#of which it is IMPOSSIBLE to reach down as its a 1 cm gap and my bed is a solid rectagular prism barring one SMALL tunnel along the back

[clonewarsahsoka]

I've just had such an awful fucking time

[wisdomrays]

TAFAKKUR: Part 166

Electricity in the Heart

Our heart is like a pump that never rests. The distribution of the dirty blood to the lungs and clean blood all through the body is organized by a system that produces an electrical current. Every second, small electrical currents are created in our hearts in order to start the contractions and make sure it is continuing to function. Every current starts from a particular place and gets distributed to the entire heart.

The heart is composed of four compartments: two atriums and two ventricles. The blood that reaches the heart first accumulates in the atriums. From here, it is sent to the ventricles. Afterwards, it is redistributed to the body by the contractions of the ventricles. The harmony of this process depends on the electrical currents in our hearts.

How is the electrical current formed?

There is a particular region in the heart called the sinus node. The sinus node is strip of a muscle that is 15 mm in length, 3 mm in width, and 1 mm in thickness, and is located in the right atrium of the heart. The cells of this strip are responsible for producing electrical currents, and are created in a different fashion from the rest of the cells that are responsible for producing contractions. This is where the electrical currents in our hearts are periodically produced. Every cell in the body contains elements such as sodium, calcium, potassium and chlorine that are electrically charged. The elements which are electrically charged are called ions. These ions also exist in the extracellular environment. The intra cellular and extra cellular concentrations of these ions are different from each other. This situation causes a difference in the electrical potential between the interior and exterior of a cell. This difference is called a membrane potential. Periodically, the membrane potentials of the sinus cells show sudden jumps – meaning they suddenly increase and then suddenly decrease. Since the cells are in close contact with each other, such a jump in the membrane potential of one cell triggers a jump in the membrane potential of another cell. The electrical currency that enables the contraction of the heart is produced by this continuous triggering of cells. On average, 70 electrical currents per minute are produced in the sinus node. These currents start being produced while a person is in the womb of their mother and continues their whole lifetime. The heart of an embryo starts beating while it is only 22 days old. However, the height of the embryo at this point has not even reached 1 cm. Isn't it an amazing force that creates the beating heart of such a small embryo and keeps it going a lifetime?

How is the electrical current distributed?

Another node called the atrio ventricular node was created in between the atriums and ventricles in our heart. While the current coming from the sinus node is spread to the whole of the atrium, it is by this node that the current is sent to particular fibers. The task of this node is to hang on to the current coming from the sinus node for a while. Why does the current need to be held on to? Because blood can only enter the ventricles while it is resting and by holding on to it, the contraction of the ventricles is disabled while the contraction of the atriums is taking place. By this process, the blood coming from the atrium can enter the ventricle. Therefore, the blood fills in the ventricles and can be distributed throughout the body. The blood circulation is enabled in a flawless manner by allowing the atriums to do their duty while the ventricles wait.

After passing through the atrio ventricular node, the electrical currency eventually goes through the purkinje fibers. These fibers surround the ventricles like a web and are composed of cells that can conduct electrical current in a very fast manner. Compared to the atrio ventricular node, the electrical current can be conducted 150 times faster in the purkinje fibers. Therefore, the current reaches every point of the ventricles in a very short period of time. Every muscle in the ventricles contracts in a time shorter than one tenth of a second.

The muscles in the ventricles rapidly contract, one by one, depending on when the current reaches them. The contraction starts at the end of the ventricles and carries on towards the main veins exiting the heart. By this orderly and harmonious contraction, the blood is pumped from the end of the heart towards the main veins exiting the heart to be distributed among the body. Because all the ventricle muscles are stimulated very fast, the contraction also happens very fast, resulting in a strong pumping effect. The design of this system is incredibly wise, right down to its most minute detail.

Movement in heart muscle potential

As all cells in our body, the cells in the heart also have a membrane potential. We had stated before that this membrane potential is the result of the difference in intra and extra cellular ion concentrations. The charges of these ions are different from each other. For example, sodium and potassium have plus one (+1) charges, calcium has a plus two (+2) charge, and chlorine has a negative one (-1) charge. The resting potential of a cell is negative. This means that there are more negative ions within the cell when compared to its environment. Sodium, calcium, and potassium ions are mobile through the membrane. While sodium and calcium have a higher concentration outside the cell, potassium has a higher intra cellular concentration compared to its environment. There are channels created on the cell membrane that allow ions to pass through the membrane. The sudden increase in the membrane potential that was explained before causes a sudden rush of sodium ions inside the cell. This is such a rapid movement that it is concluded in a tenth of a second. Right after the entrance of the sodium ions, calcium ions also enter. Because these ions are positively charged, the membrane potential becomes positive.

With the entering of calcium ions into the cell, calcium ions are also released from the storages within the cell. By triggering the protein necessary for these contractions, the calcium ions become a means for the contraction of the heart muscles. Meanwhile, the potassium channels open and these ions within the cell pass to the extra cellular environment. The loss of positive ions results in the membrane potential being negative again. Therefore, the sudden jump in membrane potential that is the basis for the electrical current is created.

However, at this point there are extra amounts sodium and calcium within the cell and extra amounts of potassium outside the cell. The concentrations need to be returned to their original values for the next jump in the membrane to be possible. This task is given to a protein called the sodium-potassium pump that pumps out sodium from the cell and pumps in potassium. If this pump had not been created, the ion balance in any of the cells within the body would be impossible to re-establish. As a result, the life of the cells would come to an end. However, because of the remarkable intricacy of our cells, life is made possible for us.

Afterwards, some amount of the calcium ions are pumped out of the cell with a similar pump, while the rest are stored within the cell. The decrease in the concentration of calcium relaxes the muscle. Now the heart muscle has gone into relaxation and therefore is ready for the next contraction.

If the movement of the ions becomes unbalanced, the rhythm of our heart is disturbed. The unbalance in the ion movements or blockage in heart veins can be reasons for heart rhythm disorders. Even small heredity-based defects in the ions pumps affect the movement of these ions and can cause heart rhythm disorders. This situation shows that nothing is created by coincidence.

Movement in the sinus node

The jump in the membrane potential of a heart cell depends on the membrane potential jump of the previous cell. Through the gaps in between the cells that are in contact with each other, the positive ions that exit a cell reach the membrane of the cell next to it and trigger the opening of its ion pumps. As a result, the membrane potential of that cell starts changing. At this point, you may have this question: how does the electrical current start in one end of the sinus node that is not previously triggered by any cell?

This concept is explained by the ion transfer mechanism of the node cells being different than the muscle cells. Before explaining this, it should be noted that even while resting, a mechanism for allowing an ion exchange of the cell with its surrounding has been created. In the node cells, this exchange while at rest has been created in a way that the sodium and calcium exchange is larger and the potassium exchange is lower compared to the muscle cells during resting conditions. Therefore, the membrane potential of the node cells is less negative and slowly increases with time. As a result of this slow but steady increase, after a while it reaches a threshold. When it reaches it, the calcium channels in the membrane suddenly open and there is a rush of calcium ions into the cell. Thus, the jump in the membrane potential is created independently from another cell.

As it can be observed, even a single contraction of our heart depends on a very detailed, delicate, and complex system. Moreover, this system is repeated over a hundred thousand times within one day. After reflecting on this, how can we claim this system runs by coincidence or chance?

[athusia]

Versipellis Agile Novus

Modern Versipellis (pl. Versipelles) is the short version of the full Latin name Versipellis Agile Nova, that describes the only humanoid species of Athusia and current rulers of the planet. A Versipellis are characterised by their bipedal locomotion and erect posture in their humanoid form, while also being able to shapeshift into another animal. This shapeshifting includes mammals, avians and reptiles. Supernatural creatures are excluded. The Modern Versipellis is the only living member of the genus Versipellis and belongs to the family of shapeshifters which is a magnorder of Placentalia.

I. BIOLOGY

I.I. Anatomy & Physiology

Many aspects of the Versipellian physiology can be traced back to the any of animals of Athusia. The body of a Versipellis consists out of a torso, a head, a neck, the legs and the arms. They also show off the same body systems. The most commonly defined body systems are the aether, the nervous, the cardiovascular, the endocrine, the immune, the circulatory, the musculoskeletal, the integumentary, the reproductive, the respiratory, the digestive, the lymphatic and the urinary system.

Versipelles lack blood groups, external tails (when out of their animal shape), but appear to have opposable thumbs and a sexual dimorphism. While other Athusian creatures might be faster than them, they can be counted to the living beings with the highest stamina as long as their body was trained for it. Sweat glands and thin to almost no available body hair support this as these features prevent heat exhaustion while running longer distances. A regular Versipellis can run with a speed of around 15km/h (9mph) but will tire out quite quickly if this is kept out for a long time.

Due to being bipedal, female Versipelles have a rather narrow birth canal, which makes childbirth more painful and dangerous than in other species. This species requires help from other Versipelles to minimise the risk of giving birth. Fetuses are born as developed and vulnerable as most newborns of other animals, but with slightly lower cognitive abilities - until age the of 6 months when the rapid growth and development of the brain surpasses it. Female Versipelles go through a menopause after the age of 55, making them unable to bear any more offsprings and infertile until the end of their life. While a male specimen can reproduce as often as needed or liked, a female only has two ovulations in one year and can only reproduce during this time.

Apart from bipedalism, they also differ from most animals through their abilities in language, brain size, smelling, hearing, seeing, their digestive system and their aether system below their skin. They also sport a higher amount of neurones in their fairly well-developed cerebral cortex. Versipelles also are able to create new ideas, to develop them and develop systems, unlike the other creatures of Athusia.

Versipelles can have any natural hair colour, any eye colour and natural skin colour. Their appearance is often influenced by their environment, usually taking the one which fits their surroundings in an evolutionary correct way. Their appearance can't be changed besides morphing between an animal and a humanoid shape. The Athusian-wide average height of a male Versipellis is around 175 cm while the one for females is around 170 cm. Like any features, height and build are both influenced by genetics and environment, just as medical conditions.

Although they appear almost hairless apart from the top of the head and eyebrows, all Versipelles are slightly haired all over their body - this hair is just very fine, short and low on pigmentation which makes it harder to see. Male Versipelles are able to grow beards.

This species is omnivorous and can digest proteins just as fibre. Their teeth are medium-sized and often appear to have small canines which often exceed the length of their incisors by half an inch at max. They have slightly smaller teeth than most other animals and shorter palates outside of their shifting form. When shifted, they don't acquire the tooth forms of their animal form but keep their omnivore set of teeth. This feature also helps to distinguish shifted Versipelles from regular animals. Crowded teeth. Gaps from lost teeth are common among younger Versipelles during the permanent dentition stage when their deciduous teeth are replaced with the final set which is harder, bigger and form a gapless row of teeth again after the jaw grew.

The ability to shapeshift and use magic is gained around the age of 10 years when the aether system is fully developed. In the case of god touched individuals, the age might go down to 5 years.

I. II. The Aether System

Similar to the regular systems a body needs to work properly, a Versipellis has another additional system: The Aether System. While other circulatory systems transport blood or other vital substances to provide nourishment and keep up the body functions, the Aether System carries the Aetherial Energy (short: Aether) of the individual.

The basic energy itself is formed in the bone marrow but enhanced by the energy drawn from the digested food in stomach and colon. If the individual is starving, the potential energy of the Aether flowing through them decreases. Versipelles need to eat a lot of fresh and ideally raw meat, just like uncooked vegetables as both of them have the biggest amount of Aether which can be used in the Aether system. The system itself is comparable to the cardiovascular one as it manifests itself in a complex system of veins which run through the whole body. Also similar to the CV system, the vessels are wrapped around the heart which gives the leading impulse for the energy to circulate. Due to the aether system emitting some warmth, it also helps the species to keep warm in the cold climate of Athusia.

While the energy of this system runs through its own special system of vessels inside the body, it can also influence and be visible to the external world. The most common appearance of this energy is always in the eyes of a Versipellis: even if they don't utilise the energy, their iris is always glowing softly in the colour of the energy. This is barely visible but can be increased in visibility if the individual in question is blessed. Another visible effect is a fine vein pattern in the energy colour on the inner part of the lower arm in very pale Versipelles.

I. III. Genetics

With two sets of 23 chromosomes in each somatic cell (apart from gametes), Versipelles are a - just like all mammals - diploid eukaryotic species. Each set of 23 chromosomes is received from one parent. Just like other mammals, Versipelles have an XY sex-determination system; females have XX, males have XY. Outside of this common outcomes, some appearances of X (Turner Syndrome), XXY (intersex with male and female body features // Klinefelter Syndrome; always male), XXX (causes trisomy X; always female), XXXX (very rare; causes tetrasomy X; always female), XXXXY (extremely rare; usually fatal), XXXXX (extremely rare; causes pentasomy X; always female), XX Gonadal Dysgenesis (no functional ovaries), XX Male Syndrome (rare; born as man while chromosomes are defined female), XXYY (always male) and XYY Syndrome ("Super Male") were documented over the years. All of these are quite rare.

Even in the case of monozygotic twins, no Versipelles are genetically identical. Both environment and inherited genes influence the appearance just as health and mental abilities to an unexplained level.

Due to documentation and research, the origin of the Versipelles can be pinned to Northern Ateria where the first modern colony settled down. Even though the species has only one conjoint origin, it shows a great diversity in its genetics as most Versipelles show off a genetic similarity of around 99.5% which is quite a lot.

I.IV. Life Cycle

Versipellis reproduction takes place through internal fertilisation - naturally by sexual intercourse between a male and a female which is only possible in human form. After male ejaculation, the sperm travels through the cervix into the uterus for the fertilisation of the ovum. As soon as that happened, the zygote starts dividing within the uterus and grows in size to become an embryo which happens after around the 9th week of pregnancy. Shifting into an animal is impossible as soon as the zygote becomes an embryo. Over a period of around 9 months, the embryo continues to grow and becomes a fetus which is then birthed from the body. At this point, the baby is considered as a being entitled to full protection of the law and spirit world for the first time. Through culture, an unborn child is considered to be the property primary of the mother and secondary of the gods. An unborn child can be taken by the gods if the mother agrees or dies before childbirth.

Newborn infants are typically between 3 - 4 kilogrammes in weight and 45 - 55cm in height at the time of birth and are neither able to walk in the next 4 weeks nor able to use the Athusian languages until the age of 1. Versipelles grow for some years; they reach aetherial maturity around age 10 and sexual maturity around age 15. Physical development of both genders ends around age 20. The sexual maturity of females ends with the menopause at age 55 - 60. Both genders have a similar life expectancy which is only influenced by individual genetics and the environment; the average lifespan is 90 years. Centenarians are not rare. I. V. Diet As an omnivorous species, Versipelles are able to digest a big variety of plants as well as animal material. While meat can be eaten raw or cooked, plants should be at least slightly cooked to ensure the body taking in all vitamins. Due to their physical features, it's impossible for an individual to live either carnivorous or herbivorous as both options would lead to serious malnutrition and even death if practised over an extensive amount of time. Versipelles are able to digest lactose and appear to have a liking towards dairy products. The diet can be used to reflect the culture and even specific religious affiliations. Versipelles were hunters and gatherers before the development of agriculture and settlements, with fire as help to cook meat and plants. After agriculture was introduced by the Ezriel, the diet of them changed quite a lot in variety and amount of eaten food. While the species itself is known as a survivalist, starving for longer than 4 weeks is deadly in all cases - no matter the amount of body fat as the aether systems in their body require a lot of energy to run properly. Due to this, obese Versipelles are extremely rare as most energy is used straight away, usually only leaving room for a healthy layer of body fat to keep warm and to store away a small amount of energy for bad times.

II. PSYCHOLOGY & BEHAVIOUR

As their brain - the big focused centre of the consciousness and central nervous system - can comprehend stimulation from their environment, Versipelles perceive their environment through senses which can greatly influence their behaviour and personality development. Next to controlling autonomic processes, it has also the ability to perform 'higher' actions such as thought, reasoning and abstraction.

II. I. Sleep

Versipelles are commonly diurnal, even though they are known to be active at night too in many cases. The sleeping pattern varies quite a lot from region to region. A common adult sleeps 5 - 6 hours a day, a child 8 hours and elders around 4 - 5 hours. The lack of sleep can lead to negative effects on mental and physical health.

Due to the aether system in their bodies, Versipelles commonly live through vivid but slightly psychedelic dreams of sight and sound which rarely turn into nightmares. While the body is asleep, the aether running through the system stimulates the brain and produces colourful and rather psychedelic visions often based on memory.

Observing dreaming is normal, but also a few cases of the participating form are known. Dreaming is very healthy and helps to stabilise the aether system. A regular dream starts around 30 minutes after the individual has fallen asleep and will carry on until they wake up. II. II. Consciousness They are connected to the world through senses such as sight, hearing, taste, smell and touch, which enables the individual to experience the external world without any problems. The environment also influences many categories of a Versipellis's way of thinking and acting as they are able to form subjective views and opinions. A Versipellis have a sufficient self-awareness and can recognise themselves in a mirror after the age of 10 months. II. III. Emotions & Motivation As every living being, very individual possesses a motivation - usually the avoidance of conflict or positive emotions. While positive and negative emotional states are defined differently by every Versipellis and might be influenced by social norms, the wish for the absence of conflict is an ancient urge which helps to sustain society and emotional bonds. Destructive actions such as SIB are usually learnt by the individual through receiving positive reactions from themselves after doing so. While libido is also one of the primary motivations, the avoidance of conflict is still one of the most common reasons for the way a Versipellis acts.

A mentally healthy Versipellis has a wide arrangement of emotions, including good states as well as bad ones. This diversity helps the individual to express themselves to companions. Emotions have a great influence on Versipellian behaviour and can also affect the aether system in its function, depending on how strong the emotion is. II. III. Sexuality With the libido being one of the primary drives of this species, a Versipellis also experiences strong feelings such as love and compassion. Sexuality in this species doesn't only exist to ensure reproduction, but also to create physical intimacy and social bonds between individuals. Versipelles display a wide spectrum of sexual and romantic orientations; most individuals are bisexual, sometimes with a slight preference for the opposite gender. All sexualities are accepted in the society, even though some royal families are known to strive to be completely heterosexual for the sake of reproduction. II.IV. Language The many languages spoken by Versipelles in Athusia are unique to their species as their languages are open and can have different meanings, unlike set communication between animals. It also offers the opportunity to represent things and events through words even when they are currently not locally or presently occurring. Every language can also be written down in simple signs on paper or other materials to be preserved for the future generations. While about 8000 languages are known and documented in Athusia, the most spread ones are Ancient Greek and Latin. II. V. Social Behavior Versipelles are highly social creatures and strive to live in large groups. The base of this desire is the knowledge to be safe and to communicate with others of their species. Those groups are either founded by the desire to live with offsprings and general kinship (such as in family) or because they share a specific trait such as ancestry or history.

Commonly living in large settlements such as cities and nations, Versipelles have a complex society which builds upon the interaction between individuals. While this led to many conflicts in history, they require having a government to create and enforce laws as this species can't live without a leader. The most used systems are the monarchy and liberal democracy, even though theocracy and military dictatorship are still common in Aspiria.

The society builds up upon the economy - the exchange of goods and services. This leads to the creation of a market which runs over a currency system. Said system can differ from Imperium to Imperium, but all currencies can be traded for each other in case of travelling or taking part in the international economy.

Even though the desire of the avoidance of conflict should prevent wars from happening, there are multiple documented cases of violent battles over years between different nations. The decision to efficiently kill other individuals of the own species to solve conflicts over territory, power and resources of this extent is unique to this species.

II. VI. Body Modifications & Other Alterations Playing an important part in the culture of Athusia, non-medical body modifications such as piercings, jewellery and clothing are interesting phenomena found in this species. This is often used for self-expression, as a sign of passage or for ethical and/or religious reasons.

Clothes vary from Imperium to Imperium due to the wide spectrum of different climates but can be defined be the body being draped with varying textiles such as fabric, leather or fur. The main reasons for this are the protection from the elements, increasing safety (for example during outside activities) and also social aspects as wearing clothes is a norm in Athusia for Versipelles. This norm requires having genitals, breast (both male and female) and buttocks to be covered as the exposure of these body parts is seen as indecent. Clothes are also often used to for self-expression.

Piercings are also a very important part of the Athusian culture and can be found in both genders. Most commonly pierced body part are the ears, with both the lobe and cartilage tissue serving this purpose. Next to this, it's also common to pierce nose, lips and even genital & nipples. While the first two options are usually either used for self-expression or to make a statement, the other two are often related to religious backgrounds - but not always as they have a growing popularity among the people of Semetra and Ateria.

Not only piercings are used to set certain statements, but also a wide variety of haircuts. While practical styles are preferred by commoners, many nobles or rich individuals prefer extraordinary ones. Colouring is also often seen, usually in the colours blue, green and turquoise. II. VII. Art Versipelles have a strong urge to express themselves through their appearance and their own creations, even before the presence of the first god. Whether it be through drawing, creating music, writing poems and stories, dancing or anything else - every healthy individual will have the urge to go after one of these. Art of any kind is highly valued in all Imperii, especially music.