#get this bad?? how could you not know you needed to seek medical treatment???? like. bro. seeking medical treatment isnt even a guarantee to

[themanwhowouldbefruit]

my doctor was sooooo fucking worthless and unhelpful im going to masturbate and i hope it fucking kills me

[unboundprompts]

writing a fic where blorbo is poisoned and blorbo in love with her has to take care of her, ideas for how i could get this across?

I would recommend doing some research on the poison involved so that it's as realistic as possible. In a fantasy/sci-fi setting you can probably make up your own poison and choose the symptoms and treatment you deem the best for the situation. Here are some ideas to help you with that:

General Symptoms of Poison

-> from this source.

Stomach Pain

Feeling Nauseous/Being Sick

Drowsiness

Dizziness

Weakness

High Temperature

Chills (shivering)

Loss of Appetite

Headache

Irritability

Difficulty Swallowing

Breathing Difficulties

Skin Rash

Blue Lips and Skin

Double Vision/Blurred Vision

Sudden, Noticeable Heartbeats (Palpitations)

Mental Confusion

Seizures

Loss of Consciousness

Treatment

-> seeking medical help is also a good idea. The best idea probably.

-> from this source.

If they are poisoned by swallowing something, try to get them to spit out anything that is remaining in their mouth.

If they are unconscious and swallowed something, try to wake them to encourage them to spit out anything left in their mouth. Do not put your hand into their mouth and do not try to make them sick.

If the poison is on their skin or clothes, remove their clothes and wash the affected area with warm or cool water. Be careful not to contaminate yourself.

Lay the person on their side with a cushion behind their back and their upper leg pulled slightly forward so that they do not fall on their face or roll backwards. (Recovery Position)

If vomiting, keep their head pointed down to prevent them from breathing it in or swallowing it. Do not give them anything to eat or drink.

If they have stopped breathing or their heart has stopped, perform CPR.

It is important to know what substances you think the person may have swallowed, when it was taken, why it was taken, how it was taken, and how much was taken.

Any existing medical conditions prior to being poisoned are important to be aware of, as it may impact their recovery/ the poison may have effects on their condition.

Activated Charcoal - sometimes used to treat someone who's been poisoned. It binds to the poison and stops it being further absorbed into the blood.

Antidotes - these are substances that either prevent the poison from working or reverse its effects.

Sedatives - may be given if the person is agitated.

Ventilator (breathing machine) - may be used if the person stops breathing.

Anti-epileptic medicine - may be used if the person has seizures.

Writing Prompts For a Character Being Poisoned

-> feel free to edit and adjust pronouns as you see fit.

"Hey, hey, hey," she was lightly tapping his face, his head lulled to the side. "Open your eyes," she said to him gently, her heart sinking with each passing second. "Wake up, I need you here with me."

She had trouble keeping her eyes open. The room was spinning. She felt so weak. All she could hear was their voice, as if they were far away, telling her not to fall asleep.

They had this awful marking on their skin. It crawled across their shoulders and peeked out from underneath their shirt at the sleeves and neck. She thought it looked like it was getting worse every day, slowly blossoming across their skin. "It's not as bad as it looks," they said, trying to make her feel better. The raspiness of their voice and pale complexion did not fill her with hope.

"Your heart is pounding," she said, pressing a hand to his chest. His skin was feverish, warmth radiating off of him. Yet, he shivered as if he were freezing. "Only because I get nervous around you," he responds, a flirty tilt to his voice. They both knew that wasn't the only reason, but she smiled anyway.

"Will you eat something? For me?" They shook their head miserably. "I can't."

If you like what I do and want to support me, please consider donating! I also offer editing services and other writing advice on my Ko-fi!

[slut4thebroken]

Exposure Therapy Prologue

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

Pairing | Jonathan Crane × reader

Summary | You find a new therapist who is more than willing to help you overcome your fears.

Warnings | 18+, talks about fear of being raped, talks about fear of being pregnant and giving birth, pretty much just a content warning for their conversation, the real bad stuff is in pt. 1

Words | 700

Notes | You don’t technically have to read this chapter, it just provides some more background for part 1.

Ao3 link | <3

Fic Masterlist

Main Masterlist

You anxiously sat down on the small couch, picking at your cuticles as you waited. 

“Are you nervous?” He asked, giving you a calming smile. 

“A little. Sorry, I’ve never done this before.” 

“It’s completely normal to be nervous during the first session, especially if you’ve never done anything like this before.” That calmed your nerves a little. “Let’s start simple. Why don’t you tell me why you’re here.” 

“Um… The fears that I have are getting a little out of control and affecting my everyday life, so I was hoping you could help me get over them. At least a little bit.” 

“Knowing you need help and taking the initiative to seek that help is already a really good start.” You gave him a shy smile at the praise, not sure how to respond. “Since this is a consultation, I’d like to know what fears you need help overcoming so I can figure out the best treatment for you. Is that alright?” 

“Yeah, of course. There are two main ones. Um… being- being raped and being pregnant or giving birth.” He scribbled quickly as you spoke and you waited anxiously for him to respond. 

“I want to better understand you. Is it alright if I ask some questions?” He asked, crossing his hands and resting them on the notebook in his lap. 

“Yes.” 

“Is there any past trauma that might’ve caused these fears?” You shook your head. “Let’s just focus on the first one for now. What do you think might be the cause?” 

“I guess just knowing how common it is? I feel like I’m living every single day just waiting to become part of the statistic.” 

“That must be pretty debilitating feeling that way. Is that stopping you from doing a lot of the things your peers do?” You just nodded in response. “And what about the other one? How is that affecting your everyday life?” 

“Um…” You bit your lip as your cheeks grew warm, realizing what you would have to explain to answer his question. “It’s- I don’t…” Looking away from him, you swallowed thickly. 

“There’s no need to be embarrassed. I’m here to help you, but you have to help me understand before I can do that.” You nodded in agreement, trying to force yourself to just say it. 

“I'm on birth control, but I still don’t feel like I can rely on that completely. And when boyfriends or whatever find out, they usually want to- to…”

“Not use a condom?” 

“Yes.” 

“But you don’t feel safe doing that?” You shook your head as you bit your bottom lip. “So it’s affecting your relationships. Is it affecting you individually as well?” 

“Well I mean, I… want to do that with them too.” 

“You have a breeding kink?” You stared at him with wide eyes, floundering for a response. He was unfazed by the inappropriate question though. 

“I wasn’t going to say it like that, but yeah.” 

“Kinks can often be coping mechanisms. Do you have any other that could be related?” 

“…Cnc?”  

“Is it easier to partake in that one because there’s no real risk?” 

“Yeah I guess so.” This time when he started writing, he took a little longer than the past few times. When he finally looked back up, he gave you a small smile. 

“I think I’m going to be able to help you, I already have a few treatments in mind. Thank you for being so open with me, I know it’s not easy talking about something so personal.” You nodded, not sure what to say. “We can start regular therapy but in the meantime I can prescribe you some medication for the anxiety.”

“Oh I don’t- I don’t know if I want to take medication.” He passed the pen over the paper in one stroke, striking something out. 

“The old fashion way then.” He smiled and you chuckled awkwardly, wondering if you messed up by saying that. It didn’t seem like you did? Maybe you should just agree since he thinks it’ll help? He cut off your over thinking before you had the chance to say you changed your mind. “Do you think once a week will be a good start?” 

“That sounds perfect.” 

Part 1

[metalheadsforblacklivesmatter]

I advise you not seek this content out. There's a reason I'm not linking it. It's full of abelism and gaslighting. But I just want to show you what I'm about to rant about because this woman is claiming chronic illness doesn't exist and women specifically are faking to get a diagnosis for attention. And she's claiming this is a mental health issue.

As a disabled person, I need to rant.

The first time I got a migraine. I was 10 years old. They were near constant. I know exactly how old I was because when I went to the doctor, he said it was probably the braces shifting the bones in my skull. They were called just headaches.

If you've ever had a migraine, you would understand that if you were experiencing this much pain, and you were told there was a way to make it stop, you GRAB that shit. I had my braces removed before my jaw was finished straightening because I shouldn't have had braces in the first place and my baby teen started falling out (very late, I know).

And when my adult teeth came in, I BEGGED my doctor to not give me braces again. And remember what I said earlier. If you're experiencing migraine level symptoms and you were told there was a way to make it stop. You grab that chance. Yes, my teeth are still fucked up. Yes, this leads to me dealing with chronic jaw pain.

You don't get how much pain I was in just... all the fucking time. My parents had to carry large bottles of advil with them at all times. Some of my earliest memories is being at a restaurant and my mom being like "I know this is weird but do you have any advil? I forgot to refill the bottle and my daughter is in too much pain to eat". Just from the migraine.

I was taking adult doses of pain meds with my doctors telling me to alternate Advil and Tylenol every 2 hours at the age of 10 (most meds say not for children under 12). Because migraine was not a diagnosis that existed.

When I was in high school, I finally did get a diagnosis from my PCP of "migraine". Idk if it ever went on the record but a was prescribed migraine medication. Which was essentially prescription strength advil and imitrex. There weren't exactly a lot of options back then.

And I again have specific memories of being in school. The ring of the fire alarm during a fire drill triggers a migraine. First thing I had to do when we went back in was go to the nurse and nurse had to call my parents and they had to bring my meds (special school rules the nurse needed the prescription bottle which would make it hard to have any at home). And the nurse was like "when's it gonna work?" And my mom was like "idk. If it does work it'll be like 30 minutes" and the nurse was like "Yeah we can't keep her here 30 minutes on a maybe. This is no place for a kid with a migraine. Take her home."

Throughout all this? I didn't consider myself disabled. Because I could still function. I wasn't missing too much school to pass. I was still able to pass my classes.

In college though it got really bad. I was missing 3 or 4 days of classes at a time because I couldn't hold down anything but water. There's weeks I did go to class that I just blacked it the pain was so bad. I got hurt from the vertigo regularly. It got so bad u finally sought it a migraine community just to try to understand what the hell was wrong with me and just so I had a place where I could vent. It sucked so damn bad.

And this community helped me immensely. They had a list of headache specialists which helped me find my doctor. They gave me a ton of treatment options to discuss with my doctor and they suggested vitamin supplements that I could also discuss with my doctor. It took a few years because I don't react to most common migraine meds, but a year out of college, I finally got a treatment plan that fucking helped. I live a pretty normal life now the only exception being the couple of hours it takes my meds to kick in.

And even through all of that, I hesitated to call myself disabled. I was still functional enough to graduate college without the ADA (but honestly I'd have done better if I had accommodations for all the time I had to miss). My migraines weren't frequent enough to be considered "chronic".

The only reason why I'm able to comfortably call myself disabled now is because of the invisible illness and spoonie communities. They were like "Your health issues impacting most of your life even though there's no physical symptoms? You keep missing important events duev to your health issues? You limiting what you do so to not impact your health issues? You're disabled."

Because I was so afraid of taking something away from physically disabled people by using the label. I'm still going to heavy metal concerts (yes they land me in bed for days after with a migraine). I can hold down a job and still semi-function (I'm privileged that I can get a remote job so if I can't get out of bed I don't need to call in. And I work for small companies that are more forgiving of health issues.)

Listen. I 100% believe in the spoonie movement with all my heart. But what people don't realize is that invalidating the spoonie movement invalidates people like me. People that have had pain since childhood that almost no medication can touch that's coupled with other neurological issues that is detrimental to our health. I was exercising every day, but I had to stop because there were too many days I couldn't hold down food. I was eating very healthy, but I had to stop because there were too many days where calories were more important than vitamins because again I was lucky if I could hold down food. The pain was so bad that there was gaps in my memory and I hurt myself but I couldn't remember how between the vertigo and the memory issues.

And yeah. My migraines don't affect me like that now. I'm on treatment where I don't "look disabled". I can function with the best of the abled people. But it took years of meds and trial and error with my doctor to get here. I'm functioning with the exact balance of person meds and activity levels to keep me found for the things I enjoy doing.

And I need people to realize that's what invisible disability is. Paralyzed person can't walk? They get a wheelchair. I can't go outside without spending the rest of my day bedbound from the bright light and heat? I get meds that help sooth the nervous system (honestly I don't know how the fuck my meds work but this is the equivalent of my "wheelchair")

Yeah! We look functional. That's the point. That's the entire point. Because before this we lost friends and failed classes because we couldn't get our of bed our body's failed us so hard. The only reason why abled people think we don't exist is because we literally couldn't leave the house. And online communities have allowed us to be seen on those worse days when we're normally hidden behind closed doors.

I was able to interact with people online yesterday with my migraine, when previously you wouldn't have been able to see that because I literally couldn't leave the house.

-fae

[butts-bouncing-on-the-beltway]

A Patient-Therapist's Anti-Psych Manifesto

Okay yall, I broke out my laptop for this, so buckle up, I’m about to have opinions.

I don’t owe anyone my credentials, but because I know the first thing out of some folks’ mouths is always “what gives you the right” let’s nip that in the bud right now.

I have been in and out of psychiatric care since I was seven years old. I have severe medical trauma from the experimental treatments I was subjected to, and have spent time in outpatient, inpatient, and all manner of different kinds of care. I’m also a published anarchic anthropologist, and a fully credentialed and actively practicing private therapist. To many, these are rightfully mutually exclusive roles. To me it is survival. Let’s explore some dialectics.

Dialectic: Per Merriam-Webster, a dialectic is any systematic reasoning, exposition, or argument that juxtaposes opposed or contradictory ideas and usually seeks to resolve their conflict : a method of examining and discussing opposing ideas in order to find the truth

In this case, we’re holding a few irreconcilable realities in tension with each other and working to resolve those irreconcilabilities.

Dialectic 1

Creating a class of healthcare professionals whose job is to dispense care to the masses inherently creates a hierarchy.

Any hierarchy that exists can and will become unjust under enough stress, with enough bad actors, with enough systemic intersections, if it is made so, etc.

People still need healthcare, including mental healthcare.

Dialectic 2

Because we already have unjust hierarchies involved in our medical care and research system, the question of who gets to define what is “mental healthcare” and what isn’t is inherently skewed in favor of kyriarchical** values.

Kyriarchy: a social system or set of social systems built around domination, oppresion, and submission

Many non-hierarchical forms of mental health care are devalued in our society and therefore do not receive the resources to operate at scale despite being extremely effective tools.

There will likely always need to be some form of “service” healthcare model in our society, even if it is wildly different from what we have now, because the worst person you know deserves care and it may need to be from people who are incentivized to provide it, and in privacy or isolation from others in the community.

Dialectic 3

Indefinite and involuntary detention can never be ethically or humanely performed. Period.

Some people need episodic or long term intensive care that comes from having someone available to them 24/7, and this is extremely difficult to provide at scale to an entire society in their homes, and your answer cannot be to offload the work onto relatives.

Current inpatient and residential programs typically serve, at best a holding pattern, and at their worst are breeding grounds for abuse and we will be hard-pressed to create models that do not replicate this pattern in our current systems.

We could keep going several layers deeper, but this is already getting long, so now I want to ask the next question.

These all feel really impossible to work with, Butts, you said I was supposed to reconcile all this and that feels super intimidating. What do we do with these dialectics?

Great question imaginary reader!

There are a lot of things you can do about it! Start by going to the Blackfoot digital library and watching this video about indigenous influences on modern concepts of the basic hierarchy of needs (link)

One of the things I’ve learned as an anarchic anthropologist turned therapist is that if you take what we think we know now about mental health, the nervous system, and chronic stress, and look back to this moment when Maslow and the Blackfoot community tried to communicate the resiliency of their community to the world, we can learn a lot.

A huge amount of mental health care, in my experience, boils down to learning how to regulate your nervous system, provide for your hierarchy of needs in your life, including the accommodations you need for your physical, cognitive, spiritual, and social world, and seeking, traditional or non-traditional therapy, pharmacology, and/or traditional medicine for the remainder of your needs.

What I mean by this is: mutual aid is mental health care, socializing with your friends is mental health care, taking a bubble bath is mental health care

But so are practices like MAST  (link)- a non-hierarchical therapy style that allows people to support each other through therapeutic interventions via mutual aid (a genuine therapeutic concept we discuss in our training!!)

I imagine a world where we dare to question all of our assumptions about what therapeutic intervention needs to look like. Where “mental health care” looks like creating a society that seeks to meet every level of need for as many people as possible, and offers additional, voluntary community built and operated services to meet additional needs that arise.

What if we worked to minimize the need for inpatient services by providing ADL support crews for anyone who requests it? Need to just be a lump in bed for a week in order to be okay at the end? Ask for a crew to come do dishes and make meals and tidy and field calls and check in on you. Feeling manic and need someone to be your impulse control? Request one. Like theoretically these are things we can all do for each other regardless, but what if there were trained volunteers from the community, motivated and available who could be on call whenever they were needed for anybody no matter what? What if you didn’t NEED to have a friend who was available? What if you didn’t need to wonder if they would be annoyed because everyone is there by choice and by specialty?

Imagine if you didn’t have to wait until you were in crisis to call? You could just do it because you needed or wanted the help and that was fine too. Because the goal was prevention. Make sure no one gets so overwhelmed or stressed that they reach crisis in the first place. Make sure everyone has community resources.

The task rabbit mutual aid is the one I think is the most under-served in our communities. I think a lot of us are still afraid to truly take that last step into anarchic community building. After all, time is the most precious resource we have, and giving that to others without a guarantee of others giving back feels very scary. When I’ve done task-rabbit type mutual aid though, it’s always been my favorite experience, and I truly cannot recommend it enough. It provides such an immeasurable boost to the entire community’s resiliency.

I think another really useful direction is teaching yourself a little bit about polyvagal theory. It sounds like pop science, but it’s pretty cool stuff. Things like diaphragmatic breathing, certain manual manipulation techniques, etc can help you regulate your nervous system in moments of stress or intense emotion, as well as adjusting you into a better regulated state over time if you experience chronic dysregulation, such as from PTSD, ADHD, or Autism**

**This is not me saying it will cure your ADHD or Autism, it will not, but it can tone down the intensity of emotionally/autonomically dysregulated moments, or make them a little easier to end on your own time.

In the end, mental health, like so much, is deeply personal. There will be no "one size fits all" option. But we can create a society that provides a high quality standard of living for everyone, with the majority of their needs being met as a baseline, and create services that account for needs that may be episodic, additive, or unusual, as will almost certainly always eventually occur.

So the question is, when you begin to imagine outside the confines of the four walls of the psychiatrist's office

What does mental healthcare look like to you?

[sasusakucoded]

Sasuke: What's that?

Sakura: Oh, these are military ration pills, Sasuke-kun.

Sasuke: Why do you always take that?

Sakura: N-Nooo.. I only take them when needed.

Sasuke: I've seen you consume that a couple of times already.

Sakura: It's— It's okay though. I mean there's not much side effects except for being exhausted when the medicine wears off.

Sasuke: I don't think there's an existing drug that has no effect at all. Maybe you don't feel it, but it could affect you mentally. Like, thinking you can't function without it.

Sakura: N-No.. There's no such thing, Sasuke-kun. Trust me, I'm okay.

---

"He's right though," Sakura thought. "I've been a bit— Just a bit, right? A bit dependent on this. I can't help it. And no, I'm not addicted! But.. But it's a necessity now.. For my peace of mind. It feels good knowing I can do everything without getting tired. A 16-hour shift at the hospital? Just take a pill and I'm good even if I extend it to a 36-hour shift. I get cuts from a battle? Just pop in a pill and everything is healead. I don't even need to use my byakugou. I can just save up and save up chakra as long as I take some pills regularly."

---

Sasuke: Naruto, do you notice the military ration pills that Sakura is taking?

Naruto: Sh-She's still taking them? Sakura-chan promised that she won't anymore!

Sasuke: Is it something bad?

Naruto: Not really. I mean nothing has been proven against it. But you see, she became too dependent on it. And now that you mentioned she still have them, then that means she's hiding them from us.

Sasuke: Why does she even have so many supplies?

Naruto: She's in the medical department.. In a high position too. She has access to almost every drug.

Sasuke: What should we do?

Naruto: I don't know actually. I've talked to her multiple times. Maybe her mind will change if you'll talk to her.

Sasuke: Not really. I've also brought up the idea of stopping but she said she needs them.

Naruto: *sighs* Then we can't do anything about it.

---

Sasuke decides to go to Orochimaru to seek help.

Orochimaru: Sasuke-kun. It's late. What brought you here?

Sasuke: Yeah. Do you know military ration pills?

Orochimaru: Of course. I formulated the best version. In fact, that version is still used today.

Sasuke: Do you have a sample?

Orochimaru: Follow me. *walks inside*

Sasuke: *follows him*

Orochimaru: *enters the lab; takes a box from a cabinet* Here. Is this what you're looking for?

Sasuke: Yeah, this is the exact same pills that Sakura is taking.

Orochimaru: *confused* I didn't know there's a war somewhere.

Sasuke: There's none. What made you think that?

Orochimaru: These pills are meant for long battles.

Sasuke: Oh. That's the problem. Sakura is taking them as if they're vitamins.

Orochimaru: Hmmm.

Sasuke: Is that bad?

Orochimaru: Yes. Anything if abused is bad. Imagine a rocket. It's so powerful right? But if it loses its fuel, it falls down abruptly. The same effect happens to whoever takes the pills.

Sasuke: ...

Orochimaru: Human body is fragile. Even if the person is strong, time will come that it will reach its limit—

Sasuke: I need to stop her from taking them.

Orochimaru: Yeah.

Sasuke: But how?

Orochimaru: I have no clue. By the looks of it, she's already addicted to it.

Sasuke: /thinks/ Think, Sasuke. You got to help Sakura.

Orochimaru: Sorry, Sasuke-kun. I can only make scientific stuff in my lab. I can't persuade people—

Sasuke: No, actually you're the only person that can help me!

Orochimaru: Hm?

Sasuke: Do you know placebo pills?

Orochimaru: *smirks* Ahh, that's why I like you, Sasuke-kun. You always think outside of the box. I totally forgot about the placebo effect.

Sasuke: I just remember it from one of my travels..

Orochimaru: Yeah, placebo pills are made of starch. They're easy to make. They're used as control treatments in experimental studies.

Sasuke: Yeah.

Orochimaru: And since I created the military ration pills, I can definitely make the exact same size and color.

Sasuke: That's great. *smiles softly*

Orochimaru: Give me a day. I'll go to Konoha to hand it to you personally.

Sasuke: I can go here again—

Orochimaru: I insist. Besides, I need to visit Kabuto's lab too.

Sasuke: Well then, see you there. Thanks. *leaves*

---

Sasuke gets the pills from Orochinaru and he goes to Sakura's apartment and replaces her stash with the placebo pills. He does the same on the pills inside her bag and pocket. He monitors if she notices.

After one month..

Sasuke: How many pills have you taken in the past month?

Sakura: S-Sasuke-kun! W-Why the sudden question?

Sasuke: I just want to know, Sakura.

Sakura: I guess it's around 8 to 10.. I know it's a bit too much but I really—

Sasuke: *takes out 2 pills from his pocket*

Sakura: Y-You also have them?

Sasuke: *cuts both in half* This one [black center] is the real one, the other [white center] is a placebo pill.

Sakura: I still don't understand—

Sasuke: Give me a pill from your pocket.

Sakura: *takes out one pill and gives it to Sasuke*

Sasuke: *cuts it in half* It's also placebo. *bites it* Nothing happens to me because it's just placebo.

Sakura: *confused* B-But it made me feel energized.

Sasuke: It's all in the mind, Sakura. The things you did, your normal body did them. You had no help from the pills you were taking.

Sakura: But I'm sure they're real pills, I got them from the pharmacy.

Sasuke: I asked Orochimaru to make placebo pills and I replaced all of your supply. Sorry, Sakura—

Sakura: *blushes* Y-You did that for me?

Sasuke: You're not mad?

Sakura: No!! Why would I? You just wanted to help me.. *smiles* It's embarrassing. I couldn't admit that I got addicted to it. I thought I'm tired when I don't take them.

Sasuke: It happens, Sakura. But at least now you know that you can function without them.

Sakura: Yeah.

Sasuke: Will you be able to completely stop taking them?

Sakura: *takes out all of the pills from her pocket and bag* I surrender these to you. I will also ask the pharmacy to not give me supply no mattef how much I ask for them. *giggles*

Sasuke: If you get tired, you can always rest, Sakura.

Sakura: Right. *smiles* /thinks/ Sasuke-kun wants me to be well. I got him worried. I should repay him by taking care of myself and completely remove my reliance on the pills.

Sasuke: If ever you feel withdrawal symptoms, let me know. I don't know what to do but we'll figure it out.

Sakura: *giggles*

Sasuke: Sakura?

Sakura: *hugs him* I'm sorry for making you worried, Sasuke-kun.. Promise, I won't take them anymore. Thank you..

Sasuke: Keep that promise, okay? *hugs back*

Sakura: *nods and hugs tighter*

[karmatheprowlthra]

Apologies if today's post sounds like insane rambling. 3.5 hours of sleep and a long day of the army ruining my mood have not been fantastic for my mental health x3 Today I think I'm gonna talk about Karma's main snak Space! He was mentioned in the last post under the name Vasya, so if you're confused, don't you worry! Since it's a long post, I'm gonna put it under a cut x3

This is Vasya Kayashi! His nickname is Space because he has ADHD and has a lot of trouble focusing on any specific subject for too long. You could say he spaces out *wheeze* Okay sorry, bad joke. Space stands at 5'9" or 1.75 meters tall. He weighs about 170lbs, mostly muscle and a lil bit of chub (he cuddly boi :3). He is a sand cat, particularly known as a Runecian sand cat because that's where he is from. Like Karma, he (and everyone else in my worldbuilding) has a different anatomy than you might see most of the time, but lacks most of the abilities that the bigger felines like Karma have. Space, like Karma, is a soldier by trade! Being much smaller, he is far less aggressive than his large companion, but also far more methodic with his work. While Karma uses his strength to outright destroy his enemies, Space prefers to engage them from medium distance, or in ambush attacks.

Space's personality is a blend between introvert and extrovert. If he gets to know you well, he will happily talk your ear off about both his favorite subjects and yours. He loves to hear about the stories and things that people create, and enthusiastically encourages you to make the best that you can! However, if he doesn't know you well, he'll be very hesitant to engage in a conversation. He hates talking to authority figures aside from Karma, it gives him butterflies in his tummy.

Space is fond of video games, indoor rock climbing, writing and playfully fighting with others. He also enjoys betting, particularly with small prizes like who pays for dinner one night while everyone is on leave! He strongly dislikes tomatoes, excessive amounts of melted cheese, useless military regulation and running. Space was raised in the suburbs of his desert city and lived a relatively sheltered life. He decided at 17 years old that the military life was something he wanted to pursue and enlisted, joining the new specialized corps that were being introduced at the time. By sheer luck, he was assigned under Karma's leadership! The big feline quickly took Space under his wing, adopting him as a tiny and protecting him fiercely (I have some cute art I will share soon :3). At 19 years old, Space has served dutifully for upwards of two years. He has had many close calls that flare Karma's protective instincts, most notable of which was an encounter with an IED that left a deep scar over Space's right eye. The little sand cat was traumatized by the event, but ultimately recovered thanks to Karma's comforting and some quick medical treatment. Space is Karma's go-to snak for multiple reasons, among them being:

Space is a very tasty boi

Space needs comforting and seeks out Karma almost nightly, resulting in him having more belly time than every other Karma snak combined. The warmth and soft cozy flesh feel like a very comfortable weighted blanket to him, and he cozies right up without a care in the world :3

Space likes to squirm and massage Karma's soft tum from the inside, knowing how Karma enjoys internal belly rubs

Space is by far the least likely to complain if Karma eats him unwarranted. Even annoyance will quickly dissolve into purrs and nuzzles once he relaxes into the warm soft fleshy muscle!

That's about it for a simple description! Feel free to ask questions if you wish :3

(Important note! None of my characters respond well to teasing, and any preyish characters tend to be prey only to my other characters unless I know whoever wishes to do the nomming thoroughly! Please get to know me first if you wish to nom/be nommed by anyone uwu Also please refrain from making comments regarding these characters too vorish, I don't know exactly how to respond-)

[bitchesgetriches]

Hi! My wife listens to your podcast regularly, and I just caught a snippet of an old ep where one of you mentioned your hip cracking. This might be odd to say, and my sincere apologies if this is inappropriate, but I saved myself a lot of future arthritis by talking to a doctor about my hip cracking and catching, and getting an x-ray. It turns out my hip bone had been displaced for a long time because of a childhood accident that had seemed minor, and the physical therapist who helped me set the bone back in place (which was surprisingly easy!) said it's a pretty common issue that many people don't get fixed until they're in a lot of pain that could have been prevented. Hope this is helpful and not super weird!

This super sweet! Not weird at all! Thank you so much for reaching out.

Piggy here with some context. I'm the one with the bad hip. I took a really bad fall while running with my dog several years ago. Like a dumbass, I kept running on it for a few weeks before seeing a doctor. I got the imaging done, was referred to a sports medicine specialist, blah blah blah... anyway, the diagnosis is that I partially tore my hip flexor (soft tissue, not bone). The treatment was physical therapy, and for the most part it has been helpful. The hip is still a little off, though, and if I don't stretch properly before exercise, I re-injure it (though not as bad as the original injury). I know the signs now so I can immediately stop exercise and go back to physical therapy for a few weeks.

Your advice is SO important to anyone with an injury: STOP INJURING YOURSELF AND SEEK MEDICAL ATTENTION. Don't wait for it to get debilitating.

Also? Learn to stretch right and incorporate core-strengthening, agility, and balance exercises into your regular routine. If your muscles are strong and your joints flexible, you're less likely to get hurt.

... I think this is the most we've EVER talked about exercise on this blog. It's very off-brand so I'm going to stop now.

Run With Me if You Want to Save: How Exercising Will Save You Money

Why You Probably Don't Need That Gym Membership 

[whatsthekink]

Hi! A gal I've been fooling around with has a knifeplay kink and I keep procrastinating when researching it to make sure I'm not doing anything dangerous, so I figured I'd ask if you have any resources to throw my way in case I continue to procrastinate. For the record, the few times we've had a knife in bed it's been a dull pocket knife and I've been pointing the sharp side away from anything vital when it's nearby, figured those were the base safety things I should do.

oh boy, knifeplay is a whole bag of beans if you want resources it's generally never a bad idea to just punch "[kink] resources" or "[kink] guide" into your search engine of choice you will probably find a blog or two with valuable articles on the topic you're looking for you'll likely also find some helpful discussions on forums or reddit posts

would be better if you did that quickly, knife play is one of the spicier kinks and can get fairly dangerous if you handle it poorly (get it, handle?) i'll give you a list of my personal safety tips so you know what to look out for but remember that being informed is vital to BDSM, especially with the riskier kinks i mean it, inform yourself well

anyway, here's the list:

as a beginner, it's better to use something knife-like rather than a real knife so you can get a feel on how to handle such a scene first

if you really want to use an actual knife, make sure you use either a fixed blade (preferably a full tang knife so the blade can't wobble) or if you use a folding knife it absolutely must lock in place

if the blade doesn't lock it can hurt you and your partner unexpectedly

do NOT use a serrated or jagged blade, even an improperly dulled blade can be jagged and cause mean tissue damage if you use cuts during knifeplay/bloodplay

if you dull a knife you should know what you're doing, reason stated above

the shorter the blade the more control you have over it, so better go for a smaller knife (but also don't ever use a karambit or similar curved blades)

daggers or other double edged blades are dangerous and not worth the risk

ensure you are not in a compromised position when handling a knife. if one of you tumbles, slips or falls you risk having an accident

make sure you communicate how both of you act when a blade is involved first. if the bottom in the scene thrashes around too hard it could also cause issues

it's not a toy, don't wave it around

if you cut your partner out of their clothing, point the blade away from them (and watch your hands and face while doing so)

the knife should be dry when handled so make sure it's not covered in lube or bodily fluids. also make sure your hands aren't too sweaty to interfere with your grip

put the knife in a safe spot, preferably sheathed or otherwise covered, when it's not in use

you have to know how to treat both smaller wounds as well as larger/deeper ones and have all necessary materials for treatment at hand (doing a first aid course is always a good idea)

rule above is for both aftercare and in case of an accident, because: accidents can always happen. knifeplay with a real knife is never 100% safe

and finally: know when to seek medical attention

very deep wounds, jagged wounds, continuous bleeding after applying pressure for a while, any gaping wounds need proper treatment or you will regret it

wounds on head, face, hands, joints and genitals should be at least closely monitored if you don't seek professional aid immediately

stay safe, friend! -steve

[copperbadge]

hi Sam! do you think its a good idea to just go to a clinician/psychiatrist and say "I think I have ADHD, I'm having trouble in school and I'd really like medication for it?" Apart from the whole, I'm a minor and they might fear I'm a druggie- my ADHD symptoms has improved so much this summer when I finally left my abusive mother. My grades have always been great, and I would probably hide my neuroses on the actual interview and hyperfocus on any tests they give me so I'd score okay

Oh man, there is a lot going on in this ask. Not in a bad way! But a lot.

First, I'm glad you got away from your abuser, and I hope you're in a good place with people who are looking after you. I do think it's a good idea, if you feel you're struggling, to speak to a professional about the issue, especially if you have access to one easily. But I'd like to try and reframe your thinking a little bit, because while I understand the urge to say "I think I have ADHD and want meds, how do I get those" the underlying issue is different.

Don't get me wrong, I am really loving my Adderall and I'm not at all against medicating for issues that medication can fix, but medication doesn't always (or even usually) magically work at the perfect dose the first time out. I've never had a medication work for me like the Adderall does, and part of that is down to luck, finding the right med in the right dose on the first swing.

What you want, actually, is to find out why you're struggling, and to get help with that struggle. "Why you're struggling" may very well be ADHD, and "get help" may be medication, but framing it differently helps you to work towards a goal, instead of feeling like you're faking your way through. And it helps you get the help you need, not the help you may think you need. When I got evaluated for ADHD, I specifically asked also for an evaluation for Autism; I was pretty sure I didn't have it, but because my father did and brother does, I wanted to rule it out -- or get treatment for it, if it was that and not ADHD. I wanted a solution for my problem, but I wanted to make sure I knew what the problem WAS.

When you take an ADHD evaluation, most of them are really just a questionnaire (my eval was more extensive than most). They ask stuff like "Do you lose belongings frequently" and "Do you get told you interrupt a lot". As a student, you may be asked about your study habits, like whether you tend to do all your work last-minute, or whether you have trouble paying attention in class. Hiding behaviors, or lying about the ways you feel and act, is not going to help anyone get an accurate view of your issue, whether it's ADHD or something else. And it makes you look more like you're seeking drugs even if you aren't.

What you want to do, when speaking to someone about potentially having ADHD, is to show how you feel, behave, and act without coping mechanisms, which is different from concealing behaviors you think wouldn't be found acceptable. Do I lose my keys? Very, very rarely. You know why? Because I have a muscle-memory developed where without even thinking I put them either on a hook (at home) or in a special pocket of my bag (outside of home). Would I lose them constantly if I hadn't spent like fifteen years doing that? Sure would! When I spoke to my current psych, Dr. C., he asked me about the keys and I could have just lied and said "Yes, I lose them all the time." Instead, I said "I used to. I had to develop really strict protocols about where my keys go, and if I break protocol yeah, I do lose them." That actually made him MORE convinced I had ADHD, because he understood I saw the problem, fixed the problem, and still struggle sometimes. Context matters, it's not something you can hide if you want to get to the truth.

If you receive a diagnosis, the next step is to get help, and this is where you may need to be a little more focused on a goal. My initial evaluator suggested an "executive function coach" and coping mechanisms; she was against medication. I knew that I wouldn't benefit from a coach and I already have coping mechanisms, and I was still struggling, so I made the decision to speak to someone with a specialty in medication management, who I knew would be more open to prescribing for me. I said "My last psych recommended coping mechanisms. I'm not happy with white-knuckling my way through life anymore and I want to try medication."

Presumably you, like me, don't have a history of substance misuse or physical issues that would make it impossible to take the meds, so trying medication is an option you should be allowed to explore. But you may have to be a bit of a self-advocate there, and framing it as "I want to try this treatment option" instead of "I want medication" is a better way to go, both for yourself and for the person treating you.

This is a process where, unfortunately, we combine "You have to be open and transparent about your struggle" and "Sometimes the psychiatrist you speak to is a dickhead and will take advantage of that." It is still important to be honest, to say "I need help, I think this is how I need help, can you confirm this for me" and just know that if your dickhead alarm goes off, you can smile and nod and go get a second opinion later. Hopefully you have someone in your corner who can help you with this, since as a young person your dickhead alarm is not yet finely tuned. (No shade; it's probably better than mine was at your age.)

At the end of the day, I hope you're safe, I wish you luck, and I want you to get a diagnosis and some GREAT meds. I just think it's really important for someone to tell you that you don't have to hide parts of yourself in order to get there. You're in a new part of your life now, hopefully with people who care about you, and relearning how to feel safe and be vulnerable in that safety can be really difficult and also very frightening. But it's good for you, and it's the best possible way to get the help you need. GOOD LUCK!

[crisalidaseason]

what headcanons you have of the scouts that you strongly believe or/and really like?

Oh no you said the magic word

Sorry about that, I have no shame

Okay, let's go. Some of those headcannons apply for Alternative Universe and also Canonverse, some of them are specific for canon or alternative.

Scouts headcanons I strongly (and obsessively) believe

Mikasa

She seems tough and "I need nobody" type of person but that's NOT true! She actually craves a lot of affection and attention. She gives too much and doesn't get that much back and I think it makes her feel a little undeserving. Her friendship with Sasha helped a lot, since Sasha is very willing to care for her.

Mikasa is so stealthy and discreet that she finds out a lot of tea and gossip without looking for it. She isn't a gossiper at all, but bruh she knows everything! EVERY DIRTY SECRET.

She is a little petty. Don't cross her because you will become a target in a very silent game of death glares and intimidating aura.

Emotionally stunted, like, really stunted. She doesn't know how to express anything she's feeling unless is a very stressfull situation. Which gives her a lot of commitment issues that drives Armin and Sasha completely crazy because they just want her to be happy.

Armin

An extremely functional anxious person, which is why he is constantly exhausted and overwhelmed. It's really dificult for him to slow down his thoughts.

Honestly, a wolf in sheeps clothing in many ways. First, he is really shy and insecure, but don't underestimate his ability to be sassy af, specially as he gets older. Although he can be a little nasty sometimes, he makes it very subtle to not cause many problems.

I think he would be a wonderfull storyteller and author, the kind of writer that loves exploring many themes and is very open to any form of reading. He would be an amazing teacher too!

Cries whenever someone asks him for "one more quick favor" but does it anyway because he's a people pleaser. Mikasa is the one who usually rescues him when she feels his anxiety go through the roof.

Eren

Severe ADHD.

Honestly, annoying as f*ck. I don't mean it in a manchild way, but he is spoiled rotten by his mother so he IS ANNOYING and clingy. Can be a little self-centered but also very caring and helpful if well oriented.

Would try to solve bullying with violence and get bullied in the process. He genuinely tries, but Mikasa is the one who actually stops the bullying with violence and he just accepts it.

Needs serious anger issues treatment and is in fact working on it quite well. Unfortunately he has a lot of imposter syndrome and thinks he is just a bad person seeking attention. He needs a little hug sometimes.

Does not like Zeke at all. I don't think Eren would feel any attachment towards Zeke, specially if they met as adults or late teens. Maybe if they were introduced as kids it could work out.

tries to give a stoner vibes in college but hates smoking weed so he only eats the spicy gummies and brownies. He is a garbage disposal, eats everything wihtout a single thought.

Jean

An artist, a full blown artist. He is good in every art field he tries and everything turns out beautifull. He gets mad if he isn't good at it immediatly though and that can be quite annoying.

He seems like a heartbreaker but it's actually a clueless guy that is looking for real love. Even if he's oblivious as a baby pidgeon. I also headcannon him as TERRIFIED of dating men because of daddy issues (look at me and tell me he doesn't have daddy issues, I dare you)

Honestly, probably a mama's boy, but a very sweet and responsible one. I see him as being a super helpful son to a very hardworking mother. He cooks, cleans, fixes stuff, makes sure his momma has medical care and entertainment. I like to think he would be into soap opera because it used to be his bonding time with his mother.

Doesn't really remember why he is still Eren's rival, they just keep it for reputation. If they get drunk together you'll find them cuddling and crying together.

Connie

Unhinged but also good vibes. He is a comedian because of insecurity and low self-esteem and people rarely notice that. Sasha has helped him a lot with those issues.

The stoner vibes Eren tries to imitate Connie does it perfectly. And he's super chill, no forcing anyone to smoke or eat anything with drugs, will guide and help anyone who might wanna try it.

I feel he likes anime a little too much and ends up spending a lot of money on merch and figures. But the good part is that everyone is obssessed with his anime collection. Even if he is getting completely broke, he loves adding more.

Probably has a reptile as a pet and knows a lot about exotic animal care. I picture him having a snake or a bearded dragon (maybe both), some frogs because he likes the dumb face. I also think he would name them weird shit like "eustacius" "cornelius" or "tibaultus".

Ugly cried when Sasha started to date Nicollo because he couldn't go on their date nights. He wants to be a supportive bestie but sometimes he is a little too much and Jean has to intervene.

Sasha

The chillest person ever, a sweetheart in many many ways. BUT she is Connie's friend and being unhinged is also a thing (honestly, Jean is the only "normal" one, which explains why he seems the mom of the trio). She takes no shit and will humiliate any mean person with freaking class. One time a bully cried like a baby because he got roasted by Sasha.

She is a super extrovert and is the one who actually brings people to the friend group because she is the easiest and most adorable person to meet. She is known by many people because of that.

Loves food but, on the contrary belief, has a perfect relationship with food and doesn't feel bad about anything she eats. She will recomend the best places to eat (and affordable!!) and some of them are so hidden that you wonder if she spends her free time wandering around and trying food.

She is a food lover but doesn't like to cook at all! (that's how Nicollo actually got her, he cooked for her once and boom she was in love).

Will blast music anytime for any reason, she doesn't do a single activity without music.

She is the best big sister, the best. Her siblings all love her so much.

Marco

A prince, a perfect and sweet prince. The kindest soul you'll ever meet. He is also a classic literature and music lover, but in a super inclusive and non-judgmental way. He loves arts, much like jean, but he is more inclined to music and writing.

Marco is the worried mom of the group. He is also asking about everyone's health and moods. He makes sure to pay attention to every person and include them in the conversation.

In my mind he was raised by two lesbians, idk why but he seems like a boy who was raised by super alt lesbians and I'm here for that.

Has two cats despite having allergies. Will play with stray cats and dogs and baby talk with them.

He is also a little cupid and love advisor even if he never dated himself. It's funny how people follow his tips so strongly even if he has no real experience.

Historia

Impatient af. She seems sweet and cute because of her looks but she low-key is super impatient and IDGAF vibes. She uses her looks as an advantage and plays sweet girl so she can get what she needs. She isn't unpleasant though, she loves and protects her friends very much.

In my head she would be a power lawyer (much like Camille Vasquez from the Dep and Heard trial) and be extremely intimidating in knowledge. I just know Historia is a very smart person.

She hates being a leader, but people often put her on leading roles because of how well she communicates. She is extremely eloquent and well spoken, sometimes even a little too formal.

Eren became her bestie because those two have a very similar dark humor, although she used to absolutely hate Eren during pre-teen years.

Ymir

If historia has IDGAF vibes, Ymir is the worst of them. Not only she doesn't care, but also is a little unpleasant. Ymir can be a little too mean and unecessarily snarky. Which explains why she doesn't have a lot of friends.

I think Ymir is scared of intimacy or love, probably because of how neglected she was. But I like to think she would eventually warm up and become more open to people in her life. Once she considers them friends, she would be very helpfull and understanding.

HORRIBLE driver, do not let her drive in any circunstances. She drives like a maniac even when traffic is calm. Poor historia almost had a heart attack.

People associate Ymir with drugs but I think she would despise them. She wouls be a "no drugs allowed" kind of person. But she doesn't mind the ones that consume drugs, just don't offer it to her.

Erwin

Honestly, dad vibes, but not in a seggsual way. He would be a dad in the embarassing way.

Old man that doesn't understand modern social cues. The kind of person to post a tweet or send a message and ALWAYS sign it with "From Erwin Smith". He also doesn't understand slangs but ends up using them at random times and Levi just wants to punch him so hard.

Very patient, almost annoyingly patient. Would be into cross words or diorama building because of how long it takes. Would not loose his cool so easily but can get mad without expressing it.

He likes fancy sweets. You know those super fancy cakes, deserts? He would die to try them. I feel his favorite would be a blueberry flavored thing.

He is a gossiper, and Levi is always the one he tells the gossip first even if he BEGS for Erwin to stop.

Levi

Just wants some peace tbh. This man wants a quiet house in the middle of nowhere where he grows herbs and small vegetables. He wants to spend his miserable remaining lifespan drinking tea and relaxing in the porch.

BUT NO. He has to be babysitting a bunch of hormonal teenagers. People just trust him with a bunch of young kids as if he's not gonna snap and murder them all. But I think that deep down he has fun with the younger ones, specially when they get themselves in trouble and he just watches.

Erwin is the bane of his existence. He might be loyal to the blond man, but he also wants to break his nose on a daily basis. Don't even get me started on Hange, they are Levi's nightmare. He loves them both though.

Also an old man who likes gossip but pretends not to.

Hange

Nothing, I said NOTHING about Hange is conventional. They are the most chaotic and unhinged creature I've ever seen.

Social cues? Doesn't know them. Hange will do and say weird things in the middle of a serious conversation. If you mention Hange's special interest be ready to listen to hours and hours of very detailed facts about titans or science in general.

I have this weird headcanon that Hange would become a mortician and open a funeral home. I know it's weird but I really think Hange would be obsessed with the human body but not in a doctor way.

Has tarantulas, like many of them. Levi absolutely hates visiting them.

Will bother Levi, but also Erwin. Hange doesn't give a single f*ck if Erwin is their boss, they will interrupt and be inconvenient.

[jyndor]

hi! I saw you're an esthetician and I have a question. Would you be able to help? My skin, particularly on my jaw, is bumpy with really painful cystic acne. They're not numerous but big (about slightly bigger than a pea) and I don't know how to get them to go away. I can't sleep bc it hurts to lay my head on a pillow and they're painful and bleed. I'm changing my diet so it's cleaner and I'm drinking more water, but I don't know what else to do.

Hi anon honey, I feel your pain - cystic acne is horrible and hormonal acne - which is usually what we experience when we have cysts on our jawline - is something I have personal experience with. First let me say that as an esthetician who hasn't worked on your skin personally, I can only give general advice.

And also, because I know how emotionally painful acne can be, your acne does not make your skin dirty or ugly or bad.

If you are able, try to make an appointment with your primary care provider or a dermatologist. I recognize this may be difficult or even inaccessible, but acne is a medical condition and cystic acne stems from deep in the skin, deeper than an esthetician is licensed to work.

If your quality of life is diminished by your acne, you need to seek medical care. It is possible that eating healthier might help clear your skin, but many things can contribute to acne and diet is not the only factor. Genetics, environment, stress, hormones, etc - these are some potential things that can worsen acne.

A doctor may prescribe you an antibiotic like doxycycline - because acne is a bacterial infection - or a topical like clindamycin, tretinoin or adapalene. Spironolactone is another effective treatment for hormonal acne. If none of these or other similar treatments work, they may recommend Accutane.

As a wax specialist and esthetician who specializes in ingrown hair care/acne care, I have to say that if you get waxed, you may need to stop taking your medication before a wax (depending on the drug it could be a week or two, or with Accutane we are talking SIX MONTHS). They also can inject the cysts with corticosteroids.

Please understand that our skin cells take weeks to fully regenerate so in order to see results, you need to be consistent with your regimen and patient with your skin while it heals.

In addition to seeking medical treatment, here are some suggestions I have for dealing with the symptoms of cystic acne:

1. Cystic acne is inflamed and deep. No amount of picking, ~extracting or touching you do to it will bring it to a head and release the nasty from your pore. I know it's hard to resist picking, but you will not be able to pop your cystic acne. You will likely make things a million times worse by pushing the bacteria deeper into the follicle and spreading the infection around. Don't touch it.

2. The inflammation is something you might be able to treat at home. Use a warm compress or a cold compress, these both work for different reasons to reduce inflammation and pain, but make sure you don't just apply ice straight to your skin - wrap it in a towel to protect your skin. Try to keep them on for 10-15 minutes at a time.

3. You may consider using a salicylic acid topical pad or 2% gel to help slough sebum build up in the pores, but definitely speak to a doctor because if they prescribe something for you to use, you don't want to do too much exfoliation. Adapalene gel or Differin is actually OTC in the US so you could also try that, but again, definitely talk to your provider. And any acne treatment will require you to wear sunscreen.

4. There is some clinical evidence to suggest Blue LED Light therapy is effective for treating acne because it is very good at killing bacteria. I am certified with a brand called LightStim, for full disclosure. I wouldn't recommend buying some product randomly at a store - LED therapy requires near daily use to be effective and you want the device to be well made but you'd do best buying a professional device through a provider or esthetician - LightStim is one line that is great, another is Celluma. But honestly these are expensive (my wands cost me like $140~ I think off the top of my head, and I got the professional pricing). You don't need these, but I would be remiss if I didn't mention LED therapy.

5. Take an anti-inflammatory medication. Sometimes we need to take ibuprofen to get through things.

6. Drink lots of water because it is healthy, but there is no evidence to suggest that drinking more water keeps acne at bay. Hydrated skin is healthier skin because if you're dehydrated your skin's moisture barrier doesn't function as well as it should, and that barrier prevents bacteria from invading our pores, but I see people say this a lot and it's really not related to acne directly. But do stay hydrated.

7. Change your pillow cases OFTEN. I sometimes notice I break out on one side of my face if I don't change them as frequently as I should.

8. Don't strip your skin of its natural healthy oils. Use a gentle cleanser (cerave hydrating cleanser is great) and avoid harsh bullshit like grapefruit cleansers or whatever else brands try to sell as acne skincare. Our skin needs oil just like it needs water, and stripping oil from our skin makes it produce more sebum out of desperation lol. Use a light moisturizer - again, cerave is really innocuous and affordable - and wear sunscreen. Wash off your makeup and sunscreen at night.

Good luck anon and let me know if you have any other questions!

[incarnateirony]

Oh dang, apparently tumblr tip feature lets you leave comments! Also as I reply to this, let it be known that I deeply appreciate every tip, subscriber, and birthday present this month. Because, while I know things will pan out in time, those are the little things helping me out with unexpected expenses like the wheelchair, or frankly getting myself some cheap doordash the other night when I realized I didn't have anything I could make without getting up. So every little bit literally brightens my day and thanks.

So yeah, absolutely.

Listen, I've learned how to make things flex in almost any situation. It really depends what scale you want to work with. I can give advice on everything from how to hitchhike the US returning stolen eyedrops to more standard methods of pursuing stability. Let's start with the latter.

So rule of thumb, the larger and more liberal or progressive your city is, the better your experiences with this will be. I'll add things for more small town and rural people later on. But for the city folk:

Always google your community resources, and don't only check the main city site. Don't be shy about googling "rental assistance [town]", "[utility assistance] town", whatever. Usually there's more than the default government programs around, same as there being community foodbanks and the like. There may be more resources in your backyard than you know.

Even if you yourself are not homeless actively, it doesn't hurt to go down to homeless centers, specifically ones geared towards rehabilitation and recovery housing programs, because they often have pamphlets of resources on where to get free medical, free meals, and so on. For example Portland Oregon down by SAFES and the Rescue Mission hands out little decently thick booklets with piles of resources that teach you to beat your feet for 8 free meals/snacks a day. And that's not even brushing on dental vans, and medical resources even for homeless LGBTQ people needing support on hormones or other issues. It's the best place to look for resources.

Learn to cook basics. Rice and beans is your friend, and very flexible with the right veggie blends, seasonings, and occasional meat thrown in. You can live off a crock pot with several varied meals a week this way. Add in learning to bake your own bread. It cuts your sugar intake considerably, you WILL notice weight loss in a good way, it tastes way the fuck better than store shit, and if you add that, some noodles and butter and garlic to your pantry, you actually have a decent rotating menu where you can keep an EXTREMELY low food budget, if you're in some position you don't have food stamps accessible.

While I always, ALWAYS suggest going to a doctor in any and every situation, and this is purely nonprofessional "this saved my ass" advice, fish antibiotics work in place of human antibiotics in emergencies. You can get Amoxicillin, Penecillin, and several other things on most pet sites or at pet stores if you can't cover copays and this that and the other or just flat Can Not Access Or Get To Assistance. Still immediately seek professional treatment when you can, but if you've got an emergency abcess and no healthcare, this WILL save your ass, literally.

Ignore boomers. Avocados are your friend. They're like 68/cents each in my area of the US at least and have great fatty content. Beans will cover your protein, avocados will cover your fat. Use one avocado with a scoop from a big gallon tub of ice cream and mix in your favorite fruit, easily kept frozen in bulk in the fridge, in a blender. Congratulations you have a semi spoil semi diet shake thing for cheap as hell in multiple servings and a bunch of vitamins and shit. If you're in a region where avocados ARE expensive, then find another base with similar properties. Hell, bananas ain't a bad answer.

Literally this is the diet I have been pouring weight off with. I cut out soda, I stopped buying snack cakes and the like, I started making my own bread. H leaned heavily on rice and beans, noodles for carbs on occasion to break it up, and various small experiments to shake it up while cruising with smoothies by day. It don't cost jack shit in the long run and its. Like. Good for you???

If you have the space, by zoning or rural location, invest in a chicken coop, or at least the parts to build one yourself. There's DIY guides all over the internet. Have the joy of raising a couple chickies inside then putting them out and you have eggs for life. Get a few chickens per people and you'll have eggs coming out your ears. You'll be trying to give eggs away to friends. Sell eggs. I don't care. Eggs. Throw them scraps and they shit out food for you. It's magic.

Don't be afraid about using a little indoor grow space. While I don't expect you to go Pot Farmer like Some People, it doesn't hurt to set up a raised indoor grower and just PLANT some of what you use most, because if you take care of it right within a few months you'll have all you ever need. There's cheap basic grow lights or you can just put them up near windows that match the lighting cycle of the given plant.

There's probably others I'm not thinking of. But here's what I came up with top of my head, hope this helps someone.

[senadimell]

Re: the death post, is it wrong to ask why you see it as a bad ideal for society to aspire to? I agree that coming to peace with death is healthy for individuals but I don’t think we should have that attitude as a society. The ideal of immortality, of being physically ~26 forever, seems a noble one to aspire to. Our deaths should ideally be under our control. That they aren’t is probably not changing in the near future (hence the need to come to peace with it as individuals) but it doesn’t make it any less of a tragedy imo. Plus as an ideal it doesn’t seem that impossible in comparison to others, we have real life examples of immortal organisms, we have no indication that it goes against the laws of physics (unlike, say, teleportation).

Sorry for the long delay in answering @urupotter. It's not wrong to ask, but the answer is complicated because it's deeply personal and touches on my moral convictions, so it's emotionally taxing to discuss. Also, my religious upbringing likely plays a part in how I see things and I don't expect that to be universal.

The short of it is this: I cannot imagine a society that seeks immortality that is not deeply, deeply ableist.

I live in a country that used to be renowned for its eugenics and those attitudes didn't go away after the second world war, we just focused it on health and beauty and perfect babies and anti-miscegenation.

Literally, there's a supreme court ruling still on the books that upholds state-decided compulsory sterilization. Legally, it's just fine for the state to decide who's allowed to reproduce because "three generations of imbeciles is enough."

I already live in an ableist society, and I live in a society that's terrified of and ignorant towards death. We are phobic towards aging and disease. We bury and hide those things. Parents go to live in nursing homes when they're sick and unless someone dies in hospice in your home or you were in an accident or the military or work in hospice or mortuaries etc., most people have literally not seen an unembalmed corpse. You also don't see fragile, elderly people in public, and multigenerational households are rare.

I don't know if I'm communicating this well, but for us to pursue immortality, I have a really hard time believing we could do that without denigrating mortality, aging, and disability.

So if we have a system where those things are looked down on, then we think about who has access to life-extending treatment, and that's where class comes in. Even if we could technically come up with something that makes you immortal, I highly doubt that everyone would have equal access to it. So you end up with an amplified version of the society we live in now, where youth and beauty is praised and age is feared or disparaged, and even more than now, access to beauty and immortality is tied to wealth and power. (ageism in hiring is already a huge problem!)

Do I think it's a good use of societal resources? Not really, no. Even if we put aside all of the problems for the policymakers, I think there's other things I'd rather medical researchers be focusing on.

Now, there are definitely age-related things that I think are great to focus on fixing. Coming up for some ways to get rid of arthritis = great! would make lots of people's lives easier! Getting rid of Alzheimer's and other kinds of dementia? Absolutely! While we're at it, let's cure Parkinson's.

It might seem contradictory that I'm totally find with finding cures for degenerative diseases but am not okay with treating death, perhaps the ultimate degenerative disease. But I guess that's the thing, I don't see death as a disease, and I don't see disability as inherently bad (some kinds of disability are just bad—there is nothing redeeming about migraines. Or Alzheimer's). I'm not sure how to describe why those two goals feel different, but it just seems like hubris to pursue eternal youth, whereas stopping specific kinds of suffering seems noble.

Here's where I get into the fuzzy philosophical side of things. I think aging and death have a whole lot to teach us as a society. I think we learn compassion through caregiving. I think we learn humility and patience. I think there's tremendous wisdom to be found in aging and dealing with aging and death. I don't think we should go around inflicting it, obviously, but I do think that we have so much to learn.

This is the part where I'm speaking purely personally, and don't expect others to have to agree with me, but I don't think in a perfect world we would have control over our deaths. This has to do with what I understand the purpose of life to be.

(I'd rather not get into a public discussion on assisted suicide; the short of it is that I'm not blanket opposed to it but I think it's a very very delicate issue and I lack the life experience to know if it's something I would ever pursue, so I'm not the one who should be setting policy)

And maybe this is silly or morbid or crass, but tbh it does give me a sense of relief to know that we all die because there are some sucky people in the world with a lot of power and money and I don't think it would be a better world if they were immortal.

So in conclusion, I think it's actually worse for a society as a whole to be pursuing immortality (as opposed to individuals) because of all the attitudes that go around with it. Also, there's enough preventable deaths to go round and I think we should focus on that.

[gen-x-genderqueer]

I have a pre-intake call with someone at the gender clinic tomorrow, they have care coordinators, so I guess this is about that. Anyway, I'm making a list of concerns. This is long and pretty personal, so it's going to go under a cut....

The Major Problems

My PMDD is bad. This is the biggest reason why my therapist is pushing me to at least talk to someone about hormones. I had a history of being seriously suicidal (as in actual attempts) when I was a teenager and then things settled down for a while. Now that I'm actually going through perimenopause though, it's gotten really unstable. The level of PMDD I'm having right now is close to that bad; although I have better coping tactics so I'm not actually suicidal.

My cycles are often 18-21 days long, sometimes as short as 16 or 17. Even with two LONG cycles (over 36 days), I still had 15 cycles in 2022. That means 15 rounds of severe PMDD.

I am experiencing "vaginal dryness" (more specifically vulval dryness) that periodically makes me feel like I'm about to come down with a UTI. Ick.

Hot flashes.

Based on the PMDD alone, I think it would probably be a good idea to shut down my cycles (at the ovarian level, so not uterine ablation). Probably this means some sort of oral contraception, progesterone minipill or testosterone. But the last two symptoms are usually treated with estrogen so... I don't really know this is where I need a doctor who has more knowledge & expertise.

The Big T

Part of why I'm specifically looking at going to a gender clinic for treatment is that I want to be able to talk to them about T. I had always said "Oh, if I had known that I could be nonbinary and take T when I was 25 I would have totally done that." But I'm also really resistant to medicalization, and without any other motivators, I really would rather just not see a doctor. At all. (OK, maybe if I have pneumonia or a UTI.) This was a major reason why I put off having breast reduction surgery for many years, I just didn't want to have medical care if I didn't absolutely have to.

Anyway... back to the question at hand... If I need to see someone for perimenopause reasons, then I want it to be someone I can talk to about low dose testosterone without them running away screaming. Apparently, using small amounts of T in menopausal cisgender women is useful, but controversial because everyone is so worried about "masculinization." Like... No. I'm really not worried about that. But I don't want to have to sit in a sterile little medical room and have to educate my provider.

So, here's how I feel about possible effects of T...

Menstrual cessation: Uh... see above! This would be a good thing.

Voice changes: YES PLEASE! This would be my number 1 positive!

Bottom growth: I would be into this, but it wouldn't be a major goal.

Facial/body hair: This one I'm kinda on the fence about. I mostly do not want facial hair for the sole reason that I pull it out with my fingernails. It's not a healthy fidget. 😬 Hair other places, I'm cool with it, I don't really care that much. Right now, I choose to shave my armpits, but literally only because I feel like antiperspirant works better if I do and I don't like damp pits.

Hair loss: Oh HELL NO! And this is a huge one because I'm old enough that if I was a cisgender guy, I would be having hair loss right now. Big no on having that happen.

Body changes: Look, I work out. I lift heavy. I already have a good deal of muscle and I'd be stoked to increase that. (If you didn't know I was a GenX gymrat before, the word "stoked" would be a major clue.) Changes in bodyfat distribution are more ho-hum. I'm not dysphoric about my butt or anything, but I'd be OK with subtle changes.

Facial structure/jawline changes: I'm alright with this. I might be more enthusiastic if I understood what it will look like on me.

Vaginal dryness/atrophy: Uh... I'm already on the road to this and it's one of the reasons I'm seeking perimenopause care. So this is going to need to get dealt with one way or another.

[aspd-culture]

is it worth it to look into aspd diagnosis? or treatment? ive been questioning it a lot, considering the only person ive ever related to properly about mindset shit has dxed aspd and is convinced i have it. but does diagnosis/treatment really help much? (my roomate currently isnt in therapy, idk if the blog admin is but if anyone reading is maybe they could weigh in?) is it actually worth the hassle and label to get dxed if im pretty good at forcing myself to do shit and act "appropriately" anyway? theres shit other people in my life consider genuine issues, but i dont care myself for it or how they feel about it so itd be a big show in and of itself just making myself get in to see someone. if its not going to do anything for someone treatment resistance id rather just keep on how im going instead.

Oof, tough question. As a disclaimer, I am not a professional and I cannot give medical advice. The following is not in any way an attempt to sway your medical decisions, nor an attempt to discourage anyone from getting help.

I am personally professionally diagnosed and actively in therapy once a week, where I openly discuss my symptoms of ASPD with both my therapist and my psychiatrist.

First off, I definitely think that if someone with ASPD is advising you to look into it, that it is at least worth privately researching. That goes double if you find yourself relating heavily to them in ways you do not relate to prosocials (people without ASPD). Whether or not you have it, and whether or not you decide to seek a diagnosis and/or treatment, understanding this disorder and yourself better are never bad things. If you choose not to seek treatment at this time, knowing what you have or think you have (after a lot of research from many sources!) can lead you to developing safe and healthy coping mechanisms that can avoid you and your loved ones ending up negatively affected by your symptoms.

The question of if it's worth getting diagnosed is a tough one, and again I need to stress this is not medical advice, it is just my opinion. ASPD is a heavily stigmatized and misunderstood diagnosis. If you do not know your providers well, you could end up getting yourself into a situation where a doctor with stigma against ASPD may push you towards emergency treatment that you do not require. They shouldn't, and it's not legal for them to let their bias get in the way of their patients' lives, but it does happen.

If you are going to pursue diagnosis, I strongly advise taking it slowly and only doing so once you have built a strong relationship with your therapist. Mentioning your roommate's diagnosis without in any way implying you relate to their symptoms is a great way to slowly see how they feel about ASPD and make sure you are not entering yourself into an unsafe situation where they may abuse their power.

That said, even if you have a good provider, there are other repercussions to having a diagnosis to think about. The likelihood of adopting children is very low. The likelihood of being able to work in certain fields may be slim to none depending on your area's specific laws about private medical information. In some places, some jobs are allowed to require a full mental health workup from you including your diagnoses. Many of these jobs will not hire someone with ASPD. This is unlikely to affect you at a desk job, but very likely to affect you if you want to work in any caregiving position, or even around animals.

Additionally, if you are ever a defendant in court for any reason, the cards are considerably stacked against you if you are diagnosed with ASPD, even if you did not do anything wrong. The assumption is likely to be that you are guilty and/or a flight risk.

This is definitely not a diagnosis that, in the current state of the world, you want to be open about at work, with landlords, etc. There is little to no social accommodations for ASPD anyway, so keep this diagnosis on a need to know basis if you get it, for your own safety.

Because of all of this, if you are currently able to control your symptoms, you may want to consider if it is worth pursuing diagnosis.

That said, you do not need a dx to get help with symptoms. I honestly think everyone with the privilege to do so should try therapy unless they have particular reasons not to. It has been seriously helpful in my life, as someone with reasonably good control over my symptoms, because it lets me deal with the PTSD that caused the ASPD, and if I really get bothered by a symptom, or someone in my life does and I have nothing else to talk about, it's a safe place to get into that too.

No one ever said you have to tell your therapist everything. It's best to most times, because they are bound by confidentiality, but if you want to go there and only talk about specific things and never bother mentioning certain symptoms, that is an option. In fact, there are many therapists who prefer to work on symptoms directly as opposed to labeling things with diagnoses.

I personally found value in getting diagnosed, even weighed against the risks, because I needed to know what exactly was going on with me and have that confirmed by a professional. If you don't find value in that, there are therapists that agree with you.

Many therapists will have you make goals for therapy, but you can even walk into your intake with those goals and your philosophy on how you want to be helped and find out from day one if that therapist and you are a match in that regard. I would advise anyone looking into therapy to do their own research and find a therapist with good reviews and preferably who deals in the type of therapy you're interested in. I would say that anyone with trauma would likely have better experiences if they only work with trauma/PTSD specialized therapists, as to avoid a lack of trauma informed care.

At the end of the day it's your decision, but I found it can really help the balancing act of pretending to be normal if you have someone who is paid good money to let you unmask, talk openly about your symptoms and feelings on others, and get some advice that might make the whole controlling your symptoms thing easier in ways you didn't expect or think of.

Personally, I think the only way therapy would not help you is if the therapist you talk to is a bad match - and that's coming from someone who swore for many years that I would never go to therapy, and then when I tried it and got a bad match, gave up on it for a year. I'm glad I went back.