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definitely-not-a-wasp · 3 years

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I'm okay with a bunch of disorganized rambling honestly 😂. But if I had to narrow it down then I guess I want to know about main and side characters and how they compare to the original?

I know that tumblr is the Prime Site for disorganized rambling, but I have perfectionism issues. But that is a great question, nonnie, and I will be happy to ramble is a slightly less disorganized fashion.

When reading Maximum Ride as a somewhat-formed adult who discovered they enjoy English classes about 3.5 years ago, I noticed that JP, when writing, doesn't understand consistency. At all. Which means, in many ways, I have a free sandbox to work with.

Spoilers for my rewrite WIP, because I strongly believe that if a story would no longer be good if one had spoilers, then it wasn’t a good story in the first place.

I'm trying to keep the backstories the same, plus or minus the scientific method and a few characters (RIP my OCs. I want to bring you back so bad but it wouldn't fit with the thematic narrative). I've mostly kept their (starting) abilities the same, too. Without further ado, I'm going to introduce some WorldBuilding. (If I'm good at nothing else, I'm good at world building)

First off. Logically.

How are they getting Cable?

How are they getting internet?

How are they getting money to eat and stuff?

JP's answer: handwave it off. Sometimes you need to ignore logistics for the sake of plot. This is an answer I'd accept from an author that I like, such as Julie Kagawa, that makes amazing worlds, characters, and narratives that I will happily handwave a few things that wouldn't work in the real world. James Patterson, on the other hand, did not make any of that; he made a cool concept, some good rough-draft characters, and nothing else, and therefore this is an unforgivable sin.

Wasp's answer: They are not getting any of that.

Introducing Cottagecore.

The house is off the grid. Solar Panels and a wind turbine create electricity. They have their own well. They grow their own food, raise livestock for eggs, milk, and wool, and trap fish for meat. They get money through dumpster diving and pawning. They still have to steal half of the necessities they can’t make themselves. They do have a TV, but it can access about three channels on a clear day. Internet is only a thing when they go to the public library.

Giving the flock a background that’s heavy in farming and livestock rearing shores up the plot holes mentioned above, but in my opinion, ties the flock more tightly to the environment, thus giving them something tangible to lose when they have to leave the E-shaped house. Because they’re not just leaving a house and a safety net— they’re leaving their entire way of life with no promise of getting it back. It also gives them a tangible connection to the earth in case I want to actually pursue the global warming themes.

Main Characters

Maximum “Max” Ride (Birthname: nonexistent)

First off, I'm letting her be Latina, James Patterson.

In the original, Max was very much the headstrong, independent, action girl. Leaning into Strong Female Character (TM), but overall she had a strong, solid foundation and enough character consistency through the first three books for me to not have to just make an entire new character. However, I felt that she was, in some ways, a bit too Action-Girl and Strong and Capable. Yes, Max is incredible and competent, but she’s also fourteen. She’s a child.

In the rewrite, Max’s character is still headstrong, independent, capable, and sometimes not the best at listening to others. All of that’s the same. But she’s that way not because of girlboss energy, but because there’s no one else to do it. She doesn’t want to lead, necessarily. She wants to get some rest and let someone else handle the problems life keeps throwing at her. But she knows if she did that, the responsibility of leader would fall to Fang and Iggy, and she can’t ask that of them. She doesn’t want to place that burden on anyone else (Look, there’s a reason I chose Ayano’s Theory of Happiness as one of her signifier songs, okay?). Her narrative is very much centered around burden, and also around loss. She lost her cultural heritage when she was taken away from her birth family, she lost her childhood to being a leader, she lost a good deal of her friends to the school (RIP my OCs), she lost Jeb, and then she lost her stability. And she’s going to lose a lot more before the end of the story. So a lot of her character arc deals with learning that there are some things she can’t fix, some things that can’t be recovered. She can’t get the E-shaped house back. She can’t get her Little Baby Angel back, even after they rescue her. She can’t get her friends back from the school. And instead of working so hard to recover those or find something to replace them, she has to learn to live with that sense of loss and move on with her life without feeling guilty for leaving things behind. And she has to learn that asking for help and sharing her burden is selfish or weak.

Other changes I made that don’t necessarily fit into her narrative arc, but you asked for rambling so rambling you shall get:

Max hallucinates, because mental illness is also a prominent theme in the rewrite. She doesn’t have a psychotic disorder, but her C-PTSD causes visual/audio hallucinations, especially when she’s stressed or sleep deprived.

Max ends up having a Gender Discovery throughout the story and goes by He/She pronouns eventually. I don’t know when, but it will happen.

As far as genetic modifications/special quirks go, she can fly faster than the rest of the flock, but not 300 miles per hour. She averages about sixty mph with diving speeds of 240. She cannot breathe underwater or shut down her organs on command. She also has the Super Special Power to predict the weather, but that’s not because of genetics, it’s because she has chronic pain in her right arm that gets worse when weather fronts change.

Her favored weapon is her trusty rebar that she picked up from a condemned building. I think she’s going to name it eventually but I don’t know what yet.

Fang (Birth name: Gabriel Xue)

In canon, Fang is characterized in early books by being the “dark, strong, silent type”. He’s probably the most reserved member of the flock, to the point of falling into the Brooding Mystery Man trope in parts of the book. They care a lot, but they’re not the best at conveying that, especially with the younger members of the flock, and at times their high empathy leads them to making mistakes. Despite the high empathy, he’s often compared to a robot due to his lack of expression and external emotions.

Well, first change is that they’re not a man, so jot that down—

If Max’s narrative is centered around burden and loss, I would probably say that Fang’s is centered around humanity and moving on. None of the flock was treated as human while in the school, but Fang was more often than not treated like a wild animal due to “behavioral issues”, and therefore had and continues to have a difficult time considering themselves real and alive, let alone human. This manifests through a several different ways— where in canon Fang definitely had a ‘fight’ reaction, in the re-write they have a ‘freeze’ or ‘shut down’ instinct. They’re selectively mute for multiple reasons (including derealization, jaw pain, the fact that they didn’t learn how to speak until they were 10, and genuinely forgetting it’s something they’re capable of), a period of Cotard’s syndrome, and a tendancy towards self-loathing and self-sacrifice. In short, Fang is still halfway stuck in the mindset that most of the flock grew out of when they escaped in the school, and doesn’t know how to move past it.

Much of their character arc revolves around not necessarily seeing themselves as human, but learning to treat themselves as human even when they don’t feel like one (or even feel real), and knowing that just because they don’t feel human all the time doesn’t mean anyone else can treat them the same. They never start easily expressing their emotions, and they’re always going to be selectively mute, but they learn to accept that those aspects of themself aren’t character flaws or signs that they’re sub-human.

Other additions to Fang’s character include:

They don’t get their hair cut in New York. It stays long through the entire series. They have the longest hair in the flock by the end of the series, and they can wear it in so many styles.

Fang uses they/it pronouns because themes of reclaiming the weapons used against it and, more importantly, Gender.

They’re actually really good at spelling compared to the rest of the flock, because they and Iggy communicate with Print-On-Palm when they’re nonverbal, and they’re nonverbal for some pretty long stretches of time.

They and Max have... zero romantic tension. At all. There is none. The number of times Max calls them her sibling/little sibling in the first arc alone is staggering, and that will not change.

Igneous “Iggy” (Birthname: Jamsetta “Jamie” Griffiths)

I’ve talked about Iggy before. Canon doesn’t give us much to go off of, but from what’s shown, he’s smart, sarcastic, has sharper edges than Fang and Max, and also has a sizable ruthless streak. So that’s what I have to go off of.

The big difference between Iggy and Fang&Max is that Iggy has a much better memory of the School. Most of the flock have areas (months or years) that they don’t remember, or people that they’ve blocked from their mind, but Iggy... doesn’t. So he’s the one that remembers all of the other AVIAN test subjects that were old enough to have names and identities but died due to complications. Max might have the burden of leadership, but he has the burden of memory. And that has lead to both a massive fucking guilt complex, because why did he survive when they didn’t, and, as mentioned above, a ruthless streak that he doesn’t shy away from.

Which is to say, by the end of the story, Iggy has the highest kill count.

I love, love writing Iggy next to Max and Fang. I love writing Iggy next to Gazzy and Nudge. Because, I say this with all of the love of the world, but Iggy is not a good person. He is loyalty and love incarnate, and the world can burn down if he and his siblings are safe. Max and Fang will always try to save as many people as they can. They will wonder what’s wrong with them the first time they kill and don’t have a mental breakdown about it. They are good in a way that Iggy is not. He’s okay with killing Erasers. He’s okay with killing humans. He’s okay with killing people who might not necessarily deserve it, if they show themselves as a threat or are simply in the blast radius. He knows perfectly well that most of those Erasers he’s murdering are four and five and he is okay with that, because a lot of the AVIANs were that age when they died. (Yeah, in the rewrite it’s not Fang who has an issue with Ari; it’s Iggy who wants the 7-year-old wolf-boy dead.)

And this is, of course, juxtaposed with Iggy being really, really good with Nudge and Gazzy (especially in the beginning). Because, again, he actually remembers being a child. He remembers a lot of kids that died and is therefore fiercely protective of the kids that didn’t, as well as fiercely protective of the innocence that he never got. So he’s the one that cooks their favorite foods when they’re having a bad day, always makes time when they want to talk about something, and convinces Max to let them go to that toy store in New York because, yeah, he Max and Fang aren’t kids. They never were. But Nudge, Gazzy, and Angel can be. (And if he has to be a murderer to preserve that, then he’s perfectly okay with that.)

He and Angel don’t get along very well, though. The telepath doesn’t like hanging out with the person with the most clear memories of the school.

Other additions:

Iggy is trans and says trans rights

He also has paranoid episodes, because C-PTSD. Sometimes they’re very helpful. Sometimes they are not.

I actually decided that he’s one of the flock that doesn’t meet their parents. I know in canon he did, but I always found that very clunky because it didn’t add to his character. He was one of the characters who, until it was convenient for the plot, seemed to care the least about his family. I’d much rather give that to a character whose arc would benefit from it.

Iggy! Gets! Older Sibling Rights! Seriously, he’s two months younger than Fang, he is just as capable.

Iggy does not know braille because Jeb decided it wasn’t necessary for him to know. Iggy is also the best speller in the flock, because Print-on-Palm was the only way to talk to Fang for a solid year. Yes he mocks everyone over this.

Iggy is the only member of the flock that enjoys swimming and can take into the air from water. Everyone else in the flock is incredibly jealous.

Nudge (Birthname: Monique Robinson)

If Iggy is defined by his memories, Nudge is his polar opposite. She was seven when she left the School, but she has next to no memories of it. She is missing a lot of time in the first year she escaped. And that causes... a lot of things. It makes her feel disconnected from her older siblings, it gives her the ability to function in society in a way the other’s can’t, it lets her feel less grief over the ones that didn’t make it and she doesn’t remember, it makes her feel guilty that she doesn’t remember what she’s old enough to know.

Basically, in order for me to keep the character of Nudge as I saw her (more extroverted, not afraid of the world, fascinated with humans like her siblings aren’t, desiring to fit in instead of isolate), I had to put a little bit of distance between her and the flock. Of course, she loves them— that will in no way change— but she’s old enough that she should remember the school (and her dead friends) unlike Gazzy and Angel, but she can’t, and she very much fears forgetting the flock if anything happens to them. So she’s trying desperately to keep the flock close and wants desperately to experience the world at the same time, and doesn’t know what to do when she can’t have both. That’s her biggest character conflict throughout the series, along with that in-between area where she’s not quite where her older siblings are but understands so much more than Gazzy and Angel, and where she stands in that.

So yeah. Nudge’s journey is that in looking for belonging in the world, in her family, and in herself.

This is why she’s one of the ones that gets to find her parent, James Patterson.

Other additions include:

She never straightens her hair. Never. Her resources at the E-shaped house aren’t perfect, but she still has learned how to take care of her hair and has a few styles she cycles through.

She becomes the default person Max sics on people when the flock is trying to befriend them. Also their de-facto diplomat around strangers.

As in canon, she does take some time away from the flock to expirience ‘normal life’. This does not last long due to the stress of being separated from her siblings/not being able to help them and [REDACTED]

Nudge is... not the only person in her head. I’m not focusing on it much because she doesn’t actually know and neither does the flock (I don’t know if they ever figure it out during the series, either), but she has dissociative identity disorder. She’s not aware of her alter(s?). Her alter isn’t super aware of her, either.

The alter that I’ve developed is named Oxy and is not super aware of the outside world. In her eyes, she’s still seven and they’re still at the School. She would not recognize the body as her own if she looked in a mirror.

Nudge actually leaves the flock for a while to pursue her dream of living a normal life. She deserves it. She learns how to make muffins and the basics of software development. These things are unrelated.

Gasman (Birthname: No first name, surname “Falk”)

Honestly, writing Gazzy is kind of hard for me. Partially because I’m not great at writing kids, and partially because I feel like he’s a pretty surface-level character in-series that... isn’t super compelling in canon. But even if that’s the case, I try to treat all of my characters with respect, so here we go. In my rewrite, he escaped when he was four, which was half a lifetime ago for him, so his memories are ill-defined. Therefore, he managed to circumvent a lot of the trauma that the rest of the kids have, and not in the way Nudge did, which is by creating an elaborate blockage in her memories.

Which means Gazzy... really doesn’t know how to deal with all of this traumatic stuff happening. So much of his development turns out to be a coming-of-age narrative. Learning how to deal with the horrors of what his siblings grew up with. Learning the fears that they had the entire time. Losing his innocence when everyone around him never had it in the first place, and being so terribly alone because of it. Because, really, how can you explain such a deep loss to people who never had what he had? How can they help in a way that matters?

Also, relationship-wise, I’m slowly deteriorating the relationship between him and Iggy. Slowly. Or, changing it, at least. Gazzy hero-worships Iggy in-series, and for good reason, because Iggy is super cool, especially in the eyes of an eight-year-old, and especially when Iggy has taken care to cultivate parts of his behaviors to be child-friendly. Part of growing up is seeing the flaws in your heroes, and Gazzy has to learn how to deal with it. End of the series Gazzy is much less closer to Iggy than beginning of the series Gazzy, and neither of them are really okay with that, but they learn to live with it, because that’s really all they can do.

Notes:

I’m keeping the mimickry! It plays a bit of a bigger role because that’s how Gazzy learned to talk. I’m debating whether or not he has his own voice or if he just borrows the flock’s as he sees fit. He also uses it to scream really loudly and occaisonally burst the eardrums of Erasers.

At one point he cosplays as Jessica Jones. No you don’t get any more context than this.

He has a horrible sense of fashion.

I’m changing his name eventually because it sucks. He’s either going to change it to Gannet, Garrison, or Ivy Mike temporarily, and permanently to Zephyr. (I never said I was going to make his name GOOD, because he’s eight, but it’s changing. You’re welcome.)

Angel (Birthname: No first name, surname “Falk”)

It’s just... a completely different character, at this point. I’ve changed so many things about her in an attempt to make her consistent and act like a six-year-old and work in the whole “telepath before she has a solid sense of identity”, so it’s a different character. Also, I’m tired of writing coherently or in paragraphs, so have some interesting facts.

She has epilepsy! Super severe epilepsy! I think she might also develop juvenile MS in the future because her brain has so many scars from being a fucking six-year-old telepath. There’s no way she could get out of that unscathed.

She has more memories of the school than Gazzy, but only because she keeps accidentally reading the minds of Max, Fang, and Iggy. On a related note, she interacts with Iggy as little as possible.

The mind reading means that she has a hard time developing as a normal child with a normal sense of identity or reality. She can’t tell how much people are individual people and how much they’re just extensions of her. Conversely, she can’t tell how much of herself is actually her instead of the thoughts/opinions/identities of someone else. It’s... kinda fucked? But also super not-her-fault.

She’s albino because white wings. Also, because I thought it was cool. This also means that her vision sucks, though. Also she has the biggest straw sunhat and the most stylish sunglasses a six-year-old can have.

She’s responsible for Max shaving her hair off.

She has the highest swear count because I think it’s funny. She’s the only person allowed to say the fuck word in writing. Everyone else can only say ‘hell’ and the occasionally ‘damn’ but she can say whatever she wants for dramatic and comedic value.

She is NOT THE FUCKING VOICE, J*MES P*TTERSON.

Honorable Mentions

Jeb

I’m skipping Jeb because of how little I care about him. He’s a little bitch, next character.

Ari

STILL HASN’T BEEN REVEALED AS AN ERASER. I’ve been writing for 50,000 words and he’s over here saying ‘nope nope not yet, not dramatic enough’. He’s had speaking lines but has refused to make himself known to Max. I am so frustrated with this seven-year-old wolf-child that I’ve already considered how I would kill him, if I decide I want to kill yet another child in my writing.

So, my main thoughts for Ari is that he... really just drew the short end of the stick in every possible way. While Jeb didn’t sign him up for Eraser expirimentation, he didn’t do anything to stop it, and pretty much cut his losses when he realized this expiriment made a wreck of his ‘perfect, unflawed’ son, because Jeb doesn’t consider children of any species to actually be humans. So, Ari really hates his dad, which makes things complicated, because he also really loves his dad and really wants his approval.

Which means that he also really hates Max, because she’s the child that always got Jeb’s time and attention, even when Ari was human. I think, on some level, he knows that trying to tear Max down to a less-favored level isn’t actually going to help his situation— infighting for the love of an abusive parent won’t make them any less abusive— but he’s also seven, and his development is already severely stunted due to becoming an Eraser, and he doesn’t see ‘leaving ITEX’ as an option like the Flock does. ITEX is his everything. It’s all he’s ever known, and they tell him he’s doing the right thing, and he wants them to love him. He wants his father to love him. He knows that if he ever questions ITEX, his father will never love him. So it must be his older sister that’s ruining his life and being a horrible child, and once Ari drags her back down to his level, Jeb will realize who the best child is and love him properly again.

Ari, on an even deeper level, does care for Max quite a bit, because she’s his older sister and he wants that to mean something in a way that ‘Jeb being his father’ obviously doesn’t. He wants what she made for herself, and he hates the Flock because she loves them and obviously doesn’t love him.

Ari, if anything, is the product of neglect, and both loves and hates everyone who shows a chance of caring about him. And he’s seven, so he can’t notice these patterns, let alone break them.

So. Notes!

He doesn’t look like an adult. I thought that was gross and unnecessary. He’s seven, but he looks closer to thirteen or fourteen. Still young enough that he looks like every Eraser’s little brother, and the Erasers high-key treat him like it.

On a related note, he’s the only Eraser who can talk. The others don’t have the mental capacity or vocal structure to replicate human speech, but they can understand language (at about the level of a two or three year old) and are very good at nonverbal communication. This is why Ari managed to climb the ranks despite only having three years of “service” and also looking like a tween.

He doesn’t have an expiration date because that is SUCH a stupid plot point.

I’m giving him a chainsaw! I don’t know how, I don’t know when, but he deserves to have a chainsaw and GODDAMN I will give it to him.

Emergency and Gene

The OCs that I love and also killed pre-series. They don’t have any scenes, because they’re dead, but their deaths greatly effected Max, Fang, and Iggy, and they are very commonly referenced. Their voices are probably Max’s most common hallucination, to the point where she sometimes pretends they’re ghosts that she can talk to. They’re not ghosts. They’re dead.

Dr. Valencia Martinez

I’m actually keeping her pretty close to canon— loving, supportive, the type of person to take in a gsw victim with minimal questions. The difference is that rather than kindness fueling her actions, it’s incredible guilt. She has three goals surrounding Max: Give her as much support in any way she can, teach her as much about chicane culture as possible, and never let Max know that she’s her birth parent.

(She’s probably going to fail at AT LEAST two of those, but it’s the thought that counts.)

Notes:

She has a pet fox named Robin Hood that she rescued from an exotic animal salesman that got arrested.

I think I’m going to kill her. I don’t know yet, but it’s on the table.

Anne Walker

Y’know, the fake FBI Agent. Who’s not actually a fake in my story because I hated that plot point. She’s genuinely an FBI agent who put the Flock into pseudo-witness-protection in order to build a case against the Institute of Higher Living, accidentally got attached to her prime witnesses, raised them for a few months, realized a [SPOILER] and promptly had to let them get the hell out dodge.

I really like the Anne Walker that lives in my head. She is a VITAL part of the Flock’s development, their mental/emotional recovery, and adding to their safety net to fall back on. She serves them as their first adult role model, and is the first adult to show them what parent/child are supposed to look like from a healthy perspective. Though she has several fuck ups, she becomes someone that the Flock genuinely trusts and loves, which makes it all the more difficult for them to leave when [REDACTED].

Notes:

She and Max do butt heads initially, because Max is paranoid and also afraid of becoming uneeded. This ends up being incredibly important because Max needs to learn how to live and find meaning in life without being the designated Leader/Parent/Big Sister

Anne, at one point, sits the entire flock down to teach them about consent, which was something no one ever talked about with them before. She goes in talking specifically about consent in a romantic/sexual sense (because they’re fourteen and that’s something they need to know), but quickly turns into a full-fledged no, people are NOT allowed to do that to you, what the FUCK.

She’s responsible for giving the flock a laptop. It’s because Angel is online schooled (bc telepathy makes actually learning difficult) and was therefore provided with a computer.

Anne is also allowed to swear, but only when it’s funny.

Michael “Grey” Rivers

Aka Grey from the Sewers Aka GR3Y H47 Aka Mike from the Bronx Aka Gifted Child Syndrome Incarnate Aka Would-be-in-MIT-if-his-parents-weren’t-horrible. He’s my son, your honour.

Basically, his backstory boils down to him being a genius, getting into MIT at 14, his (horrible) parents wanting a perfect child who could “make it out” of the Bronx and represent his family/neighborhood/borough to the world. When he inevitably failed their expectations due to stress, a schizophrenic-spectrum disorder that completely alienated him from the rest of his support network, and refusing to take his psych meds because the side effects were horrible and they made it harder to think (and therefore pass his classes), they kicked him out. He fully intends to go back to MIT when he turns 18 and has control of his finances/scholarships/medication/therapy.

So that’s how the flock meets him.

Mike ends up in a very prominent support role for the flock both in technological persuits (helping them track their parents, helping them get information from ITEX, trying to disable Max’s chip and failing multiple times until it becomes a matter of personal honour—), in helping the older members of the flock figure out how to deal with hallucinations/delusions (because he’s actually been to therapy, unlike them), and in being one of the only people who talks to them and helps them without any ulterior motive. He’s not trying to build a case against ITEX/The Institute of Higher Learning, he’s not double crossing them, he’s not plagued with guilt. He just genuinely wants to help them, and they genuinely want to help him, and that’s their first introduction to a healthy, non-codependent relationship.

My many disorganized notes on Michael Rivers:

He’s from specifically Morris Heights, Bronx, NYC.

He would say that his last name is actually Rivera, but his grandparents changed it to Rivers so it would sound more English, and his family has been in America for so long that he doesn’t know much about any Latino heritage he may or may not have. He identifies as African American, not Afro-Latino. He’s just bitter that his family felt the need to change their surname to have better opportunities in New York.

Nudge aggressively befriends him pretty much the moment she meets him, bullies him into teaching her how to code, and he very quickly adopts her as his pseudo-little-sister.

His delusions in the book seemed to involve government conspiracies, but as that’s the one delusion that is proved correct in the book, I’ve decided it would be best if his delusions and reality intersected a bit less if I don’t want to write him having a manic/paranoid episode in the second scene he has screen time. So his delusions are more based on “none of this is real”, “someone is recording everything I do and setting me up to fail” and “my ill-wishes on people can and will come true if I dwell on them too long.”. Government conspiracies are one of things he is skeptical about because he thinks most conspiracies are either “CIA admitted to this twenty years ago” or “antisemitism”.

He’s taking online free college classes that don’t actually give him any college credit, but they have good information and help him feel like he’s working towards something. He plans to double major in computer sciences and electrical engineering, minor in marine biology. He’s wanted to join NOAA since he was twelve and he is nothing if not stubborn.

There you go. These are my characters, now. I have custody.

#maximum ride on main #Maximum Ride rewrite

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blackbutler-readerinsertsandjunk · 2 years

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Can I request.. some more info about your OCs that you mentioned for Cheslock, Violet, and Herman?

of course!

for Cheslock is Margaret Wilson, and she will let Cheslock call her Peggy... but if anyone else does, they’re getting a smack 😂 she handles a lot of the day-to-day and paperwork for Funtom Music Hall, and although she pretends to be a very proper, prim lady... well, there’s a reason she’s with Cheslock, she does have a secret wild streak and she just can’t help it, she likes bad boys and she’s a sucker for piercings

for Gregory is Beatrice Till, who initially was a nurse working at Sphere, but then she asked too many questions, Bravat let her go, and anyway Ciel offered her more money if she’d come look after the performers at Funtom instead! her questions were mostly prompted by seeing the fact that Gregory was getting anemic, she’s very much a nurturer, very pleasant and bubbly and knows how to make people feel at ease

aaaaand for Herman is Lenore Roberts, and she’s just this very small, shy young lady who has trouble talking to people and tends to be quiet, more than once she’s surprised people just because they didn’t know she was there, and she enjoys watching Herman... the only time she gets really outgoing and loud is when she watches him play cricket and gets to cheer for him! he sometimes carries her around on his back or in his arms because she gets tired easily (in a modern verse she’d be diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome, but, Victorian era doesn’t really know what that is, so they all just describe her as lacking energy)

#answered #mod post #OCs #Margaret #Beatrice #Lenore #THEY'RE MY BABIESSSSSS

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numbaoneflaya · 3 years

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Can I get a list of all ur ocs?

Well anon youve done it, you made me make a list of all my major OCS in one place. I hope your happy with yourself. Under the cut for obvious reasons, may link in my blog desc later.

Modern/BTD verse!!

Jilly- Ferret beastkin little creature, was recently turned into a werewolf by vincent as well so she's running around on full moons in a wereferret wolf hybrid creature form. Chaotic and friendly and wants to be everyone's bestie. She has the most energy in the world and is very kind hearted. Banned from most Claires for stealing and from one Home Depot for climbing the shelves. Prone to living life with rose colored glasses on and seeing the best in everything/everything even when there's nothing there. Socialization is a must for her and is why being basemented/kidnapped broke her psych so quickly and developed severe stockholm. Sometimes overly talkative/enthusiastic and can scare people off. Even if she sees someone shes decided shes friends with be noticeably 'evil', will convince herself it must be for some reason/her fault and ignore it.

Ciggy- Undead punk still learning to harness his powers to interact with the world as a ghost. Was sacrificed by a cult he joined for free concert tickets and to get laid. Likes to cause problems on purpose both pre and prior death and he's not above possessing someone once he learns how to. Was called Rooster in high school before he dropped out because he's loud, obnoxious and always screaming. And also has bright red dyed hair. Looking 4 ways to become less ghosty bcs he wants to be able to help raise his infant daughter, whom he died before he could meet. Bit annoying and in your face, likes poking at bruises, his or others. Kind of a sad heart seeking attention through volume and persistence.

Mike: Vampire loser! Sells drugs and lives at raves. Was turned when she was attacked by a coked out vampire (whom she supplied the product to) and has major scarring on her face and chest. Needs a somewhat constant influx of blood so shell sometimes take victims back to her place and chain them up, slowly draining them over time. Feels bad (ish) about it tho so it is possible to survive her if you are nice and or interesting enough. Kind of desperate for a friend and for love. Is a stalker. If she likes you enough/finds you interesting, she might just appear in your house one night and start rummaging through your fridge like nothing is wrong and youve been besties for years. Its best to indulge her and be friendly, otherwise she could turn violent quickly if her feelings are hurt.

Kilaine- Regular human woman, but fucked up. Born and raised by an elite waspy society she had an interest in the human body and pain tolerance since she was young. Quickly learned that these traits were socially unacceptable in most professions, so she became a doctor. The only family she cared about was her younger sister who she lost in a car accident, where they were flipped over and trapped inside while it was afire. While her sister burned up in front of her Kilaine only lost her left arm and had major burns on her body. This tipped her descent into sadism and she is now madly obsessed with bringing her sister back no matter the cost. Rude and offstandish, clinical.

Dragon age verse!

Thurwen- My main Hero of Ferelden with a bad temper and a heart of gold. City elf from the Denerim Alienage, 18 at the start of origins. She's a reaver warrior with a lot of pent up rage which sometimes scares others when she lets it out in battle. Over the years she's grown less moody as she's had to take the role of Commander. Crude sense of humor and violent impulses, very sensitive to the plights of others and tries often to help. Never seen crying in public but only cries to herself at night- major martyr and hanged man complex.

Caz- My circle mage elf inquisitor who was an apostate before the conclave. Blood magic, but make it sneaky. Wary of strangers and new faces, always dealing with the impulse to flee/find a high vantage point. Endless curiosity about the unknown/ the forbidden/ naughty, was supposed to be made tranquil for it but she escaped. Kind of a little creature as well, lived on her own for a while as an apostate in the woods, filed her teeth down to sharp ends to make herself look more intimidating (shes 5 ft tall) and less cute (her elf ears are huge and expressive, which shes embarrassed about)

Dag and Thagna- Carta twins! Professional lyrium smugglers since birth pretty much. Raised casteless in dust town and had to work their way up the chain of command by themselves. Dag is the brother, Thagna the sister. Their father traded them to the carta for drinking money and their mom died in childbirth so they have somewhat of a codependent relationship. Both charismatic and calculating, friendly and agreeable but won't hesitate to put a dagger in your back. Hard to pin down morally or physically, squirrelly bastards.

Reila: Dalish elf who works for the inquisition/ is the inquisitor in some aus. She has an extreme fixation on elvhen history and rebuilding what they have lost. Not a people person, prefers solitude. Takes some time to warm up to shemhlen as she has a hard history with them. Good friends with Caz, who recruited her in the first place. Doesn't understand very many social cues and finds societal expectations limiting and frustrating. Fondness for halla and hooved animals, which she finds graceful.

Elder scrolls verse!

Valkya: Near seven foot nord woman whos over a thousand years old by the events of skyrim. Tall and buff, two handed warrior and compulsive hero there to bask in the spotlight save the day. She was killed at the start of the events of Elder scrolls online and had her soul ripped out and sent to coldharbor and she's just been a pain in the ass about it since then. Her body can physically die and will not regrow pieces. Her soul however will escape and teleport to the nearest source of power where her body will regrow from an aetherial plasm until its whole again. Loud and brash, friendly and jovial. Actually pretty keen especially after centuries of life but prefers to play dumb as it makes people underestimate her. Plus, she really does enjoy mud wrestling and drinking contests and acting generally like a rambunctious frat boy. Ha developed a bit of a substance problem and a problem with acting out, as after being alive so long she would turn to anything to dull the ache inside of her that never goes away.

Espira- My Dragonborn! Redguard from Hammerfell who was briefly in the Ash’abah due to killing undead while protecting her parents water farm as a child. Ran away from them after years and went to Cyrodille, then to Skyrim and was caught crossing the border. Reserved, kind and soft spoken, she's a sword and shield warrior who's committed herself to doing good in the world by helping others. Dislikes killing and anything messy but believes it is often necessary in order to protect the weak. She blacksmiths often to save money on the upkeep of her own equipment, and takes up metal jewelry working as a hobby with the excess material. Prone to trusting others too much and giving too many second chances, as shes always looking for ways to make even the most hardened criminal a second look at life.

Riley- Espiras little brother who she locked in the wardrobe during the event of the water farm attack. In preventing him from doing violence against the undead she kept him from being conscripted into the Ash’abah. He's way more chaotic than his sister, and suffers from a case of little sibling syndrome in which he will often pester/poke at people just to get a rise out of them. Still kind hearted as his sister, he tries to hide it because he believes that the world is a cruel place and the cruel survive. Despite that belief he is often still unable to force himself to be cruel/careless, only making a show of it so that others leave him alone and don't see that he's very sensitive and emotional. Deaf in one ear due to a magic mishap in his youth, he trained and enchanted his most beloved rats to live for years and sit on his shoulder, alerting him to noises he would not otherwise notice.

Felria: Evil vamp :/ chaotic evil dunmer necromancer. Small and devilish and likes dead bodies too much. Manipulative and cunning, she loves acting. She's a trained assassin for the dark brotherhood and is the speaker. Likes dressing up for missions and wearing disguises like its all a play. Loves toying with people more than she loves killing them, will act in ways that cause as much trauma as possible for other people just for fun and she finds the reactions interesting. Considers herself too far removed from most people's perception of morality and of her so it's hard for her to trust someone or see them as worthy of knowing her. Finds the psychology of grief and fear to be interesting and wants to study them first hand. The hero of kvatch.

Herren: Fifty something year old rat woman looking for something to keep her going. Ran away from her wealthy family in her youth when they wanted her to take charge of the household, instead became an infamous jewel thief and swashbuckler. Spent most of her life traveling and stealing and double dealing. She's smarmy and sarcastic, a serial romancer of the highest caliber. Bit of a show off and a hedonist, always looking for the next good party or new product to snort. Her family died off due to the hard times she wasn't there for and she keeps looking for bigger and bigger heists to fill her appetite as she's chronically bored and lonely, though wont accept intimacy and will scoff at it out of the belief she doesn't deserve it. Irresponsible and selfish, lonely and terrified of any sort of commitment. Fun to party with though!

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starsailorstories · 4 years

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I was tagged by @defender-of-wilderness!

Rules: Answer 17 questions and then tag 17 people (I do not know that many people)

Nickname: Kat lol (my full name is Katherine)

Zodiac: Capricorn

Height: Almost--but not quite--5′7″

Hogwarts house: Gryffindor by Pottermore but JK Rowling has utterly proved she doesn’t know my life so. Ravenclaw by choice

Last thing I googled: In all honesty it was ‘chronic fatigue syndrome symptoms’

Song stuck in my head: In all honesty it was the bacon pancakes song from adventure time

Number of followers: 218, I deleted and remade as a predominantly original content blog RIP me lol

Amount of sleep: 7-9 hours I am also in the can’t function without sleep club

Lucky number: I come back to 42 because of Lewis Carroll and Douglas Adams but I’m also partial to 111 now bc i associate it with Dialtone and 118 because it’s associated with an older OC

Dream job: I live in some kind of autonomous community where everybody works on running it and get to do a lot of cooking and yard work, but also spend most of my time on completely undirected and unscheduled art and writing, just kinda going where my inspiration leads me and sharing the results

Wearing: brown leggings, brown herringbone skirt, pink sweater, brown duster, green dangly feather earrings

Favorite song: It’s too hard to pick based on musical content alone but ideologically speaking, Bread and Roses

Favorite instrument: harp or cello probably but damn a good french horn,

Favorite author: Virginia Woolf

Favorite animal noise: I could write a paragraph of longing for the idiosyncratic vocalization of my late dog but in the interest of conciseness I will say that the sound of mourning doves gives me the most incredible wave of nostalgia

Random: To people who know me I make “x is my religion” jokes as commonly as people make “x is my gender” jokes but for the record singing with big groups of people is my religion

Have a recent pic: WIPs I had to finish together to keep the scenery consistent (it still isn’t completely)

I tag um! @fatalcookies @delunesnumberonefan @socksmaybe @prodigaldaughteralice and any other mutuals who wanna do it!!

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neuro-psych-faq · 6 years

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Is it possible to confuse ADHD with OCD?

Both obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are fairly common and serious neuropsychiatric disorders. It is very possible to confuse these two because some of the symptoms associated with attention and concentration can appear remarkably similar, especially in children and adolescents. However, ADHD and OCD are notably different in terms of brain activity and clinical presentation. For example, ADHD is considered to be an externalizing disorder, meaning it affects how people outwardly relate to their environment because they may exhibit inattention, lack of impulse control, and risky behaviors. OCD on the other hand. is characterized as an internalizing disorder, meaning individuals with OCD respond to anxiety-producing environments by turning inward. Individuals with OCD also exhibit frequent obsessive and/or compulsive thoughts and behaviors and tend to demonstrate a more inhibited temperament and tend to avoid risky or potentially harmful situations. Individuals diagnosed with OCD are overly concerned with the consequences of their actions and tend to not act impulsively. Not surprisingly, people with OCD exhibit unusually low rates of novelty seeking behavior and cigarette smoking.

Considerable evidence has suggested that ADHD and OCD are characterized by abnormal brain activity in the same neural circuit. Specifically, both conditions exhibit opposite patterns of brain activity in the frontostriatal system, the segment of the brain responsible for higher order, motor, cognitive, and behavioral functions. However the similarities between OCD and ADHD are limited to only which part of the brain is affected; patients with OCD exhibit significantly increased activity (hypermetabolism) in the frontostriatal circuits, meaning this part of the brain is overactive in people with OCD, while patients with ADHD exhibit decreased activity (hypometabolism), meaning this part of the brain is less active in people with ADHD.

While the disorders are associated with very different patterns of brain activity, the resulting cognitive effects are actually similar, especially in executive functions such as response inhibition, planning, task switching, working memory, and decision making. Sufferers of both OCD and ADHD have consistently and significantly underperformed in tests of executive functions.

Some research has suggested that OCD and Obsessive-Compulsive Spectrum Disorders fall upon a compulsive-impulsive continuum. In other words there exists a gradient of disorders ranging from behavioral impulsivity to compulsivity. OCD appears to lie at one end of this spectrum (compulsivity), while ADHD exists at the other (impulsivity). This is finding is surprising considering that over 35 studies have reported that an average of 21% of children and 8.5% of adults with OCD actually have ADHD as well.

This begs the question, can one person be both impulsive and careful — be both a risk taker and avoid risks — and exhibit opposite patterns of brain activity at the same time? As a secondary question, if this indeed is possible, how can we account for the significant decrease in reported comorbidity rates in adulthood? Is it the case that two-thirds of the children diagnosed with both disorders become cured from one of the conditions? These two questions were at the focus of our research into the association between ADHD and OCD.In order to answer the first question, we examined our hypothesis that different mechanisms in OCD and ADHD may result in similar cognitive impairments, in other words, though the disorders are associated with very different patterns of brain activity, they may result in the same effects on a person’s cognitive functioning. This hypothesis is in line with other research suggesting that very different disorders are characterized by impairments in executive functions, although they may differ in patterns of brain activity and clinical picture. For example, despite very different symptoms, post-traumatic stress disorder, major depressive disorder, panic disorder, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder are all characterized by impairments in executive functions and abnormal patterns of brain activity. In addition, across conditions, trait and state anxiety has been associated with cognitive impairments. Thus, we have proposed an “Executive Overload model of OCD.”The Executive Overload model suggests that sufferers of OCD experience an “overflow” of obsessive thoughts. This overflow (which was found to correlate with increased frontostriatal brain activity), results in an overload upon the executive system, which is reflected in executive impairment, resulting in changes to a person’s behaviors and abilities. In general, anxiety has been known to put strain on the executive system, and we argue that obsessions may be similar to anxiety in regards to their associated cognitive ‘cost.’ Specifically, individuals with OCD are demonstrating deficits that we believe are actually caused by the symptoms themselves.

A good analogy for the Executive Overload model of OCD would be the RAM memory on a personal computer. The more software programs that a computer has operating in the background, the less processing power is available to support complex computations (think of Microsoft Word crashing because you have too many other programs open). In OCD, a person may perform a certain task while at the same time experiencing a surge of intrusive thoughts, such as, “am I doing this right?” or, “did I make a mistake?” etc. Thus, the more obsessive, intrusive thoughts that an individual experiences in a given moment, the fewer resources would be available for other tasks (such as listening to a teacher in class, or concentrating during a business a meeting), specially complex ones. In other words, cognitive impairments in OCD are largely state-dependent; thus, our model predicts that treating and reducing OCD symptoms ought to be accompanied by an improvement of executive functioning.

This progression has indeed been observed in patients undergoing OCD treatment where, in conjunction with clinical improvement, CBT resulted in decreased abnormal brain activity and improvement in cognitive symptoms. Our direct comparison of ADHD and OCD groups yielded an association between Obsessive Compulsive (OC) symptoms and executive function impairments only within the OCD group and not in the control or ADHD groups. We observed that deficient performance on tests of executive functions was correlated with the presence of OC symptoms, but only within the OCD group. In other words, for people with OCD, an increase in reported obsessive/compulsive thoughts and behaviors also meant a decrease in performance on executive function tests, such as ability to suppress responses.

However, within the ADHD group, more OC symptoms were actually correlated with better performance in tests of executive functions — one hypothesis has suggested that this may be because individuals with ADHD who also exhibit OC traits are better organized and attentive to details than individuals with ADHD who exhibit no OC symptoms.

In a second study, we examined the nature of ADHD symptoms throughout the lifespan. We noted that ADHD symptoms were correlated between childhood and adulthood in the ADHD and control groups, but not within the OCD group. This second study suggested that some attention problems in children and adolescents may actually stem from OCD symptoms, and are not ADHD related.

The second question regarding the co-occurrence between OCD and ADHD remains to be answered. Review of the literature suggests that two major findings are clearly observable. First, research reporting prevalence rates of ADHD-OCD co-occurrence exhibits significant inconsistency with reports ranging from 0% to 59% of individuals, with OCD diagnosed with concomitant ADHD. Whereas research suggests that one out of five children with OCD has co-occurring ADHD, only one out of every 12 adults with OCD has ADHD. So, what happens to half of the children with OCD who initially diagnosed with ADHD as well; does it disappear in adulthood? The answer appears to be both “yes” and “no.” It appears that preadolescent children with OCD go through a slower process of brain development in which their pattern of brain activity and associated symptoms may appear to fit the symptomatic description of ADHD. However, through adolescence this arrested development begins to abate as ADHD-like symptoms dissipate and brain activity changes to fit the adult patterns observed in adult OCD. Furthermore, we suspect that a full-blown dual diagnosis of ADHD and OCD in adults is in fact rather rare, and is usually associated with a mediating condition (notably chronic tic disorder, or Tourette Syndrome).

The ways that neuropsychological impairments manifest in a person’s behavior are universal. For example, a deficit in attention, regardless of the cause or condition, may cause an individual to appear as if she is not listening when spoken to directly (which is one of the DSM criteria for ADHD). In the light of deficits in attention and executive functions seen in both OCD and ADHD, it is easy to see how a clinician might potentially misdiagnose one condition as the other. In fact, chances of misdiagnosis may even be higher in children and young adolescents for whom diagnosis relies heavily on informants such as parents or teachers.

Consider the example of a child with OCD who sits in class obsessing over a stain on her sleeve. Frequently preoccupied by an overflow of obsessive-intrusive thoughts, this child cannot be attentive in class and would possibly receive increasingly lower grades. In turn, the teacher might perceive this student as inattentive and would report to the counselor and parents that the student may have ADHD. In an attempt to help the child focus more in class, a clinician may prescribe stimulant medication (such as Ritalin) after misdiagnosing the child with ADHD. Several studies suggest that stimulant therapy may exacerbate obsessive-compulsive thoughts and behaviors, or even induce them. Instead of improving, the misdiagnosed child would likely even deteriorate in condition. In fact, this may be intuitively explained; stimulant therapy increases frontostriatal brain activity, which is generally reduced in ADHD. In OCD, a disorder characterized by increased activity (which is correlated with symptom severity), stimulant medication will continue to activate an already hyperactive brain (specifically the frontostriatal system) potentially resulting in immediate exacerbation of symptoms. Another possible explanation, once suggested in the scientific literature, is that under the influence of stimulants individuals with OCD may experience improved attention toward obsessive thoughts, potentially resulting in an increase in obsessions, and an increase in compensatory compulsive rituals.

Implications for Practice

In light of the potential pitfalls of misdiagnosis, we recommend that clinicians examine two major diagnostic factors that may aid in establishing a more accurate diagnosis. First, clinicians ought to note the presence or absence of clinically significant levels of impulsivity and risk taking. Unlike those with ADHD from adolescence, people with OCD are very rarely impulsive and do not exhibit risk-taking behavior. This is especially true when OCD is the patient’s primary disorder. It is worth noting that 75% of all individuals diagnosed with ADHD are diagnosed with the impulsive/hyperactive (combined) type, associated with significant impulsive behavior, and ruling out the ‘pure’ inattentive type is more of a challenge. The second diagnostic marker is the ability to perform accurate and repetitive rituals governed by very specific and complex rules, something that people with ADHD will generally struggle with. In fact, attention to detail and the ability to strictly follow attention-demanding tasks are characteristic impairments of ADHD and are considered clinical diagnostic criteria.

References

Abramovitch A., Dar R., Mittelman A., Schweiger A., (2013). “Don’t judge a book by its cover: ADHD-like symptoms in obsessive compulsive disorder,” Journal of Obsessive Compulsive and Related Disorders, 2(1) 53–61.

Abramovitch A.,Dar R., Hermesh H., Schweiger A., (2012). “Comparative neuropsychology of adult obsessive-compulsive disorder and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder implications for a novel executive overload model of OCD,” Journal of Neuropsychology, 6(2) 161–191.

#obsessive compulsive and related disorders #neurodevelopmental disorders

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sparatus · 6 years

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✏ Augurius?

send me a 🖊 and i’ll talk about my oc

YEAHHHHHH BUDDY how attached are you to your emotions

auggie has a brother, delegarus, who’s a few years younger than him. when delegarus was 7, he got very sick and had to be admitted to the hospital. after several months of tests, he was diagnosed with a rare condition where problems with the connective tissue in his body were impacting organ function; in his case, his primary issue was his spleen going into overdrive, causing conditions similar to hemolytic anemia. think, effectively, a combination of hemolytic anemia and marfan syndrome. [it’s the future and they’re aliens, i can make shit up if i want.]

though delegarus recovered from the episode and was released, the condition was chronic, and he needed a lot of care in order to stay healthy and out of the hospital. the family, unfortunately, ended up fussing over delegarus so much that auggie fell by the wayside. any accomplishment at school or in a hobby was met with disinterest if not outright dismissal, and requests to do things he wanted to do turned into “but can your brother do it, too? it’s not fair to him, auggie.” everything was about his brother, never about him. while he understood that his brother needed a lot of attention, he felt that his family was forgetting he needed attention and care, too.

so when it came time for auggie to pack up and go to basic training, he didn’t look back. he still kept in touch with his brother, because he loved him and understood he wasn’t to blame for their family’s behavior, but he threw himself into his studies, determined to get a career that would give him the freedom to support himself and stay away. he was fortunate enough to find friends and, eventually, partners (cairio and marcesius) and surrogate parents (ierian and aediteia sparatus) who all gave him the unconditional love and support he was denied at home. he even managed to work up the courage to have a heart-to-heart with his brother about why he stayed away, and delegarus admitted that he’d always felt guilty about taking the spotlight away so much and wished auggie well in finding a new life that would be kinder to him.

unfortunately for him, “i can’t get away from [mandatory/my studies/work]” could only work so long, and his family started hounding him about coming home to support his brother. particularly angering to him were the aunts and uncles who also didn’t go to see his brother when he had hospital-requiring episodes but nevertheless chastised him and guilted him for not going home. “he’s your brother, you should be supportive, you should be there for him,” they would all say, even when delegarus himself was understanding and didn’t mind that auggie could only manage a vid call.

though auggie does his best to ignore his family’s guilt-tripping and passive aggression and (occasionally) hostility, years of being effectively told he didn’t matter as much as his brother have taken their toll, and he has severe self-worth issues that rear their ugly heads whenever his family decides to try bullying him home again. he feels guilty about leaving, and for not visiting, and for enjoying his freedom and vivid adult life when his brother is still trapped at home under the power of their parents (who have convinced themselves delegarus can never live a normal life, and hold all the medical decision-making power that technically should be his). even though he understands, logically, that they’re wrong, and that delegarus understands and is okay with him not visiting, he still sometimes sinks into pits of depression and self-loathing.

in general, he considers himself a bad person with no sense of loyalty. his friends do their best to convince him otherwise, but they’re fighting an uphill battle against the many-headed monster of emotional trauma, so sometimes the best they can do is bring ice cream or ‘helai’peeluu (auggie’s top comfort food, a turian dessert that’s basically crab rangoon) and watch vids with him until he feels better.

#ierian's ocs #augurius natalinus #continuous-spec #press conference

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vamplifyingdotjpg · 7 years

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please tell me ALL about your ocs!!! 💕

I am Crying thank u so much thank u for Finally asking abt my ocs I have so many of them and I love them all so much so I’ll just sum up my few main ones and favorites (buckle up and also this whole story takes place in london as of now bc I’m uncreative):

Beckett (full name Beckett James Montgomery) is a happy little man who’s full of love and also a lot of chronic illnesses and other conditions. He just has really rough luck but he’s still pretty content with things. He’s working hard to overcome his shyness to set boundaries with others and he’s becoming a lot more confident in himself!! Of course losing a large portion of your childhood to illness and injury is pretty traumatic but he has a really solid support system. He loves his friends and is also very passionate about horticulture. And some other facts abt Beckett:

his favorite colour is pink (which is why his hair is pink throughout his teens and into his 20s but it’s naturally a mousy brown!)

he’s big gay

he’s a manlet (5'6")

he goes on to open up a plant nursery

he plays piano

his entire life is like 1/8th of a plan and 7/8ths of a prayer

Cherry Nova Griffin is a cool girl who’s super smart and just the raddest ever. She’s the older sister friend despite being the baby of her family bc she really really cares abt her friends and wants the best for them. She’s no square so she’s not gonna harsh anyone’s vibe but she is very sensible so u won’t go fucking yourself up on her watch bc she’s your voice of reason. This doesn’t mean she doesn’t partake in her friends foolishness, she just makes sure the foolishness goes smoothly. She’s super smart and very interested in science. She’s also pretty much always dressed to the nines (heavily influenced by her sister Azalea who’s a fashion icon). And some more facts abt Cherry:

her favorite colour is purple

her and elfie are the co-Just Dance™ wii champions of their friend group

she comes out as a lesbian in her 20s because that Internalized Home Of Phobia Tho

she’s 5 foot nothing she’s Small (she looks nothing like her two tall, rake thin older siblings)

her and Beckett are childhood friends, meeting when Beckett joined her class at school when they were both 7 or so

she’s always trying to prove herself to others but she has enough people around her that know how cool she is

Elfie Pepper (or Elfie Kiyoko Takemago-Pepper) is a fun, spritely Irish girl (her mom and biological father are Japanese but she was born in Ireland and raised there by her mom and now-stepdad). She’s super funny and very much the life of the party like she will always get u to chuckle. She can make any situation better just by being there bc she’s hilarious and rad. Her girlfriend is a super butch buff athlete but Elfie’s more often than not found eating lucky charms straight out of the box on her couch. She does like to skateboard tho and she’s pretty darn good at it. She’s the friend who makes all the playlists for driving/partying/chilling bc her music taste is universally liked (without her everyone would be fighting to play their own tunes she’s the peacemaker). Basically everyone likes Elfie. Now for The Facts:

she’s probably the rowdiest of the bunch. she’s like permanently cranked up to 100

Elfie is Big Lesbian

she’s a decent base player

her mom wanted to name her Kiyoko but let her hippie boyfriend pick the name Elfie for her

she moved to England when she was 12 and joined Beckett and Cherry’s squad then

She’s like 5'3" their whole squad is Tiny

Eleanor Lucille Atwin is the only one tall one in their squad. She’s 5'11" and the definite mom friend of Elfie, Cherry, and Beckett. She’s always got snacks and extra sweaters and pain medication and makeup wipes on her. She’s patient and caring and will have your back no matter what. You could indefinitely count on her in a crisis. Eleanor is also trans and has really been through it and still sometimes struggles with loving herself (not to mention dealing with transphobia) but she receives endless love and support from her friends. She’s good at painting and is always lookin super pretty. And some Eleanor facts:

she’s 20

she was born in Yukon, Canada

she joined the main group when she was 15

she’s prefers painting with watercolours

she marries her high school sweetheart (a ginger soccer/football player who’s like the only cishet guy involved in this story)

she goes on to become an interior designer bc she’s got rly good taste

Kimmo Alric Seppänen (23) is kind of a bitch, but he’s been through a Lot so it’s kind of expected. He had a really rough childhood where he was neglected severely by his parents before he was taken out of their house and placed with his adoptive parents who treated him super well and loved him a lot. He struggled a lot with fitting in and became really edgy in high school where he started dating Fredrik on and off. Then after school he had problems with addiction and did a lot of unhealthy shit but he eventually sorted it out. Now he’s living with Fredrik in London and they play in a band together (he still smokes like a pack a day). Kimmo is grumpy, and prone to lashing out, but he’s also a talented musician, wise beyond his years, and very dryly funny. He’s hard to get through to, but oddly lovable when you get to know him. And some Kimmo facts:

he was born and raised in Jyväskylä, Finland

he’s a killer guitarist and an adequate singer

he has a total of 12 piercings, most of which he got in his teens

he was diagnosed with Klinefelter’s syndrome in his early teens

he uses he/they pronouns and hes bi

his nose is crooked as shit from being broken several times

Fredrik Jeremiias Harmaajärvi is beefy and dumb. He’s the second oldest of 4 brothers. He’s like a big stupid golden retriever: cute and overall friendly, but kinda air-headed. He drinks too much (though he has captain america-level alcohol tolerance) and doesn’t notice many emotional cues from others, especially his emotionally unstable boyfriend Kimmo. When he was 21, he formed a band with some friends and Kimmo (his then ex-boyfriend whom he had newly reunited with). Kimmo and Fredrik moved to London after the band lost its two original members. Fredrik is easygoing and fun, but he has literally no brain cells. Some facts:

he’s a killer singer and an adequate guitar player

He’s also from Jyväskylä

His whole family is absolutely disgustingly beautiful (to his kinda ugly bfs dismay)

pure, unconcentrated himbo

His band is primarily punk/garage rock but Fredrik loves pop music

he’s also pretty into fitness and maintaining his image so he frequently goes to the gym (this is why he’s a big muscly Viking man)

Phoenix Delphinus Griffin is Cherry’s oldest sibling and he’s also a gem and a treasure. He’s a professional dancer and dance instructor. He’s 6'5" and all lanky, wirey muscle. He’s a laid-back, sociable guy who easily builds relationships with others. He acts super chill on the outside but he does struggle with pretty bad anxiety. He’s very fit and health conscious and is always up early to go to the gym or go for a run or drink a smoothie or whatever healthy people do. He has a number of large friend groups and is probably the most “popular” of all my ocs. And some facts abt him:

Phoenix has a phobia of drowning and is very uncomfortable with swimming in large bodies of water

he prefers contemporary ballet, but he’s trained in classical ballet and tap as well

he was once in a local production of cats the musical (he played macavity and plato due to his height and lack of singing required for the roles) and his friends won’t let him live it down

he’s bi

he dated the bassist in kimmo and fredrik’s band for a few months

he’s just a way friendly dude everyone loves him

I seriously needed motivation to make a post like this of all of them so thank u again!!!!!!!!

#ocs

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littlelonghairedoutlawllho · 7 years

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Tell me about your ocs, i dare you. Three things about each with reasonzzzzz

I have a selection of fic OCs and a selection of actual, original OCs, so I’ll do some of each

Fic OCs

Lorena Vernet - in my Buckaroo Fringe series of Sherlock fics she’s Irene Adler’s illegitimate daughter, by Sherlock. Irene is the only one who actually knows this, because Sherlock was too drunk to remember that one night. (Irene was hella drunk too tbh.) It’s never actually said that she’s his daughter, it’s just very much implied. She runs away to be a detective in Wyoming in 1913, and later ends up being instrumental in ending the 1914/15 foot and mouth epidemic. Went on to run away to the Western Front after just before America joined WWI, where she met a military surgeon whom she later married. Spent most of her later years detecting and composing music, and became an authority on contagious livestock disease. (Though that was all post-canon to the series.) Looks like a cinnamon roll but could actually kill you.

Eva - has the Eva ‘verse of PotO fics named after her. Will fight to protect her siblings. Grows up to be startlingly beautiful and meets the second son of an English Duke at the Garnier one night. They fall in love, and though Erik is dubious and hates the thought of her marrying, she marries the young man who is several years older than her. They have several children, and when WWI comes he is called back to his old regiment, for morale and his family name as much as anything. His nephew gets killed in the war, and so after his brother’s death the title passes to him, and Eva becomes a Duchess. Calm and cool on the surface, constantly surprised by the way her life has turned out, and never gets used to being nobility. Looks like a cinnamon roll but could actually kill you.

Erik-Sven - Eva’s younger brother. Reserved and shy, but becomes an accomplished violinist. Hella bi. You name a country, he has probably been there. An adventurer beneath the surface. Was injured during the war. Plays as if he’s possessed. The ladies swoon for him (and some of the men) but though he’s hella bi he does understand his own appeal. Looks like a cinnamon roll and is actually a cinnamon roll.

Ariane - Younger sister to both Eva and Erik-Sven. Inherits Erik’s deformity. Smaller than her siblings, and very sweet. Loves to sing, and paint, and invent little stories. Highly adept with theatre make-up and learns to disguise her deformity beneath layers of it and a fake nose. A renowned soprano, and beloved. Ends up falling in love with Raoul’s younger son, but puts off marrying him for years for the sake of her career. Does eventually marry shortly before war breaks out and settles down. Looks like she could kill you but is actually a cinnamon roll.

Original OCs (a small selection)

William - Retired chess champion. Borderline jaded. Has taught himself piano in his twilight years and has a taste for wine and poetry. Falls in love with Svetlana in spite of his best efforts not to. So devoted to chess in his younger years he almost died of sepsis after ignoring his burst appendix. Looks austere, but is a sweetheart inside. Has totally spent days lying around his sitting room crying over bad made-for-tv films and drinking wine. Secretly a theatre nerd.

Svetlana - Looks way younger than she is. (Might be a vampire. It’s questionable. Was in one version of the story.) Challenged William to chess just to see if she could beat him. (Spoiler: she did in their third game. They drew the first one.) Considers herself straight and in some amount of denial over her bisexuality, though she does have feelings for her best friend, Dahlia. Writes poetry, and watches too many historical dramas. Felt her heart catch when she first saw William in a bookshop, but pretended not to see him. Has been with many men and plays coy over the fact. Has never been out of love.

Fiacha - William’s former second, and his one-time lover. Retirement did not suit their relationship and he left. A qualified veterinary surgeon. Studied and worked in the UK and saw the 1967 foot and mouth outbreak first hand. Was in a serious car accident a couple of years later which forced him to retire from veterinary. Turned to chess where he met William, who is several years younger than him. Hates theatre but put up with it for years for William. Has all of the seriousness that William lacks.

Andrew - A morphine addict. Spent the 1916 Rising high in bed. Hella gay and has a degree in economics. A talented violinist, but morphine is slowly depriving him of his talents. Eventually manages to break his addiction, and is involved in the War of Independence. Sides with the pro-Treaty side in the Civil War, though his lover is anti-Treaty.

Dale - Dairy farmer’s daughter who grows up to be American president. Met her husband at a bull auction (she outbid him on a Hereford, then stuck around around to help him pick a bull because she thought he was cute). Mother of three children, two of whom inherited their father’s Marfan Syndrome. A Democrat. One of her earliest memories is of watching Lyndon Johnson’s funeral on her grandfather’s knee. An historian before she was a politician. Did not stand for re-election after her first term because her husband’s health was declining. Stood again after his death and was re-elected.

Louisa - Dairy farmer and a violinist with a chemistry degree. Lesbian. Inherited her uncle’s farm and names her cows after musicians and compounds. OD’d on a speedball during her student days and was briefly institutionalised. Suffers with chronic depression but the routine of milking cows helps to keep her stable, at least until foot-and-mouth strikes and she loses her herd.

Looking at all these OCs, I feel like there may be some common themes….

#shauna replies #writing #original writing #Anonymous #vampire romance of tragedy

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studyingbymylonesome · 6 years

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OCD and ADHD Dual Diagnosis Misdiagnosis and the Cognitive ‘Cost’ of Obsessions

by Amitai Abramovitch, PhD and Andrew Mittelman

Dr. Amitai Abramovitch is a neuropsychologist and a Research Fellow at the OCD and Related Disorders Program at Massachusetts General Hospital and the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Abramovitch can be reached at [email protected].

Andrew Mittelman is a Research Coordinator at the OCD and Related Disorders Program at Massachusetts General Hospital. He can be reached at [email protected].

This article was initially published in the Winter 2013 edition of the OCD Newsletter.

Both obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), are considered fairly common and serious neuropsychiatric disorders. To the untrained eye, some of the symptoms associated with attention and concentration can appear remarkably similar, especially in children and adolescents. However, ADHD and OCD are notably different in terms of brain activity and their clinical presentation. ADHD is considered be an externalizing disorder, meaning it affects how people outwardly relate to their environment. Individuals with ADHD may exhibit inattention, lack of impulse control, and risky behaviors. OCD on the other hand. is characterized as an internalizing disorder, meaning individuals with OCD respond to anxiety producing environments by turning inward. Individuals with OCD exhibit frequent obsessive and/or compulsive thoughts and behaviors. In addition, generally speaking, people with OCD tend to demonstrate a more inhibited temperament and tend to avoid risky or potentially harmful situations. Furthermore, individuals diagnosed with OCD are overly concerned with the consequences of their actions and tend to not act impulsively. Not surprisingly, people with OCD exhibit unusually low rates of novelty seeking behavior and cigarette smoking.

Considerable evidence has suggested that ADHD and OCD are characterized by abnormal brain activity in the same neural circuit. Specifically, both conditions exhibit opposite patterns of brain activity in the frontostriatal system1, the segment of the brain responsible for higher order, motor, cognitive, and behavioral functions. However the similarities between OCD and ADHD are limited to only which part of the brain is affected; patients with OCD exhibit significantly increased activity (hypermetabolism) in the frontostriatal circuits, meaning this part of the brain is overactive in people with OCD, while patients with ADHD exhibit decreased activity (hypometabolism), meaning this part of the brain is less active in people with ADHD.

While the disorders are associated with very different patterns of brain activity, the resulting cognitive effects are actually similar, especially in executive functions2 such as response inhibition, planning, task switching, working memory, and decision making. Sufferers of both OCD and ADHD have consistently and significantly underperformed in tests of executive functions.

Some research has suggested that OCD and Obsessive Compulsive Spectrum Disorders fall upon a compulsive-impulsive continuum. In other words there exists a gradient of disorders ranging from behavioral impulsivity to compulsivity. OCD appears to lie at one end of this spectrum, while ADHD exists at the other. This is surprising considering that over 35 studies have reported that an average of 21% of children and 8.5% of adults with OCD actually have ADHD as well.

In order to answer the first question, we examined our hypothesis that different mechanisms in OCD and ADHD may result in similar cognitive impairments, in other words, though the disorders are associated with very different patterns of brain activity, they may result in the same effects on a person’s cognitive functioning. This hypothesis is in line with other research suggesting that very different disorders are characterized by impairments in executive functions, although they may differ in patterns of brain activity and clinical picture. For example, despite very different symptoms, post-traumatic stress disorder, major depressive disorder, panic disorder, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder are all characterized by impairments in executive functions and abnormal patterns of brain activity. In addition, across conditions, trait and state anxiety has been associated with cognitive impairments. Thus, we have proposed an “Executive Overload model of OCD.”

The Executive Overload model suggests that sufferers of OCD experience an “overflow” of obsessive thoughts. This overflow (which was found to correlate with increased frontostriatal brain activity), results in an overload upon the executive system, which is reflected in executive impairment, resulting in changes to a person’s behaviors and abilities. In general, anxiety has been known to put strain on the executive system, and we argue that obsessions may be similar to anxiety in regards to their associated cognitive ‘cost.’ Specifically, individuals with OCD are demonstrating deficits that we believe are actually caused by the symptoms themselves.

Implications for Practice

References

#MDMA #ocd #adhd

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thisishowyouletgoandfindyou-blog · 8 years

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A Vitamin You Don’t Want to “B” Without August 27, 2012 I used to think that taking a Centrum multivitamin would take care of all my body’s nutritional needs. Now I know better. Most over the counter supplements are not monitored for quality or content by an independent lab and frequently do not contain the ingredients advertised. At any rate, I would much rather get my vitamins from my produce section and farmer’s market than from a bottle, but as a woman with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), sometimes food sources just are not enough. There are certain vitamins that are commonly lacking from our diets and require supplements. Vitamin D, for example, get a lot of press. You may not know about another common deficiency- a critical “B” vitamin – B12. Women with PCOS become depleted of B12 for many reasons with serious consequences such as fatigue, lethargy, weakness, memory loss, neurological and psychiatric problems and anemia. Frighteningly, many common diseases (such as Alzheimer’s Disease, cardiovascular disease, mental illness, autoimmune disease and more) have symptoms that mimic those of B12 depletion and are easily misdiagnosed. What is B12? According to Wikipedia, “B12 is a water-soluble vitamin with a key role in the normal functioning of the brain and nervous system, and for the formation of blood. It is one of the eight B vitamins. It is normally involved in the metabolism of every cell of the human body, especially affecting DNA synthesis and regulation, but also fatty acid synthesis and energy production. It is the largest and most structurally complicated vitamin.” Who is low in B12? Data from the Tufts University Framingham Offspring Study suggests that 40 percent of people between the ages of 26 and 83 have plasma B12 levels in the low normal range – a range at which many experience neurological symptoms. 9 percent had deficiency, and 16 percent exhibited “near deficiency.” Most surprising to the researchers was that low B12 levels were common in younger people. Where do you get B12? Vegetarians and vegans take note! B12 is only found in animal based food. Here are some of the top B12 containing foods. Mollusks (clams, oysters, mussels0 Beef liver Salmon Wild trout Sirloin Beef Yogurt Milk Pork Eggs Chicken Vegetarians and vegans should understand that there are no plant sources of B12, and studies consistently show that up to 50% of long-term vegetarians and 80% of vegans are deficient in B12. The symptoms of B12 deficiency: I’ve highlighted some symptoms that overlap with typical PCOS symptoms. Premature grey hair Disturbed carbohydrate metabolism Fatigue Weakness Dizziness Weight loss Constipation Infertility Vision problems Loss of hearing and tinnitus Numbness and tingling in the hands and feet Alcoholism Incontinence Hyperpigmentation and hypopigmentation (dark and light patches in the skin) Psoriasis and other skin problems Insomnia Irrational or chronic anger Violent behavior Lack of balance/abnormal gait Any emotional disorder A Note about B12 and infertility “Vitamin B12 deficiency is associated with infertility,” says hematologist Michael Bennett, M.D. in Could it be B12? “Pregnancy may occur in the presence of B12 deficiency but may be associated with recurrent early fetal loss.” Luckily, supplementation can help. Doctors have reported successful pregnancies in once-infertile women following therapy for B12 deficiency. If you are going through fertility treatments, insist on a B12 test. What causes B12 deficiency? There are many causes of B12 deficiency ranging from poor diet, to medication side effects to other medical conditions (such as leaky gut and/or gut inflammation, low stomach acid, pernicious anemia, alcohol use, and exposure to nitrous oxide). Metformin causes B12 deficiency I know when I was taking metformin, my doctor never told me that I could become B12 deficient and was never told to supplement. If you have PCOS and are taking metformin, talk to your doctor about supplementing with B12 and have your levels checked regularly. Bring your doctor the summaries of the studies associated below. Oral contraceptives may cause B12 deficiency The data regarding the effects of oral contraceptives on vitamin B12 serum levels are conflicting. Some studies have found reduced levels in oral contraceptive users, but others have found no effect despite use of oral contraceptives for up to 6 months. When oral contraceptive use is stopped, normalization of vitamin B12 levels usually occurs. Again you can bring the study summaries to your doctor. Most women are taking metformin and OC’s – a double whammy! What tests can I take to know if I am low in B12? B12: Normal values are 200 – 900 pg/mL (picograms per milliliter). CBC (Complete Blood Count). This is actually a group of tests ordered routinely to screen for blood cell abnormalities. It measures cell types, quantities, and characteristics. With both B12 and folate deficiencies, the amount of hemoglobin and RBC count may be low, and the RBCs are abnormally large (macrocytic or megaloblastic), resulting in an anemia. White blood cells and platelets also may be decreased. Methylmalonic Acid (MMA). This is sometimes ordered to help detect mild or early B12 deficiency. A normal serum sMMA level is .07 to .27 µmol/l. A normal urine uMMA level is .58 – 3.56 µmol/mmol Homocysteine(HCY). This one is only occasionally ordered. Levels may be elevated in both B12 and folate deficiency. A normal serum HCY is 2.2 – 13.2 µmol/l If MMA and homocysteine levels are increased and the vitamin B12 level is mildly decreased, then an early or mild B12 deficiency may be present. This may indicate a decrease in available B12 at the tissue level. If only the homocysteine level is elevated, then the person may have a folate deficiency. If both MMA and homocysteine levels are normal, then it is unlikely that there is a B12 deficiency. Supplementing B12 The most commonly used form of supplemental B12 in the US is cyanocobalamin – that is what you will find in your Centrum vitamins. However, only two forms of B12 are active in the body – methylcobalamin and adenosylcobalamin. Cyanocobalamin must be converted in the body to either methyl or adenosyl cobalamin. But if you supplement with methylcobalamin, your body can immediately use this active form of vitamin B12 which is available at most health food stores in the US. It can be supplemented in pill form, sublingual tablet, liquid, transdermal patch, nasal spray, and even lollipop. I take the PCOS Diva Essentials Multivitamin every day. I personally sourced it from the most reputable nutraceutical company I could find to ensure quality and consistent effectiveness. It is specifically designed for women with PCOS and contains the critical B12 as methylcobalamin. If your B12 is really low your doctor may prescribe injections. The standard protocol is 1000 micrograms daily for three days, then weekly for a month, then one injection per month indefinitely. *Be sure that you chose a B12 supplement that is verified by a third party, independent lab or you cannot be certain that the quality or quantity you are consuming is accurate. In some cases, uninspected supplements contain none of the nutrient advertised! For guidelines on how to choose a quality supplement, read, Choosing the Right Supplement for PCOS: Not All Supplements Are Created Equal. Be a Diva! Ask to have your B12 tested. Most physicians do not routinely test B12. Even if you are within “normal” ranges you could be too low for you. People with B12 levels between 200 pg/mL and 350 pg/mL – levels considered “low-normal” in the U.S. In Japan and Europe, the lower limit for B12 is between 500-550 pg/mL. | Read More on PCOS Diva

http://pcosdiva.com/2012/08/a-vitamin-you-dont-want-to-b-without/

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