#even with their heritability

[sunset-peril]

I actually tend to hc that all the Links are descended from another at some point.

However, what do you think about epigenetics being a viable reason for such?

You mean epigenetics being the reason they all are similar? Or that epigenetics is the reason they're all descendants of each other? I'm not sure I understand the question.

However, considering that epigenetics regards the condensed-ness (that's not a word but oh well) of the histones and the DNA wrapped around them and that most epigenetic changes are extremely reversible due to being caused by environmental stimuli (the only epigenetic changes that are permanent being CpG methylations in gene promoters, because those control cell differentiation.), I don't think epigenetics would leave a permanent mark on all Links as a whole. If Twilight Princess was Ocarina of Time's grandson or great-grandson, then that would be the only time I could see epigenetics playing a role in more than one Link. However, I think the rest of them are too far apart in the bloodline to have any real epigenetic effect on each other. Generally, epigenetic changes have been reversed after two or three generations, unless whatever stimuli that caused the original modification was persistent. (We used diabetic rats and poor/proper dieting for this study, and research on psychological epigenetics is still very new)

Although now that you mention this, I am curious to see how epigenetics would play a role in BotW/TotK's children.

I hope that answers the question!

For me I definitely hc that Skyward, Ocarina, Twilight Princess and BotW/TotK being all relatives (BotW being descended from TP literally being a foundational piece in my lore). I just don't know enough about the rest of them to decide for the rest of them.

[spacedace]

Hey.

Hey hey hey hey hey

So, I was looking up clones in the DC universe for my Clone Queen Elle dp x dc AU thing, and I only got as far as the first one because I started with that clone of Damian that killed him, and I got completely derailed because -

What do you MEAN he was BORN in a WHALE??? What? WHAT?

WHY DID TALIA PUT HIM IN A WHALE? HOW??? WHY?!?

Was the whale alive?? Was it like a surrogate thing? I know I asked this already but really why a WHALE? Like what the actual fuck???

Like I'm sure there's context I'm missing because I just looked at the wiki and I know I should just read the comic to get my answers and I will eventually but I just gotta get this out of my system first because of all the things I could have possibly expected to read there was no way I could have been ready for that

[saritawolff]

Phew. This one took, uh… a bit longer than expected due to other projects both irl and art-wise, but it’s finally here. The long-awaited domestic animal infographic! Unfortunately, I didn’t have enough space to cover every single domestic animal (I’m so sorry, reindeer and koi, my beloveds) but I tried to include as many of the “major ones” as possible.

I made this chart in response to a lot of the misunderstandings I hear concerning domestic animals, so I hope it’s helpful!

Further information I didn’t have any room to add or expand on:

🐈 “Breed” and “species” are not synonyms! Breeds are specific to domesticated animals. A Bengal Tiger is a species of tiger. A Siamese is a breed of domestic cat.

🐀 Different colors are also not what makes a breed. A breed is determined by having genetics that are unique to that breed. So a “bluenose pitbull” is not a different breed from a “rednose pitbull”, but an American Pitbull Terrier is a different breed from an American Bully! Animals that have been domesticated for longer tend to have more seperate breeds as these differing genetics have had time to develop.

🐕 It takes hundreds of generations for an animal to become domesticated. While the “domesticated fox experiment” had interesting results, there were not enough generations involved for the foxes to become truly domesticated and their differences from wild foxes were more due to epigenetics (heritable traits that do not change the DNA sequence but rather activate or deactivate parts of it; owed to the specific circumstances of its parents’ behavior and environment.)

🐎 Wild animals that are raised in human care are not domesticated, but they can be considered “tamed.” This means that they still have all their wild instincts, but are less inclined to attack or be frightened of humans. A wild animal that lives in the wild but near human settlements and is less afraid of humans is considered “habituated.” Tamed and habituated animals are not any less dangerous than wild animals, and should still be treated with the same respect. Foxes, otters, raccoons, servals, caracals, bush babies, opossums, owls, monkeys, alligators, and other wild animals can be tamed or habituated, but they have not undergone hundreds of generations of domestication, so they are not domesticated animals.

🐄 Also, as seen above, these animals have all been domesticated for a reason, be it food, transport, pest control, or otherwise, at a time when less practical options existed. There is no benefit to domesticating other species in the modern day, so if you’ve got a hankering for keeping a wild animal as a pet, instead try to find the domestic equivalent of that wild animal! There are several dog breeds that look and behave like wolves or foxes, pigeons and chickens can make great pet birds and have hundreds of colorful fancy breeds, rats can be just as intelligent and social as a small monkey (and less expensive and dangerous to boot,) and ferrets are pretty darn close to minks and otters! There’s no need to keep a wolf in a house when our ancestors have already spent 20,000+ years to make them house-compatible.

🐖 This was stated in the infographic, but I feel like I must again reiterate that domestic animals do not belong in the wild, and often become invasive when feral. Their genetics have been specifically altered in such a way that they depend on humans for optimal health. We are their habitat. This is why you only really see feral pigeons in cities, and feral cats around settlements. They are specifically adapted to live with humans, so they stay even when unwanted. However, this does not mean they should live in a way that doesn’t put their health and comfort as a top priority! If we are their world, it is our duty to make it as good as possible. Please research any pet you get before bringing them home!

[bethrnoora]

im no advocate for the dominion at large but when im playing eso and i pass by some npc who goes "oh you saved the queen? tch. naemon should have taken the throne..." it's like baby naemon couldnt even spearhead his own plot to take the throne away from ayrenn, his racist wife and side piece had to do it for him. what's he gonna do as king

[jewish-sideblog]

The herit/ageposts "Zionist blocklist" isn't even an attempt at detailing actual Zionists on tumblr btw. hp literally just went into the notes of the posts on one satire blog they didn't like and copy/pasted the results in alphabetical order. with absolutely zero regards to what content is actually on the blog, or what any of those people actually think and feel about the issue.

Which means you could literally be a Jewish person who runs a blog about cats, be fully anti-Zionist, and be fully pro-Palestine. But if you like one meme about the rampant antisemitic disinformation on the internet rn, you can get labelled as an untouchable Zionist by one of the biggest blogs on this website. Remind me again how this is anti-Zionism and not antisemitism?

[zosanmylove]

Zosan's baby being just a mini girl Zoro is so dear to me and I don't even know why like?

In my head Sanji's pregnancy is tough, not easy at all, nine months of Hell. And the birth? Well, he almost lost the use of his legs forever.

And then when he wake up from passing out after hearing the first cries, he finally see his baby in Marimo's arms. Zoro's focused on the child, but he knows that Sanji opened his eyes, so he naturally pass him is baby.

-She's perfect cook, you did great...

But he can't hear what the marimo keeps saying because he's totally mezmerises by the tiny human in his arms. She has naturally taned skin and green hair.

Sanji was about to blame Zoro for making his daughter herit of his dumb hair, but then she opened her eyes. They were as grey as her dad's...

By the night when the rest of the crew comes to meet the baby they ask if he's not dissapointed she looks nothing like him (really nothing like him, even her eyebrows are perfect straight lines) he says he's ABSOLUTLY sure her eyes will soon turn blue just like his.

And about a month later when the Roronoa family is all alone again, sitting in silence while watching their new member sleep soundly under the candle light, Sanji bring her closer and start to whisper:

-That's not fair...

-What's not fair? Zoro asked, looking up at his husband.

-I'm the one who almost died when having her... the swordman hears a small chukles, almost like a sob. Why do she looks like you made her all by yourself?

Then the marimo laughs himself, holding Sanji a little tighter against him.

-Jalous, huh? he teases him, as proud as a father could be.

-Jalous? Of what? I'm worried she'll have to so spend her whole life with moss growing on her head...

-To think that you almost died for that...

-Oh shut up...

Zoro held them both tigher, as his cook let it all out.

And as the baby grows, they're just soooo much like the swordman. Everyone already pointed out that they had the same sleeping face but when she start to walk and speak, and it is Zoro. From the mimic to thr grin, to the way of talking... Just like a clone. Oh, and she has no sense of direction. Of course. None.

Zoro could care less, but he notices and totally see himself in his daughter when he was her age. The only difference is that she was raised around Luffy, so she's more chaotic. Sanji pretends to be annoyed by it, but the whole crew's knows he's secretly sooooooo glad she's nothing like him.

But he actually get annoyed when the two mossheads team up to win any kind of argument against him. Both of them are lost cases.

[rederiswrites]

Here's...see, see, here's the problem. If ADHD and autism are highly heritable (which they statistically are), and if people tend to associate with like people (which they do), then if you have gotten a few decades into life without a diagnosis, how DO you get past the "This is a symptom!" "Okay but is it really because like, everyone I know does that."

Just saw a video with a therapist saying that she resisted an autism diagnosis because she's very GOOD at identifying and analyzing human interactions--until someone pointed out that her special interest was human interactions. Like, I think about that ALL the time. Is the fact that Jacob and I read people well and know how to influence them because we are so super normal and good at peopling (okay probably not that), or because we studied people like insects and created incredibly complex mental schema to understand them? I don't fucking know. How would I know? How would I reverse-engineer that trait, come on now?

But when you look upward at your parents and you're like....well I'm not sure but I don't think THAT was normal, at a minimum, and you look down at the kids you made and you're like, okay granted they've had a pretty fucking unorthodox upbringing but I'm fairly confident this bit here, at least, is nonstandard. Well. You gotta be like, "Okay so the common factor here is uhhhhh me?"

But who the fuck knows! I have self-selected for really unconventional friends! Of course I have! They're all artists and living history weirdos and geeks! Not groups known for their low rate of neurodivergency! Do "normal" people carefully monitor conversations to make sure they're achieving the proper balance of speaking/encouraging and allowing others to speak? Because I not only do, but recently coached a group of Unquestionably Neurodivergent kids to do the same. Do I know any "normal" people to even ask??

Fucken...bunch of bullshit, man.

[starmosaics]

Mars in the 8th House pt. 2/3

If you haven’t read the 1st part here’s a link to the original post :)

Today I’m focusing on transformation, life and death situations and possible struggles with mental health and substance abuse.

Those with Mars in the 8H frequently face unforeseen events in their life which catalyzes incredible changes. Some of these events are catastrophic. These people can completely alter their lives by brute will or they will be met with challenges which push them towards making necessary changes.

Common events I’ve seen/experienced that pushes an 8H Mars towards transformation:

-Death of a loved one, loss of any kind

-Near death experiences

-A breakup/divorce

-Overcoming addiction

-Releasing/healing trauma

-Inheritance

There’s many times where these people feel isolated and left in the dark; some may feel like they’ve lost everything even their sense of self. Many 8H Mars individuals have experienced and been exposed to very difficult and painful events which is one of the most challenging aspects of this placement. Life has its ups and downs and for these people, that’s never ending. The most important thing is that they are so persevering and are quite determined to follow through to reach the other end after facing difficulties. I’ve seen people with this aspect go through hell and eventually got out of that dark place and became a totally different person; shedding one’s skin. I myself feel like I have already lived 10 different lives. The 8th House forcefully causes one to experience changes within their mental state, physical bodies, or spiritual lives; the 8th House can quite literally strip your identity causing you to have to completely build yourself up again.

These people may feel like they got the short end of the stick when it comes to certain situations that they've been dealt leading them to succumbing to their fears and experiencing chaos and disheveledness leaving them feeling trapped, but something to remind these folks is that when they feel like they’ve hit rock bottom, the closer they are to transforming themselves or an area of their lives along with gaining grit and profound wisdom. The 8th House wants you to go inwards, identify the parts of yourself or your life you can't face, to take the reins and evolve. Sometimes it requires metaphorically (sometimes literally, but hopefully not) dying first to become reborn.

T/W: Abuse, substance use, heavy topics mentioned!!

In terms of an 8H Mars’ mental health, there’s quite a distinctive pattern. As we’ve established earlier that what kind of experiences these people might face, the events that alters one's life naturally will heavily impact one's mental health. I know 4 other people with this placement (along with myself) who have some form of psychiatric disorder; most commonly Bipolar disorder, Paranoia, MDD (major depressive disorder), and BPD. Many have experienced events (commonly during childhood, teen years, and early twenties) that lead to signs/a diagnosis of CPTSD (complex post traumatic stress disorder).

Substance abuse is also very common to those who have this placement. Either a family member of theirs struggled with it, or they themselves did. Everyone I know who has this placement including myself has either had a family member who struggled with addiction, or have personally struggled with addiction; sometimes both. 8th house represents something you inherit and unfortunately sometimes it's the inter-generational cycle of addiction. Substance use disorders and mental disorders are sometimes heritable. This isn't meant to scare you or make you feel bad if you have faced any battles with substances. Addiction doesn't have to be your whole life story, just a chapter. Those who I know who previously struggled with addiction and turned their lives around are happier than ever.

Here are some famous people with an 8H Mars that struggled with their mental health and substance abuse:

-Marilyn Monroe (Alleged Bipolar disorder, substance use disorder)

-Robin Williams (MDD, substance use disorder)

-Amanda Bynes (Bipolar disorder, abused stimulants)

-Sid Vicious (Showed signs of personality disorder, substance use disorder)

-Drew Barrymore (Substance use disorder, MDD)

-Courtney Love (Substance use disorder, Autism)

-Lil Peep (Bipolar disorder, substance use disorder)

-Anthony Bourdain (MDD, substance abuse)

More than half of these famous people also struggled in childhood due to the impact of their family members; Marilyn Monroe had a traumatizing childhood and was living in multiple foster homes and orphanages due to her alcoholic and schizophrenic mother being unable to care for her, Amanda Bynes facing sexual abuse by Dan Schneider as a child, Sid Vicious' mother was neglectful and gave him hero*n when he was a teenager, Drew Barrymore had a mother who influenced and fueled Drew's coca*ne and alcohol addiction before she was even 15 years old, and Courtney Love's father was deemed to be unstable and a horrible father. He allegedly gave her LSD as a child and also physically abused her when she was 17 after visiting him in Ireland.

I don't want to fully air this story out, but I had a friend who was like a sibling to me and their dad abandoned them during their teenage years and their mother was unable to work due to her schizophrenia and substance abuse; she would have us pick up cigarettes and get drugs for her when we were 16/17. This friend has experienced a lot of pain and is still struggling with their own demons and mental health and i'm no longer in their life due to their choices and influence on me, but I still think about them all the time. I wish them the best and hope they eventually find their way back to themselves. They're one of the smartest people I've ever met.

In my own personal life, my dad was never in the picture and my mother (who I believe also had an 8H Mars) struggled with mental illness and substance abuse, so I lived with my grandmother, who I eventually found out also abused substances, but was more "stable". After my mom passed literally from alcohol deteriorating her body when I was 17, I decided I had to keep distance from my family and moved out as soon as I could and since then my life has totally changed. I heavily smoked weed from the ages 16-19, I'm addicted to cigarettes, I am very wary about my alcohol consumption, and I inherited my mom and grandmother's mental illness. If it weren't for my upbringing, I wouldn't possess the wisdom I have today. Yes my childhood was fked up, but it made me immensely resilient. I have experienced life and death literally and metaphorically many many times.

I'm not saying that if you have this placement you're bound to struggle with addiction and have a tragic life story filled with trauma and pain, but unfortunately a more common thing I see in those who do have this placement have struggled with trauma, substances, abuse, and family dynamics. And like I said with the transformational aspect of the 8th House, many people overcame their demons and traumas. There's always an option for recovery in any scenario which is also associated with the 8H, and sometimes destruction (Mars) and chaos is needed for rebirth. In a less extreme manner, 8th House Martians may just struggle with generalized depression and anxiety.

Another thing I've noticed about those with an 8H Mars placement is that they let their anger seethe until it eventually boils over leading to an outburst. They may experience super intense meltdowns due to not healthily coping. Emotional regulation might be difficult for these natives in general.

On one end Mars rules destruction, conflict, death, assaults, and violence. On the other, it represents ambition, overcoming, exertion, determination, encouragement, strength, one's ability, and facing fears.

If you have an 8H Mars and faced any of the struggles above or anything similar and need someone to talk to you can always message me! I want this post to encourage the people who may feel stuck or are in a rough place that they can overcome whatever is thrown at them. Remember crisis comes first, then evolution and finally, total transformation. <3

In the 3rd and final part we'll go over struggles within intimate relationships 8H Mars folks might face and "taboo" topics these natives might enjoy.

[zkoh001]

Back to Ninjago ✨

I was drawing this. For 72 full hours (spread out trough like-3 months)

It doesn't look like I put 72 hours into this... (I swear my confidence went like a drunk rollecoaster while making this piece)

But alas, it is done, and I worked too hard not to share it. Behold the elemental alliance. (I can't draw armor. So the design changes are mostly because of that)

I totally got the Masters of Sound and Gravity the first few times, which is quite hilarious cause the Master of Gravity spends quite some of his screentime flying, but oh well.

Also, I tought they were related (for no particular reason) hence the positioning on the picture.

The guy on the left side of the picture was literally listed as "unknown elemental master" and I literally only added him so the proportions were more balanced (also so noone could argue it isn't finished)

I feel like his power was supposed to be lightning (based on the outfit) but then season 6 happened, and he was quietly retconned to make way for libber. I hesitated making it a father daughter situation, with him passing his powers on faster than Cole's grandfather to Lilly, but in the end, settled for making him a Master of Light.

Lilly and her father joined together, but neither of them are sure why it took so long for the power to pass down (probably after or at the very end of the First Serpentine War). They were both the type to understand it's war, and those rarely have a happy ending (in general, these people were kinda forced into this role because of their powers, some of them pretty young) Maybe the late heritance caused issues with Lilly's immune system leading to an early death? 👀🥺

I like to think the old Master of Earth was a mother hen of sons just as Lilly (it's genetic a this point). The above picture happened sometime after Garmadon's banishment.

Libber (or whatever they call the previous Master of Lightning) turned out really cute, I'm probably most satisfied with her (also gave her freckles to match Jay). I feel like we massively missed out on having her be the one to make/power Prime Empire. I mean, I get they wanted to save the mom storyline for MotM, but I'm sure you can write two separate stories revolving around parents. I also believe she joined really young, probably the youngest (and she was a menace. Also imagine if she was friends with the twins, the tragedy)

Wu and Garmadon pretty much have their canon designs (I like that they are dressed the most "traditional" out of everyone) except I added a bit more purple and gold respectively. Also, I'll mention it here, every active elemental masters have eye colours matching their elements, and their pupils are light (giving way to theories about them not even being human). The spinjitzu bros have "rings" around their pupils in the opposite color (purple for Wu, gold for Garmadon) showing the link between them and their powers.

When Garmadon is banished, Wu's eyes become completely gold, affected by their severed connection (and Garm has red eyes, but normally his would have become purple as well) Also, I kinda traced the text on their gi, cause I'm not drawing that from memory 😅

Master of Shadow was one of the first to join the Alliance, but is not the youngest member, she wanted a peaceful solution at the start, and like most of the earlier members, have a more nuanced view on the war, probably even had serpentine acquitances, which is why she looks so sad a lot of the time.

I see Ray and Maya as a kinda golden retriever, black cat dynamic. Maya was incredibly skilled, cold and precise, and one of the deadliest elemental masters (I was cooking up some story about a warrior clan she grew up in, but it's up for interpretation).

Ray meanwhile lives by the principle of "They can't know my next step... if I don't know my next step." Runs in, swords blazing, most people fighting him are just sort of. Perplexed at first.

And of course Maya didn't like him at first, but it's really hard to dislike Ray long term. (Which is how he also became Wu's best friend, despite him trying to hold a 'polite acquitances' type of relationship with the Ems. Ray is just like that) But she fell first.

Either this happened, or he went ahead of the trouble and asked him first.

Anyways, back to the topic at hand (working a lot on this means I had a lot of time to microwave these dudes, this post is looong)

Master of Ice is just that one kind of slightly creepy wise old man, who just... knows stuff. Everyone just sort of accepted that you don't ask him how or why he knows stuff, he just does. Wu and Garmadon have a tendency to follow him around (cause he's pretty similar to their father in a way), which kinda translates to everyone following him around like little ducks (even when he barely socialises with anyone lol).

Design for Master of Ice is inspired by @maydayissleepy, go check out their art!

And I already made a bunch of posts about Hands of Time and the time twins, but design wise, I just made a new one (to avoid the complex armor). When in battle, it's basically impossible to tell the two of them apart. Also, they have heterochromia because they both have two powers technically. The murky brown we see in the show is because they lost the power, but are still technically the Masters of Time, since it never passed on (if the blades broke somehow it would go back to them)

I feel like they joined later (even way later, which is why they clashed so much with the alliance) which is why they aren't mentioned in the early flashbacks (and also cause they didn't exist yet), and went kinda gungho on the war, not really knowing (or caring) for it's nuances.

Anyways, let me know what you think!

[gatitties]

Hanging out

─ Tenjiku x fem!reader

─ Summary: you have the courage to ask the guys who tried to recruit you to hang out

─ Warnings: swearing, mention of ways to die, kisaki

Part one / Part three / Part four

no because I'm thinking of making a miniseries for these bois because I'm an idiot for them 😭 I think I did it a bit long, sorry-

"Come on honey! It's the first time in a long time that you've been out with friends, or talked to someone, or seemed to have friends, or-

"Mom, you don't need to degrade me anymore, I know I don't have friends."

"But not anymore! That's why you have to go out with them, you can't spend your life locked in your room."

"What are we betting? If it's the family heritage then…" a bump grew on your head from the blow your mother gave you "Okay, okay, I guess I can try to get out of the house."

"That's it! Get out there and shine love, you deserve everything good in the world."

"Even the family herit-?"

You didn't even finish when you already had another bump on top of the previous one, deciding to leave the subject you said goodbye to your mother, well, she had to go with a friend, meanwhile you finished doing some pending things that you had to finish by tomorrow. When you finished, you threw yourself on your bed, flipping through the social networks a bit, doubting whether to contact the boys, after all, you only met them once in person, the rest was all conversations in the group that Izana put you in, although you had a lot of fun with them there, it's not the same to talk on a screen than face to face.

After several minutes you decided to take a brave step, seeing that some of them were even talking on the group chat.

Tenjiku will rule the world

[Matchstick] So i grabbed the bat and left him bleeding in the alley

[Izana] deserved more punishment tbh

[Izana] we can't go easy on traitors

[Sanzu] next time leave it to me

[Sanzu] i won't let them recognize the corpse

[You] is that a new flirting method?

[You] i don't think it's very effective

[Izana] aye

[Izana] glad to see you're on

[Shion] not me

[Kaku] stfu

[Rat] protective boyfriend material huh?

[Kaku] stfu too Rat

[You] yeah leave my baby alone

[Rat] whatever [Rat] can you at least change my name?

[You] nah, i like Rat more than rindou, it suits you better

[Rat2] can you change mine?

[Rat2] i'm supposed to be the oldest

[Rat2] he would have to have the 2 not me

[Mochi] picky boy

[You] okay

You have changed the nickname of Rat2 to Rannabelle

[Rannabelle] …

[Matchstick] pfft-

[Kisaki] i keep asking why you decided to include her in the group

[Kisaki] the rumors were false after all

[Izana] do you have something against the opinion of your superior?

[Matchstick] bro she's funny

[Kisaki] ...

[You] anyway

[You] who tf are you?

[Shion] oh right, they didn't meet in person

[Kisaki] i wouldn't like it either tbh

[Sanzu] speak for you

[You] i already like you Sanzu [You] you're already among the 'handsomes'

[Shion] not that shit again- [Shion] you didn't even see him

[You] i don't need

[Koko] you're just jealous cause you're not in the handsome group [Shion] i'm not jealous [Koko] sure [You] anyway i have something to ask [Matchstick]shoot

[Rat] you want a date with me? aww, of course! [You] yikes [You] i think i prefer a date with a homeless man who can time travel than you

[Kaku] i'm really concerned about your mental health right now [Izana] she's just in her haunting nature [Rannabelle] bet she likes me more than you rin [You] i like hanma better ngl

[Matchstick] bwahahah~ i'm the favourite ♡  [You] no, you're not ♡ 

[Matchstick] </3

[Izana] so... what do u want to ask?

[You] oh right

[You] i was just wondering if you guys had some free time to hang out?

[Izana] sure ;)

[Kaku] i'm in

[Matchstick] of course i have to get to be the favorite~

You didn't pay attention to the other messages, the truth is that Izana and Kakucho were enough for you, you weren't going to belittle Hanma either, he was trying anyway. You just texted a couple more to meet up at a certain place, quickly got ready in the most comfortable clothes you could find, plugged your headphones into your phone to have a walk to the location.

Normally you were like a damn rock when it came to expressing your feelings or opening up to people, you didn't like to socialize much but it wasn't a pain either (depending on the person), the fact that you didn't like to talk or express yourself a lot didn't mean you were one of those people who get nervous when they have to order pizza by phone, call a waiter or order a drink at any bar. But today you had that little nervous feeling, as if these guys were going to judge you and decide if you were worthy or not, even though it was clear that they already liked you a little for the simple fact of adding you to their group chat.

You were pessimistic so you kept those feelings throughout the journey, however, swallow them because as soon as you saw the boys just forgot them, there were three people you didn't know, the rest were Izana, Kakucho, Hanma and the Haitani brothers. You assumed that neither Koko, nor Shion, nor Mochi were there because they had to do something important or simply didn't want to see you.

"Hey honey, here!"

Hanma waved his hand as his eyes met yours, drawing your attention to come closer once and for all, you murmured a greeting to everyone, looking at the three new faces.

"So you don't intend to introduce me to your friends? Oh wait, I want to guess, can I?"

"Go ahead, please give us one of your amazing comparisons."

Rindou said, completely amused, even though you also messed with him, your comparison ability can always make fun of others, it's not like you make distinctions, no one was going to escape your critical eye.

"Mmmh… I don't know why I have the feeling that the one who seems bacterophobic is Sanzu" you pointed to the long-haired boy who had a mask covering half of his face "he seems to have pretty features, and Sanzu is in that side without hesitation."

"Madarame must be tossing and turning in his bed when he heard you, you've got it right."

Sanzu offered you his hand in greeting, noticing how his eyes narrowed a little, he had a cheeky smile that no one could see. The next one you looked at was Mucho, he seemed almost as stoic as you, another rock on the team huh? You also guessed that it was him, then you exchanged glances with the boy with glasses who seemed to be here by force, there was no one else left so he could only be…

"Are you Kisaki? Man, aren't you cute? Are you the baby of the group or something?"

Everyone tried to hold back their laughter when you approached him to ruffle his hair in an affectionate way, more like to annoy him a bit, poor boy, you were taller than him so your action and comment only irritated him more than he already was, he moved away your hands from his head, clicking his tongue.

"Maybe you're taller, but I'm sure I surpass you in age and intelligence."

The others looked at the interaction, you had that dark look that managed to scare away so many fucking thugs, it looked like you wanted to hit him right there, but they didn't expect you to laugh like Izana the time he met you.

"Oh please, don't be silly, I'm older than you, in fact, I think I'm older than all of you."

"You're kidding, aren't you? Most of us here are of legal age and you are still studying."

Izana questioned looking at you, you scratched the back of your neck sighing, you weren't very proud to admit it, but it's not like it was a big deal either.

"Well, I'm nineteen, I repeated a couple of courses…"

"You what!?"

The Haitani brothers were the ones who were most shocked by the new information about you, you just downplayed it, the last thing you wanted right now is to be treated differently because of your age, even if it's only a year older than some, these guys can be very offended at not being the oldest.

Kakucho finished off the general daze, talking about doing something and not just standing there like idiots, so you guys moved around just taking a walk while talking about random nonsense, it went pretty well, at least the guys appreciated some 'healthy' time, since usually their free time was also related to causing chaos in other gangs.

The truth is that it was not as bad as you thought, they all seemed quite funny, Izana and Kakucho managed to drag you into every interesting thing they saw, more like the leader of Tenjiku, Kaku thanked you because he could see his friend behaving like if he were a kid again (although he did threaten the others if they made fun of Iza for being a bit softer).

Hanma and the Haitani brothers tried to irritate or flirt you, you just looked at them with a blank face, completely ignoring them when they brought up the whole 'love' and 'relationships' thing, when they weren't bothering you they were quite nice, but that meant that now you were messing with them, that was your mechanics.

Surprisingly, after a while you and Kisaki 'clicked' simply because Hanma was bothering you both, you looked at each other silently as if you could communicate with your eyes, ignoring the poor boy as you started small talk out of the first thing that came to your mind, of course that didn't stop your little comments about him being smaller than you either.

Sanzu and Mucho stayed more on the sidelines, you didn't complain, they seemed more reserved than the others, or at least less expressive, you understood them perfectly because you were like that most of the time, it's just that these guys ─Izana more than anything─ made you take out to bring out your more sociable side a little more, it was different and nice.

But you knew well that hanging out with a gang would bring trouble, some punks recognized most of the group you were with, how could they not anyway? You were unintentionally involved in a small fight, but you weren't scared either when the fistfights between the teenagers started flying back and forth, you knew it was going to happen at some point so you just watched on the sidelines disinterestedly.

Ironically, Kisaki stayed by your side ─this guy doesn't know how to fight─ because the guys felt threatened by your dark gaze, honestly you were a little scared now, but only when one of the thugs came up to pick a fight with you, you saw yourself in the obligation to use your second wild card.

´"If you get one step closer, I promise that death will be the most beautiful thing you want to wish for, how do you want your body to be found? Ah, better if they don't find it, right?"

They immediately backed away, you're lucky most people find it hard to read your true expression because if they were like Kakucho the first time you met him they would have already beaten you up. But it didn't end there, there was another brave man who came up thinking that despite your threats you would be an easy target, which, well, you were.

Everyone seemed to see just as you were hit square on the cheek, your body seemed to fall in slow motion until you hit the ground, you closed your eyes letting a tired sigh slip past your lips, watching out of the corner of your eye as Kisaki did his best to defend himself against that same guy. You dedicated yourself to looking at the clouds in the sky without even getting up again, as if you were an opossum playing dead, hey, at least that way they wouldn't hit you again.

You only lay there for a long time, you even closed your eyes because you were starting to get bored, the boys only took a few more minutes, all their bodies surrounding you, guilt gnawed at some more than others ─Kakucho was very angry with himself─ but still it remained there.

"Do you think she's dead?"

"That's something very pessimistic, I haven't been able to go on a date with her yet."

Hanma and Ran murmured over the others who kept their questions as to whether you were okay inside, they didn't know if you were that weak or not, if you suffered from some disease or anything that could literally kill you, much to their relief you opened one of your eyes noticing how the sunlight darkened because their figures obscured it.

"It takes something more forceful than a punch to kill someone, unless the person is hit with a more forceful object or has already been seriously injured, statistically it is impossible for someone to die from a punch, well, unless it is a newborn baby."

"Oh never mind, she's perfectly fine."

Everyone sighed with relief, some being more audible than others, Kakucho helped you up, asking your forgiveness for not helping you before they hit you and they decided to go to a store to buy you a cold patch for the bruise that began to form on your cheek.

"Did you really just lie on the ground to wait?"

You hummed affirmatively at Mucho's question, who was waiting with you outside for the others to leave the store, you saw that he tried to hide his small laugh at your stupidity, if he had received that blow he would not have remained impassive, that person would definitely have to have a broken neck.

"We will accompany you home, come on."

"Huh? Izana, I appreciate it, but I'm not five years old."

"We're not taking no for an answer."

"Kakucho, not you too… I'm literally older than you."

“Well, look how we don't give a shit."

You looked at Rindou with a grimace for simply dismissing your words that you didn't need a squad to escort you home, but you couldn't do anything, even Kisaki accompanied you even though he said that he had business elsewhere.

These guys would cut their tongues out before admitting it out loud, but they took a liking to you in no time, and even though these idiots were a year younger than you (most of them) they would start behaving more carefully around you, they're not going to let today's incident happen again because they definitely wanted to spend more time with you.

"Gang members but you're being soft because someone hit a girl you only talk to from a group chat, that's cute."

You closed the door of your house in their faces after saying that, you laughed silently when you heard several shouts about how they weren't being soft and that they weren't cute for that, except for Hanma, he just smiled with his typical smile because you said he was cute, did that mean that he was advancing in his position to be your favorite?

[canadianno]

ima need you to lore dump about your heritic au becaus i wAS LITTERALLY JUST THINKING ABOUT SOMETHING LIKE THAT PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE

:3

The premise of the Heretic Leshy au is that instead of my normal lamb being the last one alive -> bearer of the red crown, it's Anoana, who is. Who is a 5 year old.

And one thing about my Leshy, is that he LOVES kids. So much. It's a little bit ridiculous and this whole au proves it.

Base premise is that after sacrificing the last lamb- which he was already pretty against in the first place seeing as she was 5- the bishops instruct Leshy to go bury the body

(Kinda like a- "you were being so annoying about not killing her, so now you gotta bury her, we're in darkwood anyway it's fine)

So. So. The 5 year old wakes up in his arms while he's in the graveyard. He nearly drops her. You know how it is.

Leshy can't bring himself to kill a child, even if that child is now wearing the red crown and a harbinger of a prophecy that will destroy his family. So he holds her close and takes her back to his temple. And he cries to his disciples about what the hell he's supposed to do.

If he let's her go, just releases her into the wild, she's going to have a very bad time because a 5 year old can't survive on their own, and even with the red crown she will still be traumatized as hell. He doesn't WANT that. He wants the child to be HAPPY. Because he loves them and thinks all children deserve to be happy. For the record he is correct.

Basically- Leshy keeps the lamb, hides her, and at one point gives up his crown to break his shackle on Narinder, but has to just keep pretending he's the god of chaos. Leshy discovers he can call on the crowns even without being the bearer of them- which yeah btw every time we defeat a bishop in this story Ana picks up their crown and the crowns IMMEDIATELY decide they wanna protect her. At the end of this story Ana has 5 crowns and like 12 parental figures.

Leshy is not the vessel of the red crown, but he is the one doing it's bidding. Heket is killed by accident in secret, Kallamar manages to send warning Shamuras' way before he dies, and Shamura is so so so angry. It's also worth noting that there's no Narinder fight, he just gives up his crown (he is NOT going to ask the 5 year old to be sacrificed for him, not when their parent who clawed their way out of heaven and into the gateway is sitting RIGHT THERE)

It's really fun, there's technically more to it but that's the basics :]

Take some doodle page for reading this much lmao

Fellas, does it make you a heretic by not wanting to kill a baby? No, but it does when you start killing your siblings about it

[science-sculpt]

Epigenetics: A Journey Through Inheritance Beyond Genes

For centuries, scientists have been fascinated by the mysteries of heredity and how traits are passed down from generation to generation. DNA, the molecule that stores our genetic code, was once thought to be the sole determinant of our characteristics. However, a new frontier in biology, revealing a captivating layer of complexity beyond the DNA sequence itself: Epigenetics.

What is Epigenetics?

The term "epigenetics" was first coined in the 1940s by British biologist Conrad Waddington, but it wasn't until the late 20th century that its significance truly blossomed. Epigenetics, literally meaning "above genetics," refers to the study of heritable changes in gene expression that occur without alterations to the DNA sequence itself. Imagine DNA as the musical score, but epigenetics are the conductor and musicians who determine how the music is played. Through chemical modifications and adjustments to the proteins around DNA, epigenetics dictates which genes are turned on or off, influencing how cells function and ultimately shaping our health, development, and even behavior. Think of your DNA as the hardware: it contains the basic instructions for building and running your body. But epigenetics acts like the software, fine-tuning those instructions and determining which genes get turned on or off at specific times and in specific cells. These modifications, like chemical tags or changes in the packaging of DNA, don't alter the underlying code itself, but they can have a profound impact on how it's read and interpreted.

The Key Players:

DNA methylation: This process involves adding a methyl group to DNA, essentially silencing the gene it's attached to. Imagine it like putting a dimmer switch on a light bulb.

Histone modifications: Histones are proteins that package DNA, and changes in their structure can make genes more or less accessible to the cellular machinery needed for expression. Think of it like adjusting the curtains around a window - open wide for full light, slightly closed for filtered light.

Non-coding RNAs: These are molecules that don't code for proteins but can regulate gene expression in various ways. They're like the backstage crew in a play, ensuring everything runs smoothly.

The Power of Epigenetic Regulation

Epigenetic regulation plays a crucial role in various biological processes, including:

Development: During embryonic development, different cell types emerge from the same DNA blueprint by activating or silencing specific gene sets through epigenetic modifications.

Cellular differentiation: Specialized cells like muscle or nerve cells have unique functions due to differences in their active genes, controlled by epigenetic mechanisms.

Learning and memory: Epigenetic changes in brain cells are thought to be essential for learning and forming memories.

Aging: As we age, our epigenome accumulates changes that can contribute to age-related decline and disease.

Environmental influences: Diet, exercise, stress, and exposure to toxins can leave epigenetic marks on our genes, potentially impacting our health and even the health of future generations.

Epigenetics reminds us that we are not simply products of our genes. Our environment, choices, and experiences leave their mark, shaping who we are and potentially influencing our children's health. This deeper understanding of ourselves opens doors for self-awareness, empowerment, and potentially reshaping our narratives – not just as individuals, but as a species with the potential to leave a healthier legacy for generations to come.

[destinysbounty]

pls explain the stupid powers thing where they came from lloyd but suddenly now theyre genetic out of nowhere bc the former is the stupider of the 2.

Oh my god Raine I am so sorry this has been sitting in my inbox for like 50 years, I completely forgot about this ask. If it's any consolation, I made diagrams!

So the bottom line is, the elemental powers ARE heritable. And although the Lloyd thing makes things complicated, it doesn't change that.

First, let's talk about Golden Power. As I understand it, Golden Power is a godlike power first wielded by the FSM and used to create Ninjago. Again, correct me if I'm mistaken, but my understanding of it is that it's essentially an amalgamation of the four Elements of Creation.

Despite being extensions of Golden Power, these four elements still operate much like normal elements - that is, under normal conditions.

See, Golden Power is also hereditary. It was passed down from the FSM into his grandson Lloyd. Kind of. Lloyd inherited an essence of his grandfather's power.

(Yes, yes, I know Energy technically classifies as an elemental essence rather than an elemental power. But even then this still tracks.)

The way I see it, Energy acts more as a foundation. A connection. Think movie rules, where "green" is the thing holding everything together. Energy is the foundation upon which the others ebb and flow, it is the thing that connects their elements together. The glue that connects the Elements of Creation and forms Golden Power.

Here's another way to think about it. Let's assume that this whole elemental network of Golden Power operates a bit like a circuit (more or less). Each of the four Elements of Creation act as a battery and Golden Power is the lightbulb, with Green Energy being the wires and circuitry connecting everything together. Like so:

When the whole circuit is complete and properly functioning, power is being diverted from the sources of power - the four elements - and transferred through the circuitry into the lightbulb. Under these conditions, the four elements would be considerably diminished on account of having their power diverted into something else, while the lightbulb would be brightly lit.

In some cases like in season 1 and most of season 2, this simply manifests as a diminished access to their own elemental power that must be supplemented with the use of their Golden Weapons (which in themselves are artifacts of Golden Power that have been attuned to particular elements). They still have some access to their power, and even more so after unlocking their True Potentials, but that access was inhibited on account of much of their power being routed into this Golden Power/Energy circuit system.

(Note that this isn't a perfect analogy - unlike batteries, elemental power is not a limited resource but is instead constantly regenerating. I think of it a bit like blood - finite in the moment, but so long as we are healthy we can consistently produce more every day. Hence why Nya was able to regain her powers without instantly being connected to the sea: in the context of this analogy, you might think of her power being drained as bloodletting. The new power she developed was new and untainted by her former connection to the sea. I know all these analogies are starting to get confusing though, so feel free to disregard this.)

Now in past generations, the Green Ninja hadn't been born yet. So the actual circuitry itself wasn't present, meaning there was nothing to connect these elements together. Nothing to spend from their elemental reserves. So while Golden Power cannot form under these conditions, the previous EMs could use the full extent of their power without issue.

But then Lloyd was born, and the ethereal threads of power tying their elements together finally entered the system - thereby diverting those four powers into a greater collective of Golden Power. Even if Lloyd hadn't unlocked his True Potential, the system itself had taken shape, waiting for him to be ready to use it.

Then in the latter half season 2, the og4 completely divested what little they had of their powers at the time. And due to the increased energy demands of Lloyd's awakened USM form/abilities, any scrap of power they may have generated thereafter would immediately be converted into Golden Power instead.

Then in season 3, they returned to the Temple of Light to reverse this transference. and this is, unfortunately, where the circuit metaphor starts to fall apart. But for the sake of argument, just let me have this.

When Lloyd did returned his friends' powers to them, he also completely dissolved his Golden Power in the process, restoring them to their pre-GP conditions but in fact to what their power levels would have been in a non-GP environment. That is, they were finally able to access the full extent of their elemental abilities because the lightbulb wasn't there to transfer their energy away. Similar to what the system looked like back before Lloyd was born. This is why they were able to actually wield their elemental powers without the use of the Golden Weapons, when in the past that had only been possible through their True Potential.

(Yes, I know this isn't really how circuits work. I took an electrical engineering class in high school, and you have no idea how much the inaccuracies pain me. I mean I did warn you the analogy would fall apart. But I've put too much work into these diagrams to turn back now.)

Now, as for why their powers didn't work in season 5...that's a whole other headache. My best guess is that Morro attempted to reset the system to its prior GP state, but since he didn't do it properly through the Temple of Light everything just kinda got a little fucky for everyone instead.

The TLDR is that the og4's elemental powers don't come from Lloyd, per se, but he does sort of act as a conduit (ha) for their powers. And his capacity as that conduit can at times inhibit or enhance their own indvidual elemental potentiality.

...does this make sense, like at all? I feel like I just did a bunch of incomprehensible rambling that no one else would be able to understand. Listen, Ninjago's magic system is agonizingly convoluted enough as it is. I'm just doing my best 😭😭😭

[loving-n0t-heyting]

Disgust at incest with first-order relatives (particularly mother-son incest) is a cultural universal in a way that disgust at male-male sexual intercourse is not. It might be one of the few things evo-psych gets right: that the incest taboo has a biological basis that comes from evolution. I don’t think we should eliminate the incest taboo just because we all read Martha Nussbaum and sagely agreed that mere disgust is no legitimate reason to morally disapprove of something. Incest is bad for everyone. All kinds of gnarly genetic diseases run rampant in societies that tolerate even cousin incest. It would get even worse if people tolerated incest among first-order relatives. And that’s not even to get into the consent issues that arise! How is a person, even an adult person, supposed to react to sexual advances from their own parent? How are they supposed to feel about such a thing, if it were accepted as legal and non-taboo?

Disgust at first order incest is not a cultural universal, there have been plenty of societies specifically where full sibling incest was normalised among at least some social classes

If the taboo is evolutionarily driven and inborn then social campaigns should have minimal effect anyway no? It would be like trying to destigmatise into oblivion the gag reflex or revulsion at rotting meat. No harm, no foul

"If we drop [breeding norm] we will see a proliferation of genetic disease!" is eugenical reasoning, which i thus take negatively seriously bc it depends upon the concept of human life unworthy of life. It would apply equally well to taboos against those with huntingtons disease or various heritable psychiatric disorders, or to norms against declining to abort pregnancies with downs syndrome. I consider this an even less valid reason than visceral disgust

Grooming concerns are a legitimate problem here but i think its clear they dont apply to situations like oedipus and jocastas; a hypothetical sexual union with merope would have been more concerning wrt consent. Jocasta was just Some Lady to oedipus by the time they met, and she did whatever the opposite of grooming was with him for the miniscule stretch of time she knew him as an infant. If anyones consent is being trifled with its jocastas, who is effectively being handed over as a sexual/marital prize to the citys new liberator

[max1461]

Let me put in rather simply, in a language the conservatives will understand: if you even make gestures towards wanting to pre-crime me or my friends, on the basis of genetics or culture or whatever, you are my enemy and I will respond to you with all available tools of opposition. Do not try to pre-crime me or my friends. I don't care if you do studies on the heritability of criminality or whatever. Do your studies. But as soon as you start bringing them near politics, it is fair game to shoot you.