same mistake as I did years ago : letting the society shape me and letting myself go with the flow and I was about to get married with a man I did not love just because it was expected by my friends or the people around me. Today I remembered how down I was feeling on those days and I dont wanna feel like that again. I do want a child yes. And there are other ways to “get” one like stealing some other people’ child (lol jk ofc).

Oh just an another point. I am never the kind of person who is able to show her feelings to the guy she likes (became a big problem in one of my relationships because he was always questioning that I am very physical and touchy to everyone yet not to him. And yeah! If I am hugging you or touching you this means my flirting probabilty with you is 0%) yet I found something I find irritating is “although I like the man doing the first second third…10th move until I understand he is interested, I seriously turn off when he gets harsh on me and openly shows his interest” this is the thing I can say “weird” about myself,for example because this is “weird”.

But the other stuff, I dont think that the way of thinking I have is weird. I dont think having no interest in speaking about relationships, not wanting to listen your “bed time sexual problems or stories” with your husbands/wives or lovers is weird. Because it is not my business but when I say this you call me either rude or weird. So I tried to act in a way you wanted and faked a lot which made me exhausted and today I just bursted as “E NOUGH!”. Because the more I try to fake in a way society wants me to, the more weird my behaviors become.

So I wont be doing any more. This is me. I wont act as the society wants me to act. Do think I have issues because I am not interested in the “make up” dates you arranged? Then I have issues, your opinion. Do you think I am in love with someone just because I told I love him? Then I am in love, your opinion. Do you think I am hitting on you because I asked to meet for a drink? Then I am hitting on you, your opinion. None are the thoughts or feelings of mine. I remember a talk with marcos. He asked me “you use the word love for everything. It is open to misunderstandings” and I told him “for you. You k ow me now and you know I dont use that word as many people may understand”. Same here. When I say I miss a friend and wish him or her here with me etc doesnt mean that I love/loved him or her in a way you think.

[drferox]

there isnt much I could find on them, so could you talk about Caucasian Mountain Dogs / Tibetan Mastiffs?

I would prefer it if folks didn’t ask for two breeds in the same ask, but since I can talk about Tibetan Mastiffs but not Caucasian Mountain Dogs I will answer for that breed only.

But first, as usual, please note the disclaimer. Theseposts are about the breed from a veterinary viewpoint as seenin clinical practice, i.e. the problems we are faced with. It’s notthe be-all and end-all of the breed and is not to make a judgementabout whether the breed is right for you. If you are asking for anopinion about these animals in a veterinary setting, that is what youwill get. It’s not going to be all sunshine and cupcakes, and isnot intended as a personal insult against your favorite breed. Thisis general advice for what is common, often with a scientificconsensus but sometimes based on personal experiences, and is not aguarantee of what your dog is going to encounter in their life.

(Image source Wikipedia by Pleple2000)

Tibetan Mastiffs are rare because they’re huge, and living in suburbia doesn’t grant many people the space to keep such a big animal. They’re also not easy dogs to keep or train and I can’t say I’m fond of them. The breeding scene for these dogs was also interesting and highly political, with odd practices such as mating two different dogs to the same bitch and DNA testing the resulting pups, breeding a bitch every season and being very demanding about progesterone supplements for pregnant bitches even if they had no history of infertility. We clashed a couple of times.

It’s worth noting that I didn’t actually get to see and treat many of these dogs when they were old, because the local breeders were in the habit of desexing these dogs after their show careers were over, and rehoming them as adults.

Hip Dysplasia is a big issue in the breed, and no surprise there for a dog of such large size. Somewhat concerning, the rates  of hip dysplasia have not improved in the last 30 years, despite screening. Now that might be because certain breeders have been screening, but breeding dogs with bad hips anyway, yet still assuring puppy buyers that their breeding dogs have ‘had their hips checked’, but that’s none of my business.

Entropion and Ectropion (eyelids rolling in and out respectively) are extremely common in the breed, as is Distichia (extra eyelashes that rub on the eyeball). This is compounded by many of these dogs having excessive skin on the head, a roly poly look similar to St Bernards. These eyes need surgery in order to not be a constant source of irritation or pain for the dog.

I saw lots of pups with overbites, though most were not overly severe. I didn’t get to see these ;ups grow to maturity, so I don’t know how they fared.

The breed is also reported to develop hypothyroidism and Addison’s disease (both immune mediated in origin) and Cushing’s syndrome, but I didn’t get to see enough of these dogs beyond middle age to comment on the frequency of these conditions.

Interestingly, it was a male dog of this breed which was one of the only two dogs I have encountered so far that I would have considered as being possibly asexual. We had a male tibetan mastiff patient who was physically and physiologically normal as far as we could tell, but refused to breed the bitches he was put with. Normal anatomy, normal bloodwork, no response to testosterone supplementation, he just did not respond to bitches in heat. He wasn’t remotely interested in them.

Even when attempting manual collection of semen, this dog was basically impossible to get a sample from. He would not get more than 50% of the way to an erection. We declined to attempt electroejaculation because at this point it was just getting ridiculous, and we decided as a clinic that we weren’t going to electrocute a dog’s prostate on welfare grounds and that the whole enterprise was going too far, but I did think it was interesting. So we just said enough's enough, let the dog get on with his life.

Now, whether this individual’s lack of sexual behavior is a inherent characteristic of his, or whether it was a learned behavior due to a bad experience interacting with one of his owner’s female dogs (which were large and frankly aggressive) I have no way of knowing, but both scenarios seem equally likely at this stage.

[themoneybuff-blog]

How Do Self-Driving Safety Features Affect Your Car Insurance?

Many drivers are ready for autonomous vehicles, even if the insurance industry isnt. And while the safety features of self-driving cars can reduce the risk of accidents, that may not translate to cheaper car insurance premiums for drivers. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says that more than 3,450 people were killed by distracted drivers in 2016, the last time it compiled such data. It notes that sending a text takes the drivers eyes off the road for five seconds, which is enough time to cover the length of a football field if youre going 55 miles per hour. As a result, drivers are more inclined to share the road with automated cars than with texting drivers. A survey by InsuranceQuotes found that 73% of consumers think a texting driver is more dangerous than a self-driving vehicle. Though there are concerns about technical failures (51%), hacking (22%), lost driving jobs (13%), and the cost of self-driving vehicles (9%), the insurance industry is already seeing the benefits of certain driver-assisting technology. Safety features, like automatic emergency braking, appear to lead to a reduction of accidents on the road, says Pete Gulbrandsen, vice president of auto product, personal insurance at Travelers. The features provide additional safety in situations when a drivers alertness has decreased. While entrepreneurs like Dan Peate, whose autonomous-vehicle insurance startup Avinue has been featured by Bloombergand Crains, figure out a way to capitalize on that decreased risk, drivers are about to get a big break from their misfortune. According to a study by insurance firm Accenture and the Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, N.J., the more than $225 billion insurance industry will see traditional premiums drop by $25 billion by 2035 and by $41 billion by 2050. Thats a nearly 20% loss over the next 30 years, with any offsetting gains coming only in theory. Insurers are bracing for long-term declines in auto premiums as new and safer autonomous vehicles gain adoption, said John Cusano, a senior managing director at Accenture and global head of the companys insurance practice, in the studys release. However, our research suggests that auto premiums will increase before they decline on this trend, so insurers that can navigate the changing technology environment could win market share. Janet Ruiz, director of strategic communications for the Insurance Information Institute, notes that it will still be some time before many drivers see significant benefits of electronic safety features. As Ruiz notes, the first semi-autonomous features didnt find their way into cars until about 2012. Meanwhile, the average age of a car on U.S. roads jumped to 11.7 years old in 2017, according to IHS Markit. If that trend holds, Ruiz says the benefits of even the earliest, most basic autonomous features may not trickle down to younger used car buyers until around 2023. Safety is always a great benefit, so reducing risk as early as you can is a good thing, Ruiz says. With this kind of technology, its good to be a first adopter. Meanwhile, it may take some time before insurers adjust to a new, less-risky normal. In 2015, a study by the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety (IIHS) covering the very first automated safety features available in 2011 and 2012, found that safety technology especially electronic stability control decreased the likelihood of a driver dying in a crash of a late model vehicle by more than a third over three years. Nine car models had zero fatalities per million registered vehicles. Though more recent data from the IIHS and Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI) found decreased property damage liability and collision claims for cars equipped with forward-collision warning systems, especially those with automatic braking, there is still a gap between the safest and least-safe models, with small lower-cost models still considered risky. Safety features have been shown to reduce the risk of losses in liability coverages and that will result in a benefit to the insured, Travelers spokesman Gulbrandsen says. However, as more technologically-advanced safety features have been added to vehicles, the cost to repair them has generally increased. This is where it starts to get tricky for drivers. Insurance is regulated differently from state to state, so what drivers pay in different areas of the country depends of what that state deems important. Meanwhile, autonomous features begin to shift liability for crashes toward auto manufacturers and away from drivers, which may make them take the RAND Institutes suggestion and push for no-fault insurance. Finally, theres a chance that insurance underwriters will stop simply suggesting that drivers use pay-as-you-drive or usage-based programs like Progressives Snapshot or Liberty Mutuals RightTrack. Those programs use small sensors installed in a cars dashboard or an existing on-board communications system (think OnStar) to track driving habits and reward less risky behavior. While some of these sensors track only the miles you drive, others can use a cars safety features and telematics systems to determine how often you slam on your brakes, and good drivers can get discounts of 5% to 30% if these devices or even telematics systems or smartphones like what they see. After analyzing Snapshot driving data, weve found hard braking to be one of the most highly predictive variables for predicting future crashes, says Dave Pratt, general manager of usage-based insurance for Progressive. We know that one of the main contributors to hard braking is tailgating, so were using our data to help drivers be as alert and aware as possible on the road. The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) predicts that 20% of all U.S. auto insurance companies will incorporate some form of pay-as-you-drive program by 2020. The Insurance Information Institute, meanwhile, says 70% of insurance carriers will be experimenting with that option by that time. Ruiz says that despite the reluctance of older drivers to be monitored, younger drivers who are more comfortable with technology may push the change. You can tell if mom is in the car, if dad is in the car, or one of the kids, Ruiz says. It can tell if youre stopping too short or drifting in lanes, and it knows exactly whos doing it and whose premiums should be affected. But does that necessarily mean that auto insurance will be cheaper overall? Ruiz notes that insurers may place more emphasis on losses that arent caused by crashes, but by wind, floods, hail, and other natural elements and by theft. That comprehensive coverage may not be so bad if the potentially higher costs to repair or replace damaged vehicles are more than offset by the lower accident frequency rate. However, just know that insurers like Accenture see comprehensive coverage and new insurance categories including cybersecurity insurance (hacking), product liability insurance (faulty sensors and algorithms), and public infrastructure insurance (hi, potholes) as an $81 billion opportunity as soon as 2025. In fact, Accenture and the Stevens Institute estimate that cybersecurity insurance premiums alone could bring in an extra $61 billion during the next six years. Even that scenario, however, assumes that drivers are in any rush to adopt autonomous vehicles, never mind the safety features available today. InsuranceQuotes survey found that just 32% of people trust current self-driving technology. While 47% expect to have more faith 10 years from now, when that technology evolves, only 37% would consider leasing or owning a self-driving car. That ranges from 52% of those 18 to 34 to just 22% of those 65 and older. That reluctance is why Stevens estimates that by 2035 there will be only 23 million autonomous vehicles on American roads or less than 10% of the total cars on the road today. Its also why a white paper released by Travelers suggests that auto insurance shouldnt look much different when autonomous cars become more prevalent, with drivers simply assuming less risk under traditional auto insurance. Meanwhile, both insurers and drivers will be watching both advancing technology and decreasing premiums closely. Through our leadership role in collaborative, multi-industry research, as well as analysis of our own data, we expect to learn more about the potential impact of this technology on costs, says Sevag A. Sarkissian, a spokesman for State Farm whose region of coverage includes automated vehicle testing grounds in California and Nevada. If loss experience ultimately improves, rates could reflect that fact. Read more: https://www.thesimpledollar.com/how-do-self-driving-car-features-affect-your-insurance/