#non-relational databases

[tccicomputercoaching]

Relational vs. Non-Relational Databases

Introduction

Databases are a crucial part of modern-day technology, providing better access to the organization of information and efficient data storage. They vary in size based on the applications they support—from small, user-specific applications to large enterprise databases managing extensive customer data. When discussing databases, it's important to understand the two primary types: Relational vs Non-Relational Databases, each offering different approaches to data management. So, where should you start? Let's take it step by step.

What Are Databases?

A database is simply an organized collection of data that empowers users to store, retrieve, and manipulate data efficiently. Organizations, websites, and applications depend on databases for almost everything between a customer record and a transaction.

Types of Databases

There are two main types of databases:

Relational Databases (SQL) – Organized in structured tables with predefined relationships.

Non-Relational Databases (NoSQL) – More flexible, allowing data to be stored in various formats like documents, graphs, or key-value pairs.

Let's go through these two database types thoroughly now.

Relational Data Base:

A relational database is one that is structured in the sense that the data is stored in tables in the manner of a spreadsheet. Each table includes rows (or records) and columns (or attributes). Relationships between tables are then created and maintained by the keys.

Examples of Relational Databases:

MySQL .

PostgreSQL .

Oracle .

Microsoft SQL Server .

What is a Non-Relational Database?

Non-relational database simply means that it does not use structured tables. Instead, it stores data in formats such as documents, key-value pairs, graphs, or wide-column stores, making it adaptable to certain use cases.

Some Examples of Non-Relational Databases are:

MongoDB (Document-based)

Redis (Key-value)

Cassandra (Wide-column)

Neo4j (Graph-based)

Key Differences Between Relational and Non-relational Databases.

1. Data Structure

Relational: Employs a rigid schema (tables, rows, columns).

Non-Relational: Schema-less, allowing flexible data storage.

2. Scalability

Relational: Scales vertically (adding more power to a single server).

Non-Relational: Scales horizontally (adding more servers).

3. Performance and Speed

Relational: Fast for complex queries and transactions.

Non-Relational: Fast for large-scale, distributed data.

4. Flexibility

Relational: Perfectly suitable for structured data with clear relationships.

Non-Relational: Best suited for unstructured or semi-structured data.

5. Complex Queries and Transactions

Relational: It can support ACID (Atomicity, Consistency, Isolation, and Durability).

Non-Relational: Some NoSQL databases can sacrifice consistency for speed.

Instances where a relational database should be put to use:

Financial systems Medical records E-commerce transactions Applications with strong data integrity When to Use a Non-Relational Database: Big data applications IoT and real-time analytics Social media platforms Content management systems

Selecting the Most Appropriate Database for Your Project

Check the following points when considering relational or non-relational databases:

✔ Data structure requirement

✔ Scalability requirement

✔ Performance expectation

✔ Complexity of query

Trend of future in databases

The future of the database tells a lot about the multi-model databases that shall host data in both a relational and non-relational manner. There is also a lean towards AI-enabled databases that are to improve efficiency and automation in management.

Conclusion

The advantages of both relational and non-relational databases are different; they are relative to specific conditions. Generally, if the requirements involve structured data within a high-class consistency level, then go for relational databases. However, if needs involve scalability and flexibility, then a non-relational kind would be the wiser option.

Location: Ahmedabad, Gujarat

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Visit Our Website: http://tccicomputercoaching.com/

[the-perfect-wagnerite-again]

Adam Smith in 1776: "There's an obscene amount of waste that goes into the accreditation system for labor. Yeah a clock inventor needs to be a genius, but a clock-maker can learn everything he needs to know in a month tops. Making him serve a 7-year apprenticeship is absurd."

2024 entry-level stem position: Your job duties will be data entry, sample conciliation, and glassware cleaning. Read sample labels and enter appropriate data into this database with a UI that only runs on Windows 94. You will not be permitted to manipulate samples or testing procedures beyond what is necessary for rote data entry. 9th-grade reading comprehension preferred but not required. Pay is $11.50 per hour, non-negotiable. Shifts are in 12-hour increments, non-negotiable. REQUIRED: Bachelors of Science in chemistry or related field, Masters preferred, 3 years lab experience or 2 years lab instruction+2 years field work.

[0sbrain]

here's a list of mozilla add-ons for all of you tumblrinas out there to have a better internet experience

also, if you like my post, please reblog it. Tumblr hates links but i had to put them so you adhd bitches actually download them <3 i know because i am also adhd bitches

BASIC STUFF:

AdGuard AdBlocker / uBlock Origin : adguard is a basic adblock and with origin you can also block any other element you want. for example i got rid of the shop menu on tumblr

Privacy Badger : this add on will block trackers. if an element contains a tracker it will give you the option to use it or not

Shinigami Eyes: this will highlight transphobic and trans friendly users and sites using different colors by using a moderated database. perfect to avoid terfs on any social media. i will explain how to use this and other add-ons on android as well under the read more cut

THINGS YOU TUMBLINAS WANT:

Xkit: the best tumblr related add on. with many customizable options, xkit not only enhances your experience from a visual standpoint, but provides some much needed accessibility tools

bonus: if you are into tf2 and wanna be a cool cat, you can also get the old version to add cool reblog icons

AO3 enhancer: some basic enhancements including reading time and the ability to block authors and tags

YOUTUBE

Return of the YouTube Dislike : pretty self explanatory

Youtube non-stop: gets rid of the annoying "Video paused. Continue watching?" popup when you have a video in the background

SponsorBlock: gives you options to skip either automatically or manually sponsors, videoclip non music sectors and discloses other type of sponsorships/paid partnerships

Enhancer for YouTube: adds some useful options such as custom play speed, let's you play videos in a window and most important of all, it allows you to make the youtube interface as ugly as your heart desires. I can't show a full image of what it looks like because i've been told its eye strainy and i want this post to be accessible but look at this <3

PocketTube: allows you to organize your subscriptions into groups

YouTube Comment Search: what it says

FINDING STUFF

WayBack Machine: you probably know about this site and definitely should get the add on. this allows you to save pages and access older versions with the click of a button. while you can search wayback using web archives, please get this one as well as it allows you to easily save pages and contribute to the archive.

Web Archives: it allows you to search through multiple archives and search engines including WayBack Machine, Google, Yandex and more.

Search by Image: allows you to reverse image search using multiple search engines (in my experience yandex tends to yield the best results)

Image Search Options: similar to the last one

this next section is pretty niche but... STEAM AND STEAM TRADING

SteamDB: adds some interesting and useful statistics

Augmented Steam: useful info specially for browsing and buying games

TF2 Trade Helper: an absolute godsend, lets you add items in bundles, keeps track of your keys and metal and your recent trades, displays links to the backpack tf page next to users profiles and more. look it tells me how much moneys i have and adds metal to trades without clicking one by one oh may god

IN CONCLUSION: oooooh you want to change to firefox so badly, you want to delete chrome and all the chrome clones that are actually just spyware and use firefox

HOW TO USE MOZILLA ADD-ONS ON YOUR PHONE

if you already use firefox on android, you'll know there are certain add-ons compatible with the app, some of them even being made just for the mobile version such as Video Background Play FIx. while most of them are pretty useful, some more specific ones aren't available on this version of the browser, but there's a way of getting some of them to work

you need to download the firefox nightly app, which is basically the same as the regular firefox browser but with the ability of activating developer mode. you can find how to do that here. once you've enabled it, you need to create a collection with all the add ons you want. i wouldn't recommend adding extensions if the creators haven't talked about phone compatibility, but XKit and Shinigami Eyes should work

also, don't tell the government this secret skater move, but you can try using both the regular firefox browser and nightly so you can have youtube videos in a floating box while you browse social media.

see? i can block this terf while Rick Rolling the people following this tutorial. isn't that tubular?

[dailyrothko]

So here's the deal:

I just want to be transparent with my tumblr Rothko lovers. I applied and got fiscal sponsorship as a non-profit through Fractured Atlas.

Sadly, "Fiscal Sponsorship" is not what it sounds like, I pay them, they don't pay me. What it allows me to do is take donations and make them tax deductible and secure. I hope it's worth it.

I don't expect my poor pals on tumblr to donate, I don't think most of us have any money or we probably wouldn't be here, however, I am letting you know this because there's now a donate button on the blog.

I'm very poor and needed to do this to realize certain projects Rothko related projects. This is just a voluntary thing, i'm not going behind a paywall. Nothing is changing.

I mention this because their tacky donate button makes it look like I made a deal with the devil, but in actuality it's just for everyone's security.

I hate doing this at all but I am spread very thin. I spend a lot of time and money on this project and that's fine when i can do it, it's a labor of love. But some of it is just becoming impossible for me to maintain and so it goes.

Future projects include-

-I am writing a series of (three) articles I would like to publish about Rothko's impact in the modern world. Scholarly material on Rothko from art historians is good and I don't wish to retread old ground. However, there are some sides of the Rothko legacy I would like to cover based on my experiences, including interviews I have done with people on how they have come to the work (some of you guys), coverage of fakes and misattributions, and biographical impressions based on numerous interviews I have read with his family and friends.

-A bigger and ongoing project would be to create a website and central database that art enthusiasts can use to locate travelling Rothko exhibits and find which paintings are in which museums. Many people ask me these questions personally but if there was a place where all this information lived and someone to update it, people could look up available Rothko works in different cities they are travelling to.

We are living in a troubled world with many humanitarian concerns that should rightly take precedence over my little project, but I am trying to survive myself and lately it's pretty hard.

Thanks to all for 9 years of Rothko love.

(I realized no one can donate on the mobile app, so if you wish to, use this link below.)

[if-whats-new]

What's New In IF? Issue 32 (2024)

By Aj, Dion, Briar, Jen and Peter

Now Available!

Itch.io - Keep Reading below

If you read the zine, consider liking the post: it helps us see how many people see it! And sharing is caring! <3

~ EDITORIAL ~

Two Issues in one week?!

Yes, it’s us again!

Since Issue 31 came out on Wednesday instead of the regular Saturday and we tried really hard to make this one on time, we’re back once more, just a few days apart.

We sincerely hope you’re not getting sick of us yet!

We want some feedback!

As we’re starting to get a hand of things, we would love some feedback from you guys! What you enjoy, want more or less off, how we could improve... Anything goes! We even have a nifty form.

We hope you enjoy this new issue!

AJ, DION, BRIAR, JEN AND PETER

~ BE A PART OF THE ZINE ~

THIS ZINE ONLY HAPPENS WITH YOU!

Want to write 1-2 pages about a neat topic, or deep-dive into a game and review it in details? Share personal experiences or get all academic?

WRITE FOR THE COLUMN!

Prefer to be more low-key but still have something to share? Send us a Zine Letter or share a game title for Highlight on…!

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!

Came across something interesting? Know a release or an update announced? Saw an event happening? Whether it's a game, an article, a podcast�� Add any IF-related content to our mini-database!

EVERY LITTLE BIT COUNTS!

Contact us through Tumblr asks, Forum DMs, or even by email! And thank you for your help!!

~ EVENT SPOTLIGHT : IF Short Games Showcase 2024 ~

December 1st 2024 to January 1st 2025

Short games tend to get less love than longer games in general-purpose, non-speed-IF comps, while the ones released outside of a competition or jam may not get eyes on them at all. The IF Short Games Showcase 2024 aims to give the shorter works their very own place to shine!

The Short Games Showcase is an opportunity to show off shorter interactive fiction works made in the past year (Jan 1, 2024 to Dec 31, 2024), regardless of whether or not they were previously released.

Authors can submit up to three games - each of them should be completable in 30 minutes or less. The showcase has a broad view of IF. It will accept anything usually considered to fall under that umbrella, including parser games, choice-based/choose-your-own-adventure games, visual novels, point-and-clicks, and text-focused Bitsy games. In addition, a work must not have been submitted to more than three prior jams or competitions.

The SGS will have both a Best Overall winner and winners in several specific categories:

Best Use of Short Form

Best Use of Interactivity

Best Story-Focused Game

Best Puzzle-Focused Game

Most Replay Value

Best Previously Unawarded Game

There might be no prizes, but bragging rights are great too.

Do you have a short project that deserves it’s own moment in the spotlight? Then don’t hesitate and join too!

To read more about the rules and overall goal of the showcase, visit the Itch page.

~ ENDED ~

The voting for ECTOCOMP 2024 is officially over! Check out the results!

You can now check out all 16 entries to the Videotome Jam!

Disabled Rep VN Jam has a very simple premise but a very important message. Check out the submissions!

~ ONGOING (VOTING) ~

A Very Hallmark Game Jam has entered the voting phase. You can now vote for your favourite out of the five entries.

~ ONGOING (SUBMITTING) ~

Media depicting healthy examples of polyamory isn’t that common. The PolyJamorous 2024 is trying to break the status-quo!

This year’s Yuri Game Jam is in full progress. The devs have until December 2nd to submit their projects.

Once upon a time, a game jam was held to create stories around the theme of fairy tales… and that game jam is the Once Upon A Time VN Jam. It’s running from October 1st to January 31st.

Concours de Fiction Interactive Francophone 2025 is for all French-speaking enthusiasts. Submissions are accepted March 3rd 2025.

Are you perhaps a fan of more somber, melancholic themes? Then check out the Dying Year - Visual Novel Jam! You have until the end of the year to participate.

The Black Visual Novel Jam is all about working with creative professional developers who work in visual novels to bring more Black stories to life. The goal is to create a space where Black creators can show their unique storytelling through visual novels.

IF Short Games Showcase 2024 is a great way to shine some new light on your projects made in the past year (Jan 1, 2024 to Dec 31, 2024), regardless of whether or not they are previously released! You have until January 15th 2025 to join.

Winter Visual Novel Jam 2024 is here! You have until January 1st 2025 to submit your projects.

Are you familiar with Decker? Then why not take a part in the Deck-Month 2?

Another bitsy jam is here. This time with the theme "better late than never".

SeedComp! is a 2-round interactive fiction game jam, focusing on creativity and the growth of ideas and the Sprouting Round has just started! Check out the Planting round for inspiration.

~ OTHER ~

Intents to enter are open for Spring Thing 2025. To submit an intent to enter, you'll need a working title for the game and a few other pieces of information. Intents for the 2025 festival can be submitted any time between now and March 1st, 2025.

~ NEW RELEASE ~

You’re a promising officer in the Teranese military, a force which has not seen major engagement in decades but which holds vast influence. Thanks to the… complicated circumstances of an injury, you’ve been quietly reassigned. Now you’re to be the bodyguard to a child of a famous scientist who is attending a wilderness boarding school for the children of the richest and most powerful figures of Teran society. What could go wrong? Play Honor Bound (CScript) and find out! (There’s also a mini prequel game about the Honor Bound PC, aged 17 - Honor Bound: Recruitment Day (Twine).) @hpowellsmith

I Fell in Love with a Mailman (Godot) is set in the RADICAL 1980s with the rise of the claw machine industry, play as a girl boss big city girl who's grappling with the realization that her successful corporate life might not be as fulfilling as she imagined. Return home for the holidays and discover a new side of yourself: will you win a prize in the game of love, or is romance simply a rigged game of chance?

You are the Dark Queen—the most powerful being of your entire universe. Your lair is breached by an aspiring hero—a pitiful thing, easily crushed. Except they keep coming back. The Dark Queen of Morthlome is a 20 minute anti-game about an unconventional relationship and the capacity for change.

Two people show signs or attraction to you; however, only one truly loves you. "Eric or Alex?" The same question appears over and over again in your mind. Now it's time to really find out the answer! Go through different apps, discover and gather information in order to decide who is the true love in Attention (Unity)!

As always, don't forget to check out the submitted entries to the events mentioned in the previous pages. They deserve some love too!

~ NEW RELEASE (WIP) ~

In Swapped (Twine) you play as a 17 year old senior, anxiously awaiting the day you graduate, pack your bags, and ditch Sunnyview. But one day, all of that changes when filming for a movie is announced near your hometown. A chance encounter with the one and only Taylor Victory, famous actor with eerie facial similarities, leads to a deal. You will swap places—Taylor will experience a normal week of high school as you, and you will live the life of an actor in their place. @aurelim

In the grim remains of a shattered world, Voxhaven stands as the sole surviving city. The air, thick with pollution, carries the stench of decay and betrayal. The government’s watchful eyes are everywhere, controlling every move... every whisper. Survival means more than just enduring the endless haze—it's about navigating a city built on lies and deceit, where trust is scarce and death lingers in the shadows. In Voxhaven, freedom is a distant dream, and every breath you take is a reminder of the world’s broken past. - Requiem of the Fallen (Twine) @miss-briar-novels

This Too Shall Pass (CScript) delves into a reality in which you were once the Chosen One- Destined to save the world. But you had failed. You now navigate that same world 22 years later as it slowly succumbs to that fate you were supposed to save it from. @thistooshall-if

MEMORALYSIS (Ren’Py) follows the psychic detective Philon Delancy to a strange seaside town to solve the murder of one of its most notable public figures. What starts as a routine house call quickly reveals a tangle of messy relationships, local superstitions, and past unsolved mysteries — and at the center of it all is the victim’s enigmatic niece, Celosia James. But surely the rumors about the young heiress have been greatly exaggerated. After all, everyone knows demonic possession isn’t real.

To Allison, life is just an endless cycle of exhaustion with no escape route – wake up, study, work, fulfil family duties, sleep, rinse and repeat. But sometimes she can't help but wonder... Is that really all there is to life? Soon, Allison stumbles upon a group of people who may be just as lonely as she is, and little by little, their encounter returns colour to her world... - Re:Curse (Ren’Py).

In All the Way (CScript) you play as a young woman living in a time and place a little like the early 90’s in California that is about to have some serious run ins with the supernatural. Her life and that of her friends are quickly disrupted by beings that seem to have a bit of a vendetta for her - but what has she ever done to these creatures and why are they targeting her and her friends?

In the Halls of Asgard (CScript) you play a Norse God trying to survive in Asgard, and preparing for Ragnarök.

You play as the amnesiac protagonist, trapped in a mysterious house with two other captives. You quickly learn that the only way to escape is to have one of the three of you die. Will you kill or be killed? Who is the mastermind? Is there no way for all of you to survive? The mystery deepens as you find that no matter who dies, the killing game begins anew in Yet Another Killing Game (Ren’Py).

The Corpse Road (Twine) is an explorable fiction about death.

~ UPDATES ~

Ashenmaw - Dragons of Marrowoods (CScript) updated their demo. @ashenmaw-if

Fellow Traveler (Twine) released Episode 3 “tease” and Act 1. @robotvampire

The Soulforge Order (Twine) released Chapter 1. @thesoulforgeorder

The Sword of Rhivenia (CScript) released Chapter 5.

The Thousand Of Us (CScript) added new content to their public demo. @ivanwm-05

We Wretched Creatures (Twine) released Episode 6. @darkfictionjude

Azrael (CScript) updated their demo.

Drink Your Villain Juice (CScript) updated their Patreon demo. @drinkyourvillainjuice

New Era (CScript) updated their demo. @newera-interactiveif

Starways Saga (CScript) added new content to the Navy Path.

After Dark (CScript) updated their Patreon demo. @dalekowrites

Exit Through the Gift Shop (CScript) updated their demo.

Haunted (Twine) added a “Side Story” to their demo. @hauntedif

Meteoric (CScript) released Chapter 5.

The Unwilling Sword of Lamenthria (CScript) released Part 1 of Chapter 3. @lamenthria-if

Trouble Brewing (Twine) released Chapter 5. @troublebrewing-if

~ OTHER ~

Thom Baylay’s Kitsune (CScript) is now in Open Beta.

Issue 29 of the Amare Fortnightly Bulletin is out now! @amaregames

The Twine Cookbook is now available in print and through December 2024 it's 25% off! All proceeds from sales go toward the Interactive Fiction Technology Foundation and its support of Twine.

~

As always, we apologize in advance for missing any update or release from the past week. We are only volunteers using their limited free time to find as much as we can - but sometimes things pass through the cracks.

If you think something should have been included in this week's zine but did not appear, please shoot us a message! We'll do our best to add it next week! And if you know oncoming news, add it here!

~ MAYBE YOU NEXT? ~

We did not get a submission this week. But if you have an idea for a short essay, or would like a special space to share your thoughts about IF and the community...

Shoot us an email!

~ HIGHLIGHT ON ~

A couple of games that we thought were cool.

Treasures of a Slaver's Kingdom by S. John Ross (Inform 7)

Comes with a fake manual for the 1979 TTRPG it's purportedly "adapting". Well-crafted, sincere, and really funny.

//submitted by Carter X.//

Your favourite game here?

Do you have a favourite game that deserves some highlighting?

An old or recent game that wowed you so much you spam it to everyone?

Tell us about it! And it might appear here!

WE LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU ALL! WHETHER IT'S GOOD OR BAD, OR EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN...

Have something to say? Send us a message titled: Zine Letter!

As we end this issue, we would like to thank:

Carter X.

For sending us a Highlight!!

And as always, huge thanks to all you readers who liked, shared, and commented on last week's issue!

What might be tiny actions are huge support and motivators to us!

Thank you for cheering us on this journey!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Thank you for reading and see you next week!

AJ, DION, BRIAR, JEN AND PETER

WHAT'S NEW IN IF? 2024-ISSUE 32

[olderthannetfic]

Re: the obviously fake Gaza fundraiser stuff:

Just thought I’d put the word out there that if people want to donate to one of those and want to make absolutely sure they’re legit, this group of people: https://linktr.ee/opolivebranch are doing that. They’re called Operation Olive Branch and they’re a legit org that’s received mainstream news coverage who are volunteers from various related lines of work, around the world, who are a lot more upfront about vetting these fundraisers and maintain a database of ones that have passed their process.

Always check before you donate that that person is on the OOB list and that they’re taking you to the same link that’s on the list next to that name.

Because honestly, I don’t even trust the Tumblr “vetting” blogs. They aren’t very upfront about how they’re doing the vetting, and there’s nothing about these people that suggests they are necessarily qualified in that — especially as IME more than a few are blogs that regularly fall for news misinformation where it’s easy to look up the corrections. Why should I assume they’re any better at researching anything else? And regardless it’s still asking you to put a lot of trust in an internet stranger for no reason.

(Personally, I prefer to donate to organized non profits like Save the Children but I figure putting out the word about OOB can defang the scammers somewhat.)

--

Yeah. I don't post a lot of fundraisery stuff, but I'll post this.

Donating to good causes is great, but find a legit organization that can take care of the details properly.

This even goes for nonprofits that seem good. There are things that look into them and rate them by various metrics. Some are more useful than others.

[just-your-average-supervillain]

Due to a certain upcoming Identity, I’ve been putting more consideration into Faust’s Sin affinities, especially in regards to how they might symbolize something about each version of her. This was mostly brought on by the abrupt realization that, after 2 years of Limbus Company, Faust has finally been given a non-Base Identity that can fuel her Base EGO on her own; previously, she had a number of Pride Identities that lacked Gluttony, as well as a single Gluttony Identity that lacked Pride, but none that had both Gluttony and Pride.

In fact… Heishou Pack Mao Branch Adept Faust has all of Base Faust’s Sin affinities, in nearly the same order; LCB Faust has a Pride Skill 1, a Sloth Skill 2, and a Gluttony Skill 3, whereas Zilu Faust has a Sloth Skill 1, a Pride Skill 2, and a Gluttony Skill 3. So what does this say about this version of Faust, and how can we extrapolate it out to other versions of Faust?

First, I think it important to establish a few facts about Faust’s affinities. Wrath and Gluttony are both unique, in that while Faust has a few Identities with either, they’ve never overlapped… specifically because so far, both have been restricted to being slotted into Faust’s Skill 3; ABS, Regret, WARP, and Butler Faust all have Wrath Skill 3s, while LCB, Seven, and Mao Faust all have Gluttony Skill 3s. Lust and Envy are always accompanied by either each other or Gloom, with 3 different Identities having all 3 Affinities; notably, Gloom does have an instance of appearing without either of its usual compatriots. Sloth is always accompanied by Pride, but like Gloom, there is an instance of Pride appearing without Sloth accompanying it; Sloth also has yet to feature in one of Faust’s Skill 3s. Finally, Gloom appears most often in Faust’s affinities, at 8/12, while Gluttony appears the least, at 3/12.

So, what can we extrapolate from that?

Wrath and Gluttony are both Sins that can feature heavily in Faust’s core motivations, but are rare for her to express outright. Similarly, Gluttony is generally rare to appear at all, yet can be found in her Base Identity and is a key part of fueling her EGO.

There is something about how Lust and Envy relate to her that they are intrinsically tied to each other and to her Gloom, but her Gloom is not tied to them in turn.

Similarly, there is something about how Sloth manifests in her that is intrinsically tied to her Pride, but her Pride isn’t tied to it in turn; also, it may be that Sloth being linked to Pride is also why it never features as a core motivation, merely a periphery trait.

Despite its absence in her base kit, Gloom is a major aspect to her character in a majority of Mirror World Fausts.

My first supposition, from looking at the particular Identities and reflecting on my own knowledge of Goethe’s work, is that to Faust, Gluttony is a representation of Faust’s insatiable hunger for knowledge. Indeed, this explains its central nature yet relative rarity; Faust is someone whose passion for learning is stifled by her connection to an omniscient database, and while she’s shown to love investigating and studying things on her own (see MOTWE), Gesellschaft has generally killed any motivation to continue down that path. It's only in certain Mirror Worlds that that curiosity returns; our world has Faust accept chaos and uncertainty, relying on potentially risky gambles, while Seven Association Faust investigates circumstantial mysteries that might be beneath Gesellschaft’s notice and dedicates herself to actually mastering a skill (making tea) instead of relying on Gesellschaft’s instructions, and Mao Adept Faust has been inspired by Qiu (or a Hong Lu similar to Qiu) to study and meditate on philosophy to move down a path towards enlightenment, something Gesellschaft’s disconnected information can’t override.

My second supposition is that Faust’s link between Envy and Lust calls back to Goethe’s own version of Faust; specifically, to Faust ruminating on how the common person finds happiness in simplicity and base pleasures. The specific combination - reacting to people, and chasing shallow happiness - makes me think that this combination represents a Faust who has sacrificed her own higher pursuits in favor of fitting in (amongst her peers, or amongst other Fausts in the Gesellschaft) and finding happiness in base pleasures such as companionship… or sadism. This is especially hammered in by the Mirror Dungeon Event for the Child in the Flask, which clearly alludes to Faust and the Gesellschaft; cruel droplets forcing another droplet who doesn’t fit in to be shoved out of the flask.

My third supposition, which I admit is rather weak to myself, is that Gloom represents the Gesellschaft’s… not presence, but rather their importance. This is largely predicated on Gloom being so near-omnipresent in her kits, as well as the Index’s major associated colors (and thus associated Sins) being the slothful gold of their outfits… and the gloomy light blue of their abilities and techniques. If anyone can find another answer, or perhaps more evidence for this answer, I’d be quite pleased.

Finally, my fourth and most important supposition is that to Faust, Pride represents having a “goal” or “ideal” to work towards and support; her Pride Identities (LCB, LCE, L Corp, N Corp, Blade Lineage, and Mao Adept) all work for a group that has some ideology or dream that they seek to fulfill. In turn, for five of these Identities, Sloth crops up, representing how Faust has a tendency to sacrifice her own motivations and goals in order to wholly dedicate herself to advancing the cause of the group she’s a part of; notably, the one Pride Identity that doesn’t have Sloth is her N Corp Identity, which instead seems to more traditional embody pride as a concept, as she uses the ideology of N Corp to indulge in her own sadism and arrogance.

My final conclusion is this: Mao Adept Faust and LCB Faust have the same Sin Affinities because ultimately, their circumstances are quite similar. LCB Faust works for Limbus Company, a group with some ambition, dream, or ideal that she supports and has dedicated herself, towards, but which has, in turn, inspired her to challenge her own complacence and continue to pursue her higher goals. In turn, Mao Adept Faust is a student of Jia Qiu and seems to support his dream for a change in H Corp, and who has returned her loyalty by granting her freedom, giving her command of the leash of the Mao Branch, allowing her to take the reigns of her own life and, once again, take up her higher pursuits through the study of philosophy.

One final thought: It’s kinda fascinating how Faust only seems to have leadership Identities when that leadership is in a middle-management position. As the Control Team Captain, she still answers to Malkuth. As The One Who Grips, she follows N Corp’s commands. MultiCrack Office Rep is based on Sasha, who willingly submits herself to become Cassetti’s kindred. And now, most recently, role as Mao Adept has her subordinate herself to Jia Qiu.

[literaryvein-reblogs]

hi! can i ask you have a certain research workflow for your writing materials?

Hi, here is a great explanation on secondary research, with a 5-step tutorial: The Research Process, which I try to follow.

If you want my longwinded answer...

It depends on the topic. But this is more or less what I do for the requested posts:

Collect information I can find related to the topic (my old files, bookmarks, a quick internet search...)

Integrate all (or most) of that in one post (always interesting to see where the different sources overlap, disagree etc.)

Reformat the post (bullet points & numbered lists, might include a bit of my thoughts/opinions ... but on the most part, it's basically just copied & pasted, especially when I'm not that familiar with the topic)

Link to the sources I used (sometimes posts don't save properly when my connection fluctuates so I appreciate when people point out missing/broken links, which I'll edit as soon as I see the messages)

Might include a photo (like the one above & then I link to the photo in the Image Description)

Add tags (because tumblr keeps reminding me when I don't, so I usually just copy & paste from my previous posts)

Add to queue (or "schedule" because I keep accidentally clicking the "shuffle queue" & it messes up the queue)

But on a more serious note, these posts really are just surface-level secondary research, mostly internet research, done really late at night or on lazy weekends, in an overly-caffeinated state. So please do research more for your writing projects. These may just be useful as starting points or to get a few ideas/inspiration, maybe. This blog is ever-growing & there are many research databases I don't have access to (+ considering my limited/lack of knowledge on certain topics), so all the additional information & corrections are always appreciated and won't just be helpful to me, but everyone who uses these references as well!

(As for the non-requested queued posts, that's just me going through my bookmarks and old files. Just been clearing them out as another ongoing little side project for me that I started last year. Okay, I should stop talking now. Bye for now, dear anon.)

[moonyskarma]

𝒯𝙝𝔢 𝒮𝙝𝔞𝚍𝙤𝚠 𝒮𝙥𝔦𝚍𝙚𝔯

◀ FILE ACCESSED: LEVEL 9 REQUIRED ► METAHUMAN DOSSIER: SPIDERMAN A.R.G.U.S. REGISTRY CODE: X-319J-CH-VOID

ALIASES: Spiderman / Shadow Spider / The Spider CIVILIAN IDENTITY: West, Charles "Charlie" Calloway AGE: 23 KNOWN AFFILIATIONS: Flash (Charles Leclerc), Team Flash, CCPD LOCATION TRACKED: Central City CURRENT STATUS: Active

PHYSICAL PROFILE: • Height: 5'8' • Build: Athletic, high muscle density (noted for enhanced strength) • Eyes: Dark brown • Identifying Marks: Minor scar, left oral commissure (non-inhibitory); mask conceals facial identity effectively. • Movement Style: Agile, non-linear; often utilizes vertical terrain. Confirmed enhanced reflexes. • Suit: Matte black adaptive suit with web-distribution technology and reinforced under layer. Not A.R.G.U.S.-issued.

PRIMARY ABILITIES: • Enhanced Physiology: Superhuman strength (class 10), stamina, reflexes, and healing factor. • Wall-Crawling: Adhesive grip via neuro-responsive extremities. • Spider-Sense: Extrasensory awareness of immediate threats. • Web Deployment: Internally engineered, wrist-mounted cartridges. Customizable web types (standard tensile, impact dispersal, ensnarement) • Combat Training: Improvised street combat, acrobatic evasion, and pressure-point targeting.

SKILLSET & SPECIALIZATIONS: • Forensic profiling, behavioral analysis (certified) • Tactical intelligence and urban reconnaissance • High proficiency in field improvisation and stealth pursuit • Access to CCPD crime scene data and surveillance through internal credentials (flagged by ARGUS audit; under review)

PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILE & BACKSTORY: Psychological Profile: • Subject exhibits patterns of trauma-rooted hyper-independence. Displays marked reluctance to delegate or rely on others—early case files indicate complete operational solitude for first phase of activity. • Notably anti-lethal but not pacifistic; engages targets with calculated brutality when deemed necessary. Repeated field reports highlight consistent use of force intended to incapacitate rather than eliminate. • Maintains high tactical intelligence and demonstrates combat-specific hyperfocus, especially in urban terrain. Emotional triggers noted: child endangerment, abuse of power, institutional failure. Exhibits signs of complex trauma and internalized guilt response—subject is a classic moral absolutist operating in moral grey. • Behavioral alignment: Anti-heroic, trending toward cooperative vigilante. • Integration into Team Flash has promoted marked behavioral shifts—less isolation, increasing reliance on allies (notably Flash and Cisco Ramon). Subject remains emotionally reserved but is capable of deep loyalty once trust is established.

Background Summary: • Subject was adopted as a young child into the West family under sealed circumstances; birth records list "Calloway" as original surname. Details regarding biological parents remain classified or unknown, though metahuman lineage is suspected. • Early adolescence marked by above-average intelligence, academic aptitude in forensic science and behavioral criminology, and notable disciplinary issues related to authority resistance. Currently employed by CCPD as a criminologist. • Initial vigilante activity predates official metahuman registrated by ~10 months. Operated nocturnally under masked alias "The Spider", avoiding detection while targeting individuals who eluded legal consequence. Patterns consistent with personal vendetta overlaying systemic justice response. • Following first contact with The Flash, subject's strategy evolved—shifted from solo vigilantism to tactical cooperation in metahuman apprehension efforts. • Subject remains unregistered in the official Central City vigilante database, though Team Flash records identify him as a consistent field agent in meta-level incidents.

THREAT ASSESSMENT: • Threat Level: Yellow (Conditional Watchlist) • Subject poses no direct threat to civilians or sanctioned meta operations under typical parameters. Actions are guided by a strong internal moral code, though not always in alignment with ARGUS or CCPD protocol. • Tactical efficiency, unpredictability, and emotional volatility under specific triggers (e.g., child endangerment, abuse of power, sexual abuse) warrant continued surveillance • Field Classification: Containment Risk Tier II — Standard intervention protocols apply; use of lethal force not authorized unless subject breaches metahuman containment policy. • Despite cooperative stance, subject has not submitted to full ARGUS evaluation.

SECURITY CLEARANCE NOTES: Access to full dossier contents restricted to Level 9 operatives and above. Any unauthorized attempts to duplicate, transmit, or disseminate subject data will trigger immediate lockdown protocol [Ref. ARGUS Regulation 16.3c]. Subject's full metahuman potential remains under evaluation; redacted portions accessible only by Director Waller or ARGUS Field Oversight Division.

[SECTION REDACTED – 03.16.XX / AUTHORIZATION: W. WALLER] Biological origin and medical anomalies flagged for meta-genetic analysis. Subject denies knowledge of pre-adoption trauma. Further investigation pending.

. . . back to the circus 🎪

[eistro-phobia]

HCs for Russell Adler pt.4 — Dadler Edition

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

How could I not?

Warnings: Allusions to abortion, mild misogyny, emotional blackmail

Would not wanna have more kids. There, I'm done.

Actually wouldn't, though. He has two kids with his ex-wife already that he worries day and night about, especially after Stitch captured him. Being compromised like that cemented the fact they would not be safe no matter what corner of the Earth he hid them in. And he'd turn out to be right; after being framed, the only thing that stopped his kids from being hurt by Pantheon was the years of work he put into redacting and removing them from every database in the CIA.

Coincidentally happened to assassinate CIA agents who knew even a little about his kids. He didn't give a shit that they were innocent.

Wouldn't be happy if you got pregnant, as a result. He got himself snipped for the very same, but hypothetically, if you did, he would pull out every tactic in the book to coerce you into getting rid of it.

Stops talking to you for a while if you still decide to keep it. He'd threaten to break things off or even abandon you, swearing the kid's a stranger to him the second it leaves you. And then he proceeds to eat his words and stick by your side 24/7 when your belly starts showing. Jesus, even he wouldn't leave a pregnant lady.

Wouldn't stay home so much to take care of you as he would to stand guard. He'd use up all his vacation days and more to stick through your pregnancy and even a while after childbirth, till you've recovered and he has confidence you can fend for yourself in the worst case scenario.

Wishes for a boy despite wanting a girl in the hopes that he'd grow up and 'protect his mama'.

Is an absent father throughout their lives (who woulda thought). He's almost always on duty in some corner of the world, he's not on the greatest terms with his ex—and having a kid with you would've strained things between you guys too—all which would make him less inclined to come.

Has a checklist for this very reason. He can't make it to everything, so he tries to make it to a few non-negotiables: their birthdays, graduations, at least one game a year if any of his kids play, and one of any other occasion.

Does pay child support, by the way. Its the easiest part of being a dad for him; it supports his kids and gets the ex-wife to shut up.

100% spoils them. Same as above; he has the money, just not the time. So he spends one extravagantly to make up for the loss of the other.

Loves taking his kids to sports classes, no matter what kind. It's one of the rare few things he can relate to his kids with, and the inner linebacker in him always cheers out loud when his kid scores. He will always drive them when he's in town, no question.

Is also put in charge of taking his daughter to ballet when he's around. He's such a ballet kid dad. Picture the scene of Gru in Despicable Me; he's sitting hunched over on the plastic chairs as she watches her strut and stumble in what she calls a jetés, and awkwardly claps. It's a pain to go, especially after the mothers discovered he was single, but for his daughter's wide smile—all crooked teeth and joy—as she comes running up to him after practice, he'll suffer the back pain every time.

Is a griller dad, apparently. He swears by propane, almost going to war for it. Legitimately; he got into a huge fight with the other dads in the neighborhood when they started their 'charcoal's got taste to it' jargon.

Also is the go-to parent to wake up in the middle of the night when his kids feel hungry. He'll let out a long, tired sigh, before getting up and quietly walking to the kitchen to make them a grilled cheese. He's trained in treading silently and getting up at ungodly hours in case of emergencies; he's perfect for the job.

Doesn't yell at his kids. Farthest he'll go is the big disappointed sigh, or using his work voice to tell them off. It's a small thing, but he doesn't want his little time with his kids to be tainted by yelling; He'll always try not to argue in front of the kids or even show his stern side. He had a secure and healthy childhood and just wishes for his kids to have the same.

Sneaks them out for ice cream when his kids get scolded by their mother and run back to their room crying. It'd always be the same spot; they'd sit in silence in the car, Russell giving the embarrassed kid the space they need, ignoring the sharp zings of pain in his teeth with every lick.

Pisses his ex off with how he undermines her; she's trying to discipline them, while he keeps rewarding them every time they mess up. But he always silently goes back to the kid's room every night and gently talks to them about the issue, telling them their mom works very hard for them and to just listen to her next time.

Is considered the cool parent because of it. It drives his ex crazy, and he likes that.

Knows that it won't last long anyway, and his kids will eventually grow up to see him for the bastard he was.

Writes them each a letter for when they do. He won't be around when they become adults: he knows that much. It's basically an apology letter without the apology; he tries to explain the nature of his work in hopes that they might understand if even a little bit. He tells them their mother deserved better, they deserved better, and he was getting what he deserved. He finally asks them to let the title of father die with him and never ever breathe his name again. He was not a man worth the honor, nor the risk. After all, who was Russell if he couldn't protect his children even in death?

Bonus:

Straight up denies it if a past fling confronts him with a child; like no, that child cannot be his. He will vehemently reject the idea and send her on her merry way with his best wishes. And he will also vehemently deny that he's the one sending her anonymous checks every month cause he simply does not have any more children that he could endanger.

No I didn't accidentally post this before it was ready

[jackwhiteprophetic]

Somehow the entire 118 should be told by Athena where the library with the crime database evidence thing is and then they all have to go into witness protection and that's how we get "masks" and such and Buck and Eddie are married in this alternate life and no one asked them to and everyone is confused but Bobby owns a bakery and Chim keeps calling 9-1-1 to try and talk to Maddy and Hen works at a vet and Athena gets a non police job as like a magician or a social worker or something non police related and then when things go back to normal she realises you know what policing was not for her and she'll keep on this new exciting ethical career path.

This is never gonna happen but imagine it did for a few sweet minutes. Mmmmm.

[aroaceleovaldez]

Related to my previous post, I thought i'd make another post actually with my pjo fandom infrastructure blogs list, since i know mobile users can't always see custom theme blog pages.

So here is a nice little index of a bunch of fandom infrastructure blogs! Or you can check out the full page itself [here]. I also have my "Fandom Infrastructure" tag [here].

General hub blogs:

Chbnet (General Riordanverse Hub)

Othrysbulletin (Titan Army Hub)

General Riordanverse Submission blogs:

Rrverse-confession-blog

Riordanverse-confessions

Pjoheritageposts (Iconic posts)

Dirtypjoconfessions (Memes/jokes)

Headcanon Blogs:

Percicoheadcanons (Nico di Angelo x Percy Jackson)

Imagine-perpollo (Percy Jackson x Apollo)

Imaginejercy (Percy Jackson x Jason Grace)

Character/group Blogs:

Deathsibs (Nico and Hazel, sometimes Bianca & rest of Death Fam)

Drewtanakaweek (Drew Tanaka)

Hazel-weekpjo (Hazel Levesque)

Seafamblr (“Sea Fam” / Poseidon & Jackson family)

Decentpipers (Piper McLean & Occasionally others)

Ethannakamura-spotted (Ethan Nakamura)

Alabastertorrington-spotted (Alabaster C. Torrington)

Ship Blogs:

Percabeth-discord (Annabeth Chase x Percy Jackson)

Smartwatermagic (Annabeth Chase x Alabaster Torrington x Percy Jackson)

Pjoracheldare (Perachel - Rachel Dare x Percy Jackson)

Percy-x-luke (Luke Castellan x Percy Jackson)

Incorrectjercyquotes (Jason Grace x Percy Jackson)

Imaginejercy (Jason Grace x Percy Jackson)

Imagine-perpollo (Percy Jackson x Apollo)

Hadesxpercy-events (Hades x Percy Jackson)

Percico-nicercy-events (Nico di Angelo x Percy Jackson)

Percicoheadcanons (Nico di Angelo x Percy Jackson)

Incorrectpercicoquotes (Nico di Angelo x Percy Jackson)

Imaginepercico (Nico di Angelo x Percy Jackson)

Percico (Nico di Angelo x Percy Jackson)

Solangelo (Nico di Angelo x Will Solace)

Solangeloweek (Nico di Angelo x Will Solace)

Thejasiconet (Nico di Angelo x Jason Grace)

Jasicofanfiction (Nico di Angelo x Jason Grace)

Jasico-challenges (Nico di Angelo x Jason Grace)

Valgraceweek (Leo Valdez x Jason Grace)

Events:

Chbnet (General PJO)

Rrversesummerbang (Riordanverse)

Pjo-halloween-trade

Pjo-equinox-solstice-exchange (PJO)

PJO Secret Santa (new blog every year it runs - latest: pjosecretsanta2021)

Pjo-hoo-bigbang (PJO/HoO)

Pjocoloringbook (PJO/General Riordanverse)

Sapphic-summer-riordanverse (Riordanverse sapphic ships)

Riordanverse-gen-week (Riordanverse, no ships/platonic only)

Mcgaweek (Magnus Chase & The Gods Of Asgard)

Toa-minibang (Trials of Apollo)

Titan-army-week (Titan Army)

Lukercyvalentines (Luke Castellan x Percy Jackson)

Lukercybirthdaybash (Luke Castellan x Percy Jackson)

Percy-and-rachel-events (Rachel Dare x Percy Jackson, romantic and platonic)

Polympians-event (Olympians x Percy Jackson)

Hadesxpercy-events (Hades x Percy Jackson)

Percico-nicercy-events (Nico di Angelo x Percy Jackson)

Solangeloweek (Nico di Angelo x Will Solace)

Jasico-challenges (Nico di Angelo x Jason Grace)

Valgraceweek (Leo Valdez x Jason Grace)

Drewtanakaweek (Drew Tanaka)

Hazel-weekpjo (Hazel Levesque)

Seafamblr (“Sea Fam” / Poseidon & Jackson family)

Them-awesome-rarepairs (Riordanverse rarepairs)

Askblogs:

For list of Riordanverse askblogs, see my other sidebar tab

RP Hub Blogs:

Justgodswaprpthings (Godswap AU)

Riordanverserpdatabase (Riordanverse RP Database)

Chbofficial (All of CHB)

Campchthonic (Chthonic demigods RP)

Discord Servers:

My own general Riordanverse server

Chbnet server

Riordanverse Artists Server

Mallorykeen’s Riordanverse server

Old general Riordanverse server (no longer accepting new members)

Titan Army Server (consult @bvckbiter or @phoenix--flying)

Percabeth server

Percico/Nicercy Events server

Jasico Challenges server

Above The Clouds (Jasico) server

Jercy Discord

18+ Solangelo Server

Camp Elysium server

Neverland server

Chbofficial’s server

Marsqe’s Camp Half-Blood discord

Reference lists of fandom events:

2024’s list

2023’s list

General Non-PJO specific Zines resources:

All-zine-apps

General Non-PJO specific/Pan-Fandom blogs:

Damnfandomproblems (Pan-fandom confessions/vent blog)

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Walter Einenkel at Daily Kos:

Advocacy groups are outraged over Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s war on Americans with autism. They say Kennedy uses the disorder as a political tool and pushes damaging stereotypes that spread misinformation. “The U.S. Secretary of Health, RFK Jr., made false comments about autism, like people with autism are broken, that autism is caused by vaccines, and that people with autism will never have jobs or families,” said Teddy, a fourth grader from New Jersey whose statement at a school board meeting went viral earlier this month. “I have autism and I’m not broken,” Teddy said. “And I hope that nobody in Princeton Public Schools believes RFK Jr.'s lies.” The New Jersey schoolkid and autism awareness groups felt the need to speak out after Kennedy’s vile comments last month about U.S. autism rates, where he repeated his false claim that autism is an epidemic that “destroys families.” Kennedy also mischaracterized autism as a “preventable disease” and falsely asserted that 25% of autistic people are non-functioning—ridiculous notions that experts say are inaccurate.  “His comments were incorrect, but more to the point, they were eugenic,” Colin Killick, executive director of the Autistic Self Advocacy Network, told the Boston Globe. “Talking about autistic people as themselves being destroyed but also having destroyed their families is a horrific argument.” [...]

Kennedy’s characterization of autism as a preventable tragedy also appears connected to his notorious anti-vaccine crusade. In a recent interview with Dr. Phil McGraw, he repeated the vigorously debunked claim of a link between autism and vaccines. “Many of the parents have reported that their kid, that their child, developed autism immediately after [childhood vaccinations],” Kennedy told the psychologist-turned-TV star. Kennedy has used his position as America’s chief public health official to launch what he claims is a scientific study into the cause of autism, to be led by an anti-vaccine activist with heinous ideas about treatments for the condition that include experimenting with chemical castration drugs. [...] Kennedy has also announced plans to create an autism database, using the private medical information of millions of Americans, promising Trump in a surreal Cabinet meeting in April that he’d be able to identify the cause of autism by September.  Kennedy announced on May 7 that he intends to direct the National Institutes of Health to use Medicare and Medicaid insurance claims related to autism diagnoses to build his database. 

RFK Jr.’s cruel plans for an autism registry reeks of eugenics and ableism.

[isthehorsevideocute]

since it's horse racing hype season I have to say my relationship with horse racing is...... complicated to say the least. So I'm going to outline why in the good and the bad

*What are the Benefits of Horse Racing

To sum it up, the entire equine industry depends on the presence of horse racing. Whether you compete in the upper eschalon of the equine competition or just keep a pasture puff in your backyard, you benefit in some capacity from the presence of the race horse industry.

*The majority of riding horses have at least some racehorse blood

Quarter horses, trotter/pacer breeds, saddlebreds, Tennessee walkers, morgans, and the dozens upon dozens of European warmblood breeds all have been produced or enhanced by thoroughbreds. If you own a horse and it's not a thoroughbred, chances are good they still have Thoroughbred or arabian somewhere in their lines. For pretty much as long as horses have been domesticated, racing has been one major way in which the excellence of breeding stock has been tested.

*Racing keeps the breed alive

While there are some breeding operations that breed non racing Thoroughbreds, they are few and far between and likely would be unable to sustain the breed if other operations popped out of existence.

While to many the off the track thoroughbred has fallen out of favor as a riding horse, many still appreciate them as performance horses. While the european warmbloods have been largely dominating equestrian sports in the recent decades, off the track horses had a long history of dominating the performance world, even making it to the Olympics. If you know what to look for and are willing to teach the ropes, a horse off the track is a much more affordable option, at least in up front costs as most don't exceed 4 figures in purchase price. On top of that, many competitions host incentive program classifications, giving out awards to riders and trainers of ottbs.

*Racing provides funding for research and the industry as a whole

In the United States alone, horse racing accounts for nearly 30% of the equine industry's gdp. This is likely even greater in other nations that don't have as much emphasis on recreational riding and showing.

Numerous University animal hospitals and research facilities are heavily funded and given test subjects by the race horse industry. This isn't to say these horses are treated like lab rats, but in many cases the owners of race horses are more willing and able to put money into trying new methods to enhance healing and health of their horses.

Looking at research studies of therapies for injuries, nutrition, and common conditions seen in performance horses like gastric ulcers, the subjects of the research are often race horse stock.

The elimination of such a large portion of the equine industry would not doubt devastate it.

*Racing brings prospects into the industry

For the average person, racing is the most recognized facet of the equine industry. It's presence brings clients and investors into equine related businesses. Race courses are often places for other equine related events to take place outside of the racing season.

One prominent example of racing's impact on bringing in participants to other equestrian activities is that of the Japan Horse Park. The park was patented and funded by the JRA with hopes that pushing equestrian sports would provide retired thoroughbreds with new prospects and the racetracks with new jockeys.

......

So what about the bad

*Comparatively high rate of fatality

So one might think, 'horses run in nature, surely galloping on a race track can't be that hard on them'. Well the reality it that in nature, horses are generally only seen galloping every once in a while for very short periods of playing or fleeing from danger. Racing and breezing a horse at full gallop puts immense strain on their bodies, especially their limbs.

It's hard to find statistics on actual injury rates because the database only reports on injuries or conditions resulting in death (not all of these necessarily being injuries resulting in euthanasia, sometimes these can be cardiovascular failures such as aortic ruptures.) Since fatalities per start have been recorded, the rate of race horse fatalities per race start has been between 1% and 2%.

So granted it's actually even harder to compare that to fatalities of horses in other sports because there is really no similar data base for other equine sports so I had to do some digging to actually find some semblance of a comparison and I've come to the conclusion that the reason we don't have a data base for other sports is because the number of fatalities for most of them are negligible

Only sport I have concrete data to compare to is eventing (specifically the xc portion, as even show jumping injuries for horses are almost non existent)

In the eventing data, it's hard to calculate an actual fatality rate, but fatalities in eventing are generally associated with horse falls. And the rate of horse falls over the last 10 years is 1.4%. Naturally the number of equine fatalities would be even lower. Based on my calculations on fatalities vs starts for international events it would be about a 0.3% fatality rate for event horses. And seeing as eventing is deemed the most dangerous equestrian sport in regards to human and horse injuries, it's safe to assume that the rates for other equine sports is even lower.

*Horses are started really young (at least in the US)

Racehorse age is determined, not by the age they are, but by the age they are turning in that year from January (in the northern hemisphere). Thing is, horses are seasonal breeders and have an 11 month gestation period. Mares tend to go into estrus around late March, and have generally lower fertility rates at the beginning of their seasonal cycle. As a result most horses are born in the spring. Breeders will try to have foals born as early as possible in the year but regardless, they will be younger than they officially are for some period of time. Racing starts with age groups as young as 2, meaning not only will some horses be backed at as young as a year old, they may even start racing at a year old. While starting horses young may be linked to higher bone density, there are many more drawbacks that are largely ignored by trainers. Because so much emphasis is put on young horse races, many race horses are retired at as young as 3 or 4. This is a problem for many reasons.

Horses are often spent at a young age and end up with lifelong health issues (even a young horse you will be hard pressed to find sound with clean x rays if you are looking for your next prospective riding horse off the track).

Horses are bred without any screening for health issues that may develop with age. Thoroughbreds are infamous for developing kissing spines which has both a genetic component and is linked to early backing as the spine is not fully developed until a horse is between the ages of 6 and 7. And on a related note.

*The evolution of horse racing favoring track racing has deteriorated the quality of the Thoroughbred breed

Originally horse racing was a long distance endeavor over rural landscape. Horses would be stopped periodically and checked for suitability to continue. Thoroughbred racing was once more similar to the sport of endurance. When racing was moved to a track to make it more economical and spectator friendly, the Thoroughbred breed changed drastically. Rather than emphasis on endurance, Thoroughbreds were bred to maximize speed. This has resulted in horses that are heavy on the forelimbs with long narrow legs, leaving them more prone to injury and less inclined to excel in other sports.

*Notoriously poor husbandry conditions during training and racing

While foals and broodmares are often allowed to live in pasture with herds, once they are old enough to start training, many racehorses are stalled 24/7. Of all performance horses, racehorses have the highest rates of ulcers thanks to their long periods of confinement in stalls and high energy diets. Concentrated feeds (which race horses are often fed in large quantities) are high in nonstructural carbohydrates. Horses, as grazers, have digestive tracts designed for breaking down roughage which they will spend more than half their day slowly consuming. As a result horses constantly produce stomach acid. The stomach of a horse has different smooth muscle tissues in it, where the base of the stomach is more resistant to corrosion, and the top near the esophagus is more delicate. Without the presence of structural carbohydrates, the stomach acid isn't buffered properly and it is likely to cause damage to the upper stomach, resulting in ulcers. On top of a lack of roughage, non structural carbohydrates, or starches, increase the acidity of the stomach. Stress can also interfere with the stomach health of a horse, increasing acidity, and causing a horse to refuse to eat, making the issue worse.

*Adding to the unwanted horse problem

I will preface this by saying that the Thoroughbred industry is hardly the worst offender to the unwanted horse problems in America. The worst offender is backyard breeding. The Jockey Club has policies in place to attempt to control rates of breeding and ensuring that their registered horses are accounted for.

The narrative that ex racehorses are very often disguarded into sale yards where they are likely to be purchased by kill buyers just isn't true. It's true that some may slip through the cracks but generally there are many owners and rehoming groups out there to make sure ex racehorses or horses deemed not suitable for racing end up somewhere safe. And as i mentioned earlier, there are incentive programs to support trainers and owners who take in former racehorses. That's more than can be said for many horses.

Still the number of horses that are born vs the number of horses that stay with race stock yards is pretty darn low. Lots of horses won't make the cut to race, more will retire from racing early, even more will be rejected as breeding stock. This means there are tons of Thoroughbreds with no solid future depending on the hope that they will be taken in by someone outside of the racing industry.

In conclusion, for me, in an ideal world we will not see racing eliminated but it will get a major overhaul. I can hope but my fear is at best, nothing of substance will change, at worst horse racing will be outlawed like greyhound racing has been in many places (because that's the easier way out). Already the racing industry has been snuffed out in many regions with tracks opting to shut down live racing and former thoroughbred farms being developed on so our prospects aren't looking great.....

[darkmaga-returns]

A STUDY of millions of citizens shows that covid vaccination ‘significantly increased’ the risks for depression, anxiety, various stress disorders and sleep problems. The same study showed the vaccinations ‘significantly decreased’ the risk for developing bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.

Two South Korean universities randomly selected from the Korean National Health Insurance Service (KNHIS) claims database more than two million (2,154,189) Seoul citizens aged 20 and older who had received two doses of covid vaccines, and 350,983 unvaccinated subjects. Researchers excluded any with a history of schizophrenia, depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety, dissociative, stress related, somatoform (SSD) or psychosomatic disorders (these are mental health conditions where people experience physical symptoms in response to psychological distress), sleep, eating and sexual disorders. This meant excluding almost half a million in the vaccinated group (435,390) and 42,629 in the unvaccinated group. The final number was 1,718,999 vaccinated subjects and 308,354 non-vaccinated subjects.

Post covid infection mental health issues had been studied extensively but not post covid vaccination mental adverse events. This study redressed the balance, and the researchers concluded: ‘Our population-based cohort study provides robust evidence for psychiatric adverse events (AEs) after covid-19 vaccinations. Furthermore, our study provided risks of psychiatric AEs according to vaccine type, revealing that the psychiatric disorders (depression, anxiety, dissociative, stress-related, and somatoform disorders, and sleep disorders) with increased risks due to covid-19 vaccination showed the highest risk in the case of heterogeneous vaccination.’ Heterogenous vaccination means a combination of vaccine types, for example Pfizer combined with AstraZeneca.

[kaiserin-erzsebet]

I’m interested in history, but only in a very narrow area of history (the modern history of amusement parks and related amusement venues). I don’t think this makes me a good candidate for going into an actual history degree, but I’d really like to know more about how to research and interpret history (and maybe one day know enough to publish a book or something) - is there anywhere in particular I could go to learn?

Apologies for the delay, but I was contemplating how to answer this. I want to explain this the same way I would if you were a student asking me why I am doing a graduate degree.

The first thing I'd say is that history as a discipline is full of specialists. We all have the one thing we are really the most interested in. That's how it works in graduate school: you produce work on something very specific.

My dissertation, for example, is about one guy (and through him, his politics and social circles and diplomatic connections). And this is true one way or another of everyone in my PhD program.

That's not to say you need a history degree to write the history of the specific thing you like. People publish with non-academic presses without degrees all the time.

However.....

One of the big problems with amateur history that always stands out to me as a trained historian is lack of context. People write books about specific things or specific people without tying it to bigger developments because they don't have the broad knowledge base to do that.

The reason that training as a historian moves from the broad to the specific is that it allows us to have a workable knowledge of the period and the themes. That allows us to write well-grounded books.

For example, I'm writing about one guy but I've read extensively about the whole century he lived in so I can properly situate and contextualize him.

Even if you don't want to do a history degree, I would encourage you to think about which broad ideas you want to engage with (like, for example, the social changes that normalized public entertainment, the technological changes that create amusement parks, or the economic conditions necessary for people to have enough spare income for entertainment, etc.) and to read extensively about them. If there are books you like, read their citations and then read the books they read. Search libraries or databases (if you have access) for new works on these questions.

A history degree helps with this because it provides structure. But you can also figure it out on your own.