#might combine more asks if they're similar! Hope that's fine cause I don't think the inbox is ever going to be empty at this rate

[daily-odile]

if it has not been suggested already and you are okay with drawing it-- maybe Odile teaching Bonnie how to make onigiri??

the duo ever!!

[cripplecharacters]

In the story I'm writing, a large portion of the characters are humans who can shape-shift into exactly one animal. As a general rule, their animal form usually resembles their human form, but appears at least adjacent to what is typical to the animal they become. How do I go about determining the animal form appearance of someone who has a chromosome non-disjunction, but whose animal form doesn't have the same typical number of chromosomes as a human?

Hello!

This is complicated and can be a bit tricky if the conditions the person has isn't really possible in the animal. For context of this ask I'm unfortunately not a veterinarian but i tried to do research to be able to answer it. I also hope I understood the question properly if not please feel free to resend and maybe a different mod who understands better will be able to help :) (smiley face)

The easiest and least scientific way would be to just apply the symptoms to the animal and ignore the fact that it isn't realistic (which I don't think would be too much of a problem considering they're a human shapeshifting). So if they as a person have widespread eyes or have very small ears, you could just apply the same to the animal. This will be easier done in a animal with a more humanlike face (like a cat or some dogs) rather than something like a fish or a bird in which case it would be definitely harder to conceptualize. But since it's fundamentally unrealistic i think it's fine if you get creative with it ! It would make the most sense I think because even the chromosome conditions that both animals and humans can have mostly have symptoms that are unrelated at best.

The slightly more scientific way would be to pick an animal that can have something similar to the disability the person has. For example cats can't have Down Syndrome because they don't have that many chromosomes but there are cats who visually resemble the human disability to some degree (like Monty the cat) for other medical reasons. If the disorder you're writing the character with also comes with lack of coordination or some kind of problem with movement then you could look up how cerebellar hypoplasia presents in the specific animal (it's present in many not just one species so theres a chance it could apply to the one you were planning to write). It's not perfect either but if you have trouble visualizing how that could look visually then this is a possibility.

The "most scientific" but also probably requiring you to change the exact chromosome disorder is to pick a disorder that exists in both the animal and humans like monosomy X, trisomy XXY, or some sort of mosaic combination. But the animal counterparts of these disorders have different symptoms than the human ones so it wouldn't be as obvious to the readers that their animal version also has the disorder (unless It's something like a cis male or trans female character with Klinefelter Syndrome shapeshifting into a small calico or tortoiseshell kitty, which i think is more obvious because these cats can't be assigned male at birth without the trisomy present). The only exception of that I was able to find (warning: it's a scientific paper) is monosomy X in dogs having some similarities to Turner Syndrome in humans (small stature, "younger" appearance, and excessive skin at the neck). But that's kind of it.

From the research I done so far for this ask it seems that a lot of different chromosome syndromes in animals cause it to be much smaller than it usually would be. So while it might not exactly translate from the human version it's something that could possibly happen if you want to be scientifically accurate.

I hope this answer was at least a little useful ! Sorry most examples were cats but they were the easiest to find references for.

(on a side note it makes me really happy you decided to look for an option for the character to not lose their disability when shapeshifting I wish i could be of better help..)

mod sasza

[phemonoi]

Checking in with Apollo | 17.06.19 🌻✨

This reading has been very clearing for me. I've been having trouble with interpreting the messages Apollo has been trying to send me but, I think this reading FINALLY did the thing. It all makes sense now. Im relieved.

What do you think of me?

Card: Knight of Pencatles

—Prepared, efficient, ambitious, practical; stagnant, lazy, careless, idle.

Now, I don't think I'm any of those “good” things, but if Apollo says I'm efficient and prepared then okay, I'll try to believe that. As a Taurus moon (with the moon being my dominant planet and chart ruler) I think this card mostly speaks to me in that sense, beside the keywords. An earthly faery; a wood nymph, someone who needs flowers around, but who is also stubborn and mind-biased. Colored by golden, green and soft yellow, this card speaks to me on a physical level more than anything. The Knight of Pentacles needs movement, and constant grounding, in order to not become stuck, too attached to a situation or the current state of affairs, or to just lose herself in the “visible” and “direct” world of the senses. Movement and change will be forced on her if she doesn't cooperate, for seasons must always come and go. She needs to stay tuned into her feelings, water her plants, raise her flowers and care for her animals. I think Apollo sees a lot of potential in me to achieve what I dream of, He also thinks I'm kind and somehow nurturing, loving. The thing is, I'm idle and in constant doubt. The Knight of Pentacles is the one closest to nature out of all the knights. The one who contemplates the most, who has the capacity to develop patience and wisdom the most. She sees leaves falling to their death during autumn, getting buried to be reborn again, beautiful and placid, and in them she finds herself.

What is something you're trying to teach me?

Card: Death rx.

—Resistant, stagnant, immobility, obsession; change, endings, beginnings, transition.

This is very self explanatory. Combined with how he thinks of me (Knight of Pentacles —and I must add, The Hanged Man jumped off the deck while I was shuffling it) Apollo has been experiencing issues with getting his lesson across. I need a deep transformation in order to continue striving for the life I wish to live, in order to find my higher purpose. I must die. Like those leaves making their way to the ground slowly during autumn and turning into ashes during winter. I must experience the deepest transformation and cleansing, I must bury my bones, let my blood become rivers, get rid of all the expectations, concepts and ideas that make me human. The first thing Apollo teached me were healthy habits. My routine became fixed, practical. However, I got bored. My emotions started boiling again and I lost focus and haven't been able to return to my path. Apollo is here to aid me; after all, I am the Knight and he's Eleleus; He of the War Cry.

What have I been ignoring?

Card: The Chariot rx.

—Aggression, self-doubt, defeat, loss of control; conquest, control, victory, motivation.

One of the things I've most been lacking is self-assurance. I find myself in a constant state of doubt, intellectuslizing everything, spending hours in my head unrolling a long and repetitive monologue of everything. My thoughts lack courage, they hyperfixate on the smallest things and turn trivialities into causes of chaos. Apollo is reminding me that I have control, I've never lost it. I need to know myself deeper, my strengths and weaknesses, to transform them. My thoughts wont race if I don't let them. My self-doubt is just boredom, it isn't real.

How are we benefiting each other?

Card: Nine of Wands

—Courage, determination, persistence, hope.

I mean, what can I add? The man in the picture is wounded, but he continues to defend what is his. Contrary to the rider-waite deck, in my deck he's still, fearless. Apollo asks nothing from me but hope, trust, creativity. I'm still a student, I'm learning, and thats fine; I'll hurt myself, I'll cry, but I should never give up. This card is vitality for me right now.

Are we a good match?

Card: The Hierophant

—Tradition, guidance, spirituality, orthodoxy, institution; rebellion, disobedience.

I think this is a fairly good card for this position. Given that Apollo had illustrated the meaning of the reversed card for me before, in a context very similar to this, and that I'm not part of any religious institution or even have access to a community (or the motivation to call myself religious in the first place, and that's why I've always been unsure of this card), I feel the need to use some of its reversed meanings to my advantage. The reversed side of this card has always been more suited for me in many ways, I just like it more; revolution, rebellion, disobedience. This are not things I'm against. They're actually values I hold. However, what Apollo means here is that —He's my guide. I can trust Him with anything. Given my situation, He's basically the only one closest to being a “spiritual leader”, or better said, a teacher for me. All the knowledge I need He will provide for me; I can feel safe with Him. He's patient. It comes to mind right now, He might even want me to take an oath, to move my worship further. I shall reflect on this.

Update: He's probably also telling me that our relationship has become too conservative, and that I'm focusing too much on filling traditional standards or spending too much time studying the “appropriate” greek way of worship. He often repeats that my relationship with the Gods is mine, and I shouldn't look for anyone else's approval on this. This might also be tied to how he thinks about me right now (Knight of Pentacles) as too logical and focused on perfectly practicing my craft, worrying too much about any mistakes to the point where I just decide to not try anything at all, judging myself on whether I'm doing enough or if I even have an inherent right to do it. That sounds extreme, though. Things are right just as they are.

☀️🐰✨🌼💛