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nklhuytao86 · 7 months

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Bell Curve Definition: Normal Distribution Meaning Example in Finance

What Is a Bell Curve?

A bell curve, also known as a normal distribution or Gaussian distribution, is a specific type of probability distribution that is characterized by a symmetrical and bell-shaped curve when graphed. It is named the "bell curve" because of its shape, which resembles a bell.

Key characteristics of a bell curve (normal distribution) include:

Symmetry: The curve is symmetric around its mean (average) value, meaning that the left and right sides of the curve are mirror images of each other.

Bell-shaped: The curve reaches a peak at the mean and gradually tapers off as you move away from the mean in either direction. It forms a smooth, continuous curve with tails extending infinitely in both directions.

Mean and Standard Deviation: The normal distribution is defined by two parameters: the mean (μ), which represents the central tendency of the data, and the standard deviation (σ), which measures the spread or variability of the data. The mean is the center of the curve, and the standard deviation determines the width of the curve. Larger standard deviations result in wider, flatter curves.

Empirical Rule: The empirical rule, also known as the 68-95-99.7 rule, states that in a normal distribution:

Approximately 68% of the data falls within one standard deviation of the mean.

Approximately 95% falls within two standard deviations.

Approximately 99.7% falls within three standard deviations.

Bell curves are commonly used in statistics and probability theory to model the distribution of data in various real-world scenarios. Many natural phenomena and human characteristics, such as height, test scores, and errors in measurements, tend to follow a roughly normal distribution. The bell curve is a fundamental concept in statistics and plays a significant role in statistical analysis, hypothesis testing, and inferential statistics.

It's important to note that while many phenomena approximately follow a bell curve, not all data in the real world perfectly fits this distribution. In practice, deviations from the ideal normal distribution are common, and other probability distributions may be more appropriate for modeling specific datasets.

Understanding a Bell Curve

Understanding a bell curve, also known as a normal distribution or Gaussian distribution, involves grasping its fundamental characteristics and how it relates to the distribution of data. Here's a step-by-step explanation:

Symmetry: A bell curve is symmetrical, meaning that it looks the same on both sides of its peak. This symmetry indicates that data is equally likely to occur on either side of the mean (average). If you were to fold the curve along its peak, the left and right sides would perfectly overlap.

Bell-shaped: The term "bell curve" comes from the shape of this distribution. It forms a smooth, continuous curve that resembles a bell. The curve starts low on both sides, rises to a peak at the mean, and then decreases symmetrically as you move further away from the mean.

Mean and Standard Deviation: The bell curve is defined by two key parameters:

Mean (μ): This is the central value or average of the data. It represents the center of the bell curve, and the highest point on the curve is located precisely at the mean.

Standard Deviation (σ): This measures the spread or dispersion of the data points around the mean. A larger standard deviation results in a wider and flatter bell curve, while a smaller standard deviation results in a narrower and taller curve.

Empirical Rule: The bell curve follows the empirical rule, also known as the 68-95-99.7 rule, which describes the proportion of data within certain ranges:

Approximately 68% of the data falls within one standard deviation of the mean.

Approximately 95% of the data falls within two standard deviations.

Approximately 99.7% of the data falls within three standard deviations.

This rule helps you understand how data is distributed within a bell curve and provides a basis for making probabilistic statements about data.

Real-world Examples: Bell curves are frequently encountered in various real-world scenarios. For instance:

Height: The heights of a large population tend to follow a bell curve, with most people clustering around the average height, and fewer people at the extremes (very tall or very short).

Test Scores: In standardized testing, such as IQ tests or SAT scores, the distribution of scores often resembles a bell curve.

Measurement Errors: Measurement errors in scientific experiments often have a normal distribution, with the majority of errors close to the true value and fewer errors as you move further away from it.

Understanding a bell curve is crucial in statistics because it serves as a fundamental model for many phenomena. It helps statisticians and analysts make predictions, calculate probabilities, and make inferences about data. However, it's essential to note that while many real-world datasets approximately follow a normal distribution, not all data perfectly fits this pattern, and deviations from normality can occur. In such cases, other probability distributions may be more appropriate for modeling the data.

Example of a Bell Curve

Here's an example of a bell curve (normal distribution) in the context of IQ scores:

Example: IQ Scores

Suppose you have a large sample of IQ scores from a population, and you want to visualize the distribution of these scores. IQ scores are designed to follow a normal distribution, with a mean (average) IQ of 100 and a standard deviation of 15 in the general population.

Mean (μ): In this case, the mean IQ score is 100. This means that the average IQ in the population is 100.

Standard Deviation (σ): The standard deviation is 15. This indicates the spread or variability of IQ scores in the population. A standard deviation of 15 means that about 68% of the population falls within one standard deviation of the mean (i.e., IQ scores between 85 and 115), about 95% falls within two standard deviations (i.e., IQ scores between 70 and 130), and about 99.7% falls within three standard deviations (i.e., IQ scores between 55 and 145).

Now, let's visualize this using a bell curve (normal distribution):

At the center of the bell curve, there's a peak, which represents the mean IQ score of 100.

As you move away from the mean in either direction, the curve gradually tapers off. This represents the decreasing likelihood of observing IQ scores significantly higher or lower than the mean.

The resulting bell curve for IQ scores would look like this:

luaCopy code

| 0.4 | . . . . . | . . . 0.3 | . . . | . . . 0.2 | . . | . 0.1 | . | . | . +------------------------------------------- 55 70 85 100 115 130 145 (IQ Scores)

In this example, the curve illustrates the distribution of IQ scores in a population. Most people have IQ scores close to the mean (100), while fewer individuals have scores significantly above or below the mean. The curve gradually tapers off as you move away from the mean in either direction, following the characteristics of a bell curve (normal distribution).

Bell Curve vs. Non-Normal Distributions

Bell Curve (Normal Distribution):

Shape: The bell curve, or normal distribution, is characterized by a symmetric, bell-shaped curve when plotted on a graph. It has a peak at the mean (average) and gradually tapers off on both sides.

Symmetry: It is symmetric around the mean, meaning that the left and right sides of the curve are mirror images of each other.

Parameters: The bell curve is defined by two parameters: the mean (μ) and the standard deviation (σ). These parameters determine the center and spread of the distribution.

Empirical Rule: In a normal distribution, approximately 68% of the data falls within one standard deviation of the mean, 95% falls within two standard deviations, and 99.7% falls within three standard deviations. This rule provides a clear understanding of how data is distributed.

Examples: Heights of a large population, IQ scores in the general population, errors in scientific measurements when random, and many natural phenomena often follow a normal distribution.

Non-Normal Distributions:

Non-normal distributions are any probability distributions that do not follow the characteristics of a normal distribution. They can take various forms and have different properties. Here are some key examples:

Skewed Distributions: Skewed distributions are asymmetrical and have a longer tail on one side compared to the other. There are two main types:

Positively Skewed (Right-skewed): The tail is on the right side, and the mean is typically greater than the median.

Negatively Skewed (Left-skewed): The tail is on the left side, and the mean is typically less than the median.

Uniform Distribution: In a uniform distribution, all values within a given range have the same probability of occurring. It forms a flat, rectangular shape.

Exponential Distribution: The exponential distribution is often used to model the time between events in a Poisson process. It has a rapidly decreasing tail and is commonly used in survival analysis.

Log-normal Distribution: The log-normal distribution appears when the logarithm of a variable follows a normal distribution. It's commonly used for modeling financial data like stock prices.

Binomial Distribution: The binomial distribution models the number of successes in a fixed number of independent Bernoulli trials. It can appear discrete or continuous, depending on the context.

Poisson Distribution: The Poisson distribution models the number of events occurring in a fixed interval of time or space. It's often used for counting the occurrences of rare events.

Heavy-Tailed Distributions: These distributions have tails that extend further than those of a normal distribution. Examples include the Cauchy distribution and the Student's t-distribution.

In summary, while the normal distribution is a common and well-understood distribution characterized by its bell-shaped curve and symmetry, there are many other probability distributions that can describe real-world data more accurately. The choice of distribution depends on the specific characteristics of the data being analyzed. Understanding both normal and non-normal distributions is essential for statistical analysis and modeling.

Limitations of a Bell Curve

The bell curve, or normal distribution, is a useful statistical concept and model for many scenarios, but it has limitations when applied to real-world data and situations. Some of the key limitations include:

Assumption of Normality: The most significant limitation is that the bell curve assumes that the data follows a perfectly normal distribution. In reality, many datasets do not precisely conform to this assumption. Deviations from normality, such as skewness (asymmetry) and kurtosis (tail behavior), are common, and using a normal distribution to model such data can lead to inaccurate results.

Outliers: The bell curve is sensitive to outliers, which are extreme data points that lie far from the mean. Outliers can significantly affect the mean and standard deviation of a dataset, leading to distortions in the normal distribution and potentially misleading statistical analyses.

Heavy-Tailed Distributions: Some datasets exhibit heavy tails, meaning they have a higher probability of extreme values than what a normal distribution would predict. Examples include financial returns, where stock prices can experience extreme fluctuations.

Skewed Distributions: Skewed distributions, where data is not symmetrically distributed around the mean, do not fit the bell curve model. For example, income distributions often exhibit right-skewness, as a few individuals earn very high incomes, pulling the mean higher than the median.

Categorical Data: The bell curve is designed for continuous data, but many real-world datasets involve categorical or discrete data. Attempting to fit a continuous bell curve to such data can lead to misinterpretation.

Sample Size: The validity of the bell curve often depends on the sample size. In smaller samples, the distribution of data may not resemble a perfect bell curve due to randomness and limited data points.

Boundary Effects: The bell curve implies that data can theoretically range from negative infinity to positive infinity. In some cases, data may be bounded (e.g., test scores with a minimum and maximum) or semi-bounded (e.g., financial returns cannot be negative below a certain point). These boundary conditions violate the assumptions of the normal distribution.

Multimodal Data: A bell curve represents a unimodal distribution with a single peak. Many real-world datasets may exhibit multiple modes or peaks, making them unsuitable for normal distribution modeling.

Non-Stationary Data: In time series analysis, the assumptions of stationarity are often violated in real-world data, making the bell curve an inadequate model.

Inaccurate Tail Predictions: The bell curve tends to underestimate the probability of extreme events (tails), which can be problematic in risk analysis and finance, where extreme events are of particular concern.

To address these limitations, statisticians and data analysts often use alternative probability distributions, such as the log-normal distribution, exponential distribution, or various heavy-tailed distributions, depending on the specific characteristics of the data. Additionally, non-parametric methods and robust statistical techniques may be employed when the normal distribution assumptions are not met. Understanding the limitations of the bell curve is crucial for accurate and meaningful statistical analysis and modeling.

What Are the Characteristics of a Bell Curve?

The characteristics of a bell curve, also known as a normal distribution or Gaussian distribution, include:

Symmetry: A bell curve is symmetric, meaning it looks the same on both sides of its peak. If you were to fold the curve along its peak, the left and right sides would perfectly overlap. This symmetry indicates that data is equally likely to occur on either side of the mean (average).

Bell-Shaped: The term "bell curve" comes from the shape of this distribution. It forms a smooth, continuous curve that resembles a bell. The curve starts low on both sides, rises to a peak at the mean, and then decreases symmetrically as you move further away from the mean.

Mean and Standard Deviation: The bell curve is defined by two key parameters:

Mean (μ): This is the central value or average of the data. It represents the center of the bell curve, and the highest point on the curve is located precisely at the mean.

Empirical Rule: The bell curve follows the empirical rule, also known as the 68-95-99.7 rule, which describes the proportion of data within certain ranges:

Approximately 68% of the data falls within one standard deviation of the mean.

Approximately 95% falls within two standard deviations.

Approximately 99.7% falls within three standard deviations. This rule helps you understand how data is distributed within a bell curve and provides a basis for making probabilistic statements about data.

Continuous Probability Distribution: The bell curve represents a continuous probability distribution. It means that the data can take any real value within a certain range, and the curve is not "choppy" or discontinuous.

Density: The curve represents the probability density function (pdf) of the distribution. The height of the curve at any given point represents the probability of a data point falling within a small interval around that point. The total area under the curve equals 1, signifying that the sum of all probabilities within the entire range is 1.

Central Limit Theorem: The bell curve is a fundamental concept in statistics and plays a key role in the Central Limit Theorem. According to this theorem, the sampling distribution of the sample means for a large enough sample from any population will be approximately normally distributed, regardless of the shape of the population distribution.

Real-World Examples: Bell curves are often encountered in various real-world scenarios. For example, they can represent the distribution of heights in a population, IQ scores in the general population, and measurement errors in scientific experiments when random.

Understanding these characteristics is important in statistical analysis, hypothesis testing, and making probabilistic statements about data. However, it's essential to remember that while many phenomena approximately follow a bell curve, not all data perfectly fits this distribution, and deviations from normality can occur. In practice, other probability distributions may be more appropriate for modeling specific datasets.

How Is the Bell Curve Used in Finance?

The bell curve, also known as the normal distribution or Gaussian distribution, is used in finance for various purposes, despite its simplifying assumptions. Here are some key ways in which the bell curve is applied in the field of finance:

Modeling Returns: The bell curve is often used to model the distribution of returns for financial assets, such as stocks, bonds, or portfolios. It assumes that returns follow a normal distribution, where the mean represents the expected return, and the standard deviation measures the volatility of returns. This modeling helps investors and analysts understand the potential range of returns and associated risks.

Risk Analysis: Financial risk, including market risk, credit risk, and operational risk, can be analyzed using the normal distribution. Risk managers use the bell curve to estimate the likelihood of various risk scenarios and to calculate value-at-risk (VaR), which quantifies the maximum potential loss at a specified confidence level.

Portfolio Management: Portfolio managers often assume that individual asset returns are normally distributed and use this assumption to optimize portfolio allocations. Modern Portfolio Theory (MPT) relies on these assumptions to construct efficient portfolios that maximize expected returns for a given level of risk.

Options Pricing: The Black-Scholes-Merton (BSM) model, a fundamental tool in option pricing, is based on the assumption that stock prices follow a geometric Brownian motion, which has normally distributed returns. This model helps determine the fair value of options and other derivatives.

Credit Scoring: In credit risk analysis, credit scoring models often assume that credit scores or credit-related variables are normally distributed. Lenders use these models to assess the creditworthiness of borrowers and make lending decisions.

Interest Rate Modeling: Some interest rate models, such as the Vasicek model, assume that interest rates follow a mean-reverting process with normally distributed changes. These models are used in fixed-income securities pricing and risk management.

Monte Carlo Simulations: The bell curve is a central component in Monte Carlo simulations, which are widely used in financial modeling and risk analysis. Monte Carlo simulations generate multiple scenarios of future asset returns, often assuming a normal distribution, to estimate the range of possible outcomes for a given financial strategy or investment.

Hypothesis Testing: Financial analysts and researchers use hypothesis tests that assume normality to make inferences about financial data. For example, the t-test and analysis of variance (ANOVA) assume normally distributed data to test hypotheses about means and variances.

It's important to note that while the normal distribution simplifies many financial modeling and risk management tasks, real financial data often deviates from the perfect normality assumption. Financial markets can experience extreme events (fat tails) and exhibit volatility clustering, both of which are not well-captured by the bell curve. Therefore, practitioners should exercise caution and consider alternative models when dealing with non-normal data or when extreme events need to be explicitly addressed.

What Are the Limitations of the Bell Curve?

The bell curve, or normal distribution, is a widely used statistical model with many practical applications. However, it has several limitations when applied to real-world data and situations:

Non-Stationary Data: In time series analysis, the assumptions of stationarity are often violated in real-world data, making the bell curve an inadequate model.

Read more: https://computertricks.net/bell-curve-definition-normal-distribution-meaning-example-in-finance/

#Computer Tricks

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wjdexclusives · 3 years

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0.38CT. TW Natural Round Diamond 10K Yellow Gold Cross Pendant 1.5"

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0.38CT. TW Natural Round Diamond 10K Yellow Gold Cross Pendant 1.5"

This cross is the symbol of Christianity. The cross is signified by a figure hanging on it that looked like a human form. The best quality natural diamond gold cross pendant for women and men is the perfect choice to gift on a special day.

Product Specifics All specifications are approximate and may vary for the same model.

Weight (gm)

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Width (mm)

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Main Stone

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Carat Total Weight (ctw)

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Cut Grade

Ideal

Setting Type

Prong

Crafted in

Europe

Style ID: 3255 ZF-L (internal use only): WJDROD

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simonloweblog · 9 months

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"Plus ca change"... part 2

Is it possible that we will ever get over paying huge premiums to buy a brand name? I doubt it, in spite of the fact that the premium added to buying “a branded name” continues to become ever more outrageous in terms of value for money.

When French haute couture was handmade in small Ateliers in Paris one could justify that those individually designed and crafted pieces of clothing commanded High multiples to the price of a “frock” from Top Shop or Banana Republic. That is quite a different story from two production lines in a clothing factory outside Shanghai; one making a man’s suit for M&S, the other on the same floor, for Armani. The M&S suit is sold for £199 whilst the Armani suit is in the window at c £1400. Now although the material is different, which can add say £60 to the price, the “tailoring” is exactly the same. So why would one cost 700% more than the other? The answer is brand name. In the case of comparing a Bentley to a Skoda, the former is worth alot more as more expensive materials are used with more detail and finer appointments, but in the case of the “Italian suit” that is definitely not the case. I know because we made the M&S suit. Incidentally, “the Italian suit” is a misnomer because of course it is made in China.

A silk tie from the tie rack costs c £10; one from Hermes £120. The shape, length and width and the amount of silk used are approximately equal in cost. The packaging of a Hermes tie is more expensive and better presented which would add a couple of £s to their price, but surely it cannot be worth 1200% more.

The comparisons between goods are endless. Of course, the “experience” of shopping in a “fine” store counts for something and certainly costs the seller a lot, but why should a Sony computer which these days is no better than a Dell cost so much more; the answer is there is no plausible reason.

There will always be those who for snob appeal purposes buy a Brand but as online shopping is now embraced by most of the top “brands” then the experience and “value” of shopping in a smart store, being seen therein or carrying the “branded parcel”, falls away.

As high street rents on famous avenues becomes extortionate and advertising campaigns and P.R. costs add more and more to the prices charged by branded Houses, then all but the richest or the most desperate will choose them over good value mass produced or generic equivalents.

Fortunately, in the pharmaceutical industry, Government and often the medical profession are choosing generic medications over “brand name” which achieve the same results at a fraction of the cost.

Furthermore, famous designers are being commissioned by companies such as Zara and H&M to produce “designer” lines that capture both style and value at a fraction of their own advertised lines. In spite of their ever-increasing penetration onto the chic streets in the West, the expansion of the “brand houses” will be most dramatic Countries like China whose citizens are only just beginning to be able to afford western fashion goods as a result of higher disposal incomes.

Yet even in the West the desire for so many to be able to own and display “internationally recognizable labels” goes unabated. Over the past 5 years, since the financial crisis, many in Europe and the USA were forced to realize that the party of hype was over and that a period of “value for money” had to be the new mantra. Property prices in all but a few Cities plummeted by huge percentages. In spite of this the likes of a Hermes Kelly bag (and other fashion houses that have their own equivalent) continues to climb to higher and more dizzying heights and the biggest joke is that you are lucky if you can secure one!

It says much about the greed and selfishness of the human race. We know that “all are equal but some are more equal than others” (George Orwell) but there has to be a limit, or does there??

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biggest-gaudiest-patronuses · 4 years

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i like the idea of aliens not being able to recognize distinguishing features in humans, the way we don’t with animals. like they can’t tell their age or gender or facial features so hilarious confusion ensues when talking about celebrities

#like all humans are APPROXIMATELY the same shape and height #and covered in APPROXIAMTELY the same amount of hair #and they get so confused when humans get offended bc like #you wouldn't get mad if someone could tell the difference between various assorted hamsters

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honourablejester · 2 years

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Homebrew NPC: Mysterious Junk Peddler

Pssst. You wanna buy a sundial?

One of my absolute favourite tropes in fantasy is the mysterious shop or peddler that wanders into the story with a bag, cart, or building full of strange, magical and potentially cursed wares, makes some deals or sells some items, and then promptly vanishes again. The little shop that wasn’t there yesterday and won’t be there tomorrow, the junk peddler or lightning-rod salesman that appears at a crossroads just when the protagonist needs or wants something. And it’s all junk, or it all looks like junk, but it all looks weird and fascinating too, and there’s the odd piece of something very magical or worldshaking in there. Or maybe just something very personal, that this random stranger should never have been able to get a hold of …

And then you think about all of D&D’s myriad magic items, especially the low-level ones that are cool and interesting but maybe not entirely useful. Or you have a read of things like the Trinkets Table from the PHB, and all the strange and mysterious and curiously specific objects that all clearly have a story behind them. And maybe you picture a peddler, a strange and unusual sort of person, just … wandering up to the party and maybe giving them a bit of a browse. Through some junk, some mildly interesting magical bric-a-brac, possibly some quest hooks … and maybe, once in a blue moon, something a bit more powerful. A diamond in the rough.

And maybe, on occasion, the peddler might have their own secrets. Maybe they’re the devil in disguise. Or a fey. Or a dragon. Or someone’s long-lost parent or sibling. You never know.

So. Have some options for creating a wandering magical junk salesperson for your players to encounter:

Peddler’s Appearance

d6 Appearance

1 A scrawny human in a ridiculously oversized ragged overcoat who shiftily produces their wares from various pockets of said overcoat.

2 A flamboyant elf in pink and gold who produces each item with a flourish from a golden knapsack, as though waiting for applause each time.

3 A grinning, gap-toothed gnome who plucks their wares one by one from apparent thin air, wiggling their fingers gleefully.

4 A dwarf the approximate size, shape and colour of a small boulder, who dourly pulls their items from a brown duffle bag the same height as they are.

5 A serene tortle who makes a production of pulling first a broad yellow blanket to sit on, then a tea set, before finally their wares, from their shell.

6 A stern-faced dragonborn who lays out their wares on a little wooden trestle table as though they’re laying down the final hand in a high-stakes card game, glaring the whole time.

The peddler has roughly 10 to 11 items on them at any time, in the following proportions:

Peddler’s Wares

Amount Wares

5 Various strange items and junk. Roll five times on the Trinkets table in the PHB, or choose your favourites for flavour or as plot hooks.

3 Common magic items.

2 Uncommon magic items.

1 (optional) Item of any rarity above uncommon, from rare to legendary.

The caveat is, the peddler (apparently) has absolutely no idea what any of their wares are, and is therefore wildly idiosyncratic in their pricing. They will demand outrageous prices for apparent junk, yet happily accept 100 gold for valuable magical items. They fancy themselves a fine salesperson, so are willing and eager to haggle, and may accept trade in kind from players with interesting items to put on the table (‘interesting’ need not mean ‘valuable’ either). They cannot describe their wares to their customers beyond physical appearances and any other impressions they may have gained from the items. If asked where they acquired their wares, they may variously demure, prevaricate, or give wild and fantastical tales of adventure and skullduggery (DM’s choice).

And perhaps the peddler might secretly be more than they appear. If you’d like them to be of story importance, roll on the table below, choose your favourite, or come up with your own campaign-appropriate secret:

Peddler’s Secret

d6 Secret

1 The peddler is a gold dragon in disguise, trying to steer the party gently in a certain direction, or to empower them for trials it knows they’re soon to face. This peddler may hint as to items’ true natures more strongly, and might have a very powerful item that they’re willing to part with for astonishingly cheap.

2 The peddler is an archfey or copper dragon or a trickster god, sowing seeds of magic and chaos across the world, mostly for fun and its own amusement. This peddler will keep absolutely mum or playfully mislead buyers, and might have some of the more fun-but-questionably-useful items.

3 The peddler is a hag or fiend in disguise, spreading small evils and horrors, or creating a false sense of security in its customers. This peddler might have more spooky or cursed items among their wares.

4 The peddler is an undercover archmage or lich, selling some of their random magical junk while secretly trying to steer adventurers towards a dungeon or object they’re interested in. This peddler may have a map or rumour of a nearby location to investigate.

5 The peddler is someone a member of the party thought long dead or vanished, trying to watch over them from afar. This peddler might have an object a party member recognises among their trinkets.

6 The peddler is a member of a cult, trying to spread tainted objects that carry the mental influence of their patron out into the world. This peddler might have quite useful items, but will always do their best to also get the party to purchase some innocuous-but-tainted object, or perhaps have odd prices and give the party ‘change’ in strange, tarnished coins.

(If anyone recognised the influences of Disney’s Aladdin, Disney’s Hercules, Something Wicked This Way Comes, Needful Things, pretty much every devil-disguised-as-a-saleperson story, and, randomly, Seraphim Falls, in this, congratulations! I love this trope …)

#d&d #homebrew #peddlers #magic shop #magic items #quest hooks

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redeyeingirs · 3 years

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Okay so are there any cool traits of the other races in your story you want to share?

Well, it depends on what you'd like to know.

• Most modern big cities are adapted to giants and dwarfs, so everyone is used to high ceilings and extra doors.

Mixed races are a standard thing, along with quirks. In a sense, none of the races is the same race as it was 5-6 centuries ago. All partially became similar to people after the peoples gradually began to be divided by territory and language, and not just by race. It all started with the "early states". Since then, the races have far fewer biological differences and have the option for blood transfusions or organ transplants among themselves. For this reason, no race can be called "pure".

Approximate population ratio:

By "half- breeds", I mean "perfect half-bloods", which have pronounced features of several races.

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Demons are practically no different from humans or elves in biological terms, except that their body produces more harmons.

There are stripes on their skin that can have different colors and shapes. The horns are usually smooth and grow towards the back of the head, but sometimes curve in other directions. The asymmetrical horns are a clear deviation. Contrary to popular misconception, their eyes do not look like a cat's. They do not have night vision, and their peripheral vision is reduced, but they see what is right in front of them very clearly and can look further. All demons are little color blind. They distinguish between shades of red and blue, but do not perceive green and purple shades well. Because of this, green is replaced with blue at most traffic lights.

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Vampires tolerate cold and prolonged starvation well. They require less water, and their food is the blood of most living things and the sap of some plants. Their stomach digests blood and receives a lot of necessary substances from it. Vampirs lack iron, so pharmacies always have the appropriate vitamins. Vampires can smell blood and intuit where it's warmer and where it's colder.

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Giants stand out for their size and slowness. They don't move slowly, but their reactions are slow compared to other races. The anatomical structure is almost the same as that of a human, only some bones are wider. They prefer rhythmic music (that is, they would choose drums rather than fiddle). The creation of many musical genres is attributed to the giants-composers. They can hold their breath for an average of four minutes without training, but they are not the best swimmers.

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Elves are light and fast. They are able to hear a large range of sounds, mostly high pitched. Elves have pointed ears and they have some mobility. Their eyes are slightly more sensitive to light, which gives them something similar to night vision. They're good at navigating at dusk. They have very flexible fingers, so flexible that they can take a mug with the back of their hand.

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Dwarves. They have a much smaller height, but a very dense structure of muscles. They are not very good at swimming and will be the first to lose consciousness when climbing a mountain. Their eyes also have a semblance of night vision. The bones are stronger than human bones, but, logically, smaller. They can be unexpectedly heavy. Be able to distinguish between seismic vibration.

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Humans are the most numerous race in the entire world. They are somewhat inferior to the demons in the speed of gaining muscle in physical training and on average have a much lower speed than the elves. Distinguish most shades of the color scheme. Founder of the first empire and the first Navy. Full-fledged explorers of the seas. Round-the-world travelers and discoverers are people.

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There is a historical event called the "Great War". This happened in the Middle Ages. It is so called because in this war, which lasted about 20 years, all 7 races participated in one way or another. It was not the biggest war, but it found its place in world history. The Taiga Grove, the territory for which this war was fought, was eventually declared the territory of the dragon clan that fought in this war, but after global mixing, it became the North American taiga.

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•Centaurs are an extinct people.

•Lancars are an extinct people.

#bnha #dragon au #scetch #bnha au #ask #dragon midoriya izuku

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renova-writes · 3 years

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The Silver Shadow

Summary: The Avengers come up with a plan to capture you. Unfortunately, you are not a stupid girl. They know this and must come up with something that is foolproof. Everyone knows that this is their only chance for decades to get you and they are not messing around. You make your way to one of your many safe houses only to get captured. But, as it turns out, the Avengers want you alive.

Words: 2,007

Warnings: swearing, violence, talk of suicide

Tags: @shadowolf993 @daisy116

Other Chapters: Masterlist

A/N: I’ve got my plan for this fic FINALLY laid out. I’m sorry it’s taken so long for this chapter. I’ve been busy with the end of the school year and stuff like that. Anyways I hope you enjoy this chapter. If you do you should totally ask to join the tag list for this fic or request your own. And remember: comments and asks are always okay. 🖤🖤

Chapter 4: What was the point?

"Where do you think she is?" Rhodes asked. Fury had called him in from the Military to find you. He and the rest of the Avengers were in Tony's penthouse living room. The floor-to-ceiling windows showed off just how high up the room was. Not only displaying the might of the building, but it also had a near-perfect view of Manhattan. The city that never sleeps was illuminated by the pinkish-orange glow of the sunset.

"According to my calculations and the report of the Special Ops on the train that reported her. She is approximately 80 miles outside of Quebec. "Vision said, "Whether she is aware of that proximity or not, our best move would be to have a watch in the city."

"Definitely," Steve agreed, "I'll talk to the mayor and call in a few favors."

"What if she never makes it to Quebec? She's probably not stupid. What if all those eyes cause her to stay off the grid? Then we'll never catch her." Tony criticized. It was true; you weren't stupid. If you got wind of an alert to look out for someone who looked even remotely like you, you were going to stay as far away if you could.

One time, you had left a witness, and they reported you to the police. Like clockwork, they put out a wanted alert. It was 1985, and you were in Los Angeles, so they had more significant issues to deal with. You got lucky because, at the time, it was the height of the terror caused by the Night Stalker.

To be honest, you had never really understood serial killers. You were technically one, but the psychopathic killers—the crazy cannibal sadists. HYDRA had checked your mental health, and the results had come back pretty standard. There was a bit of crazy in you, but hey, who doesn't have any?

Since everyone was so scared of the Night Stalker, they didn't pay too much attention to someone who had killed one minor, uninfluential politician. No one reported you, and no one cared. You left Los Angeles unscathed but a little rattled.

What if someone had reported me?... What would happen?... Thank God it didn't happen this time?... I need to be more careful…

You had learned your lesson. If you got wind someone was looking for you, they were never, ever going to find you—end of story.

"He's right," Bucky said as he walked into the room. After Steve talked to him, he went back to his room to clean up before joining the rest of the Avengers in coming up with a plan to catch you. "She's careful. There's too much on the line for her."

"Then what do we do?" Wanda asked, "How do we catch her?"

"Hear me out… We still do a watch and tell the mayor. But we don't release it to the public. We let law enforcement know and send them as many troops as we can." Clint suggested.

"With undercover cops?" Banner asked.

"Exactly," He responded. "Let Y/N think that everything is normal. That no one's looking for her."

"All in favor?" Steve asked. Everyone voted yes. It was a good idea. You didn't know it yet, but it was an excellent idea. "I'll let the mayor and police chief know then."

Steve walked out and made his way to one of the comm rooms. The rest of the avengers looked among one another. They were all on edge. Sam Wilson, who had absolutely no idea how dangerous you were, was the least worried. To him, you were just another common criminal who would be caught. On the other side of the spectrum, Bucky could barely keep himself together. After excusing himself, he walked to the bathroom, locked the door, and wasn't heard from for a few hours.

Everyone else waited for a while to see if they were still needed before making their way to various spots. Some, like Nat and Wanda, went to their rooms. Banner went to the lab with Tony, and Clint went to the gym.

---------------------------------------

You were no better off than you were yesterday. Maybe you had clothes, sure, but you also managed to have sex with an asshole and assault the guy. Alex wasn't going to remember it, but that didn't make it right. Out of all of the things you had done, your conscience said that was the worst. You had acted like a monster. Hopefully, he would be okay. You wouldn't.

After storming out of the King's Treason, you found yourself on a dirt road through a forest. It was the middle of the night, and all the stars were awake. You wondered what was up there. After watching the Battle of New York unfold on television, you were well aware that you weren't alone in the universe. Thor had made that clear. But you still didn't know precisely what there was. In your mind, the galaxy was rich with alien life. Things that looked like humans but with rainbow-colored skin. Somethings that looked nothing like humans. You wondered if it was like Star Wars showed it. That would be cool. But you didn't know, because you had never seen an alien in real life before.

When you stared at the stars, there was always one that stood out to you. It wasn't the biggest or the brightest, but it was the most beautiful. If someone asked you if you wanted to go to space and you could go to any star or place, that would be the one. It didn't matter if nothing was there, but you knew there was. You just knew. The moon was bright tonight too. It dimed out the light of the surrounding stars and made the night on Earth a little brighter.

There was only one road to follow. Since all roads lead somewhere, you picked one and started walking. The night was peaceful and quiet. That was what you needed. You looked at your watch that had a compass on it. You were heading southeast.

The scenery remained the same for the first few miles. Suddenly the forest began shifting into the countryside. The rolling hills morphed into gated suburbs. A quick glance at your GPS told you that you were in Quebec.

Quebec…. I have a safe house here… Finally some peace and quiet…

You walked for an hour until you found the road that led to the neighborhood your house was in. It had been a few years since you had gone to his house. Everything was the same, but a little different. The streets were emptied in the early morning air, but it wasn't the same Quebec that you remembered. The barbershop on the corner was gone. The window that had once said Chez Berruby's Barbers had been changed to an ice cream store.

The more you looked, the more you saw the changes. That was never a good sign. But you ignored it and kept walking down the street until you got to Rue Saint-Paul. That was your street. You were right; everything was changing. Every single house on the street looked well kept and trimmed. The bushes were perfect, and the grass was green. Then there was your safe house. The yard was brown, and the windows were cracked. It stuck out like a sore thumb, which meant you would stick out too.

It's only for a night… Or two… We'll move on again…

You looked in a small notebook you kept in your supply belt for where you had hidden the key. Under the pot shaped like a frog. Was it on the front steps? No. After searching the side gate area, the garage, and the balcony over it, you concluded that there was no frog pot. There might have been a few years ago. But a lot can happen in a year. Let alone three or four.

"Well fuck it," you muttered. You got a knife out and picked the lock. A click told you the door was unlocked, so you went inside. You opened the door and stepped inside. The house was musty and smelled like cat pee. You followed the hallway past the stairs and into the kitchen.

To be honest, you didn't know what you were expecting when you opened the fridge. Definitely not food. To your surprise, there was a moldy pizza and flat Coca-Cola. You were not that desperate. After rummaging through the cabinets, you found some cans of kidney beans. The expiration date was last week, but they'd have to do.

Halfway through the can of rancid beans, you heard the fists banging against the door.

"Y/n Y/L/N? We know you're in there." A deep voice yelled, "Turn yourself in now, and we can do this quickly and quietly. I will give you a minute to come out, and then we will come in. Understood?"

No. They were most definitely not understood. You would not be going out without a fight. They were probably going to execute you right there on the steps. If they wanted to kill you. They were going to need to catch you first.

How about a game of cat and mouse?... Maybe this mouse will bite you in the nose... Who nose...

But you couldn't take it anymore. Fear took over. Instead of fighting, your first instinct was to hide. You flew upstairs and flung yourself into the top shelf of a closet. Who cared if it wouldn't be able to hold you? You were hiding for your life. Fear crept up your spine as you saw the end come into sight. Movies always showed the last moments of someone's life as an emotional roller coaster. Maybe if you lived longer, you could have seen some more movies. But they were right.

What had you done with your life? Lie? Kill? For what? For who? What was the point? You had never trusted anyone. Never loved anyone. You didn't even know what love was supposed to feel like. If you could live again, you would try to be a regular person. To live and love. For a trip to Starbucks for an Iced Latte be a normal thing. Not something you had to plan for months for. For friends. People you could trust and care about.

You wished that you could be dying in a huge comfortable bed, with your lover holding your hand. Surrounded by friends and family. Reflecting on your life and having no regrets. You could have a beautiful funeral where people flocked from near and far to celebrate the life of the girl they all loved. Your family would get so many flowers that all the bees of the world would come and dance on your grave.

But that was a fantasy.

Instead, you were alone. Scared out of your mind on a shelf in a closet. In a house that wasn't yours. Alone.

Tears fell down your face as you compared what your life could have been to what it was. You almost wanted them to kill you so it could be over.

It's all over… And I'm… Happy?...

"Anyone in here?" A soldier called. You were surprised he couldn't hear your heart hammering through your chest. Or the hurricane in your eyes.

The footsteps of three other soldiers entered the room and began tearing it apart.

Five… Four… Three… Two… On-

"Found her!" He shouted. He opened the closet door and barely had time to get the sentence out before you shot him. You didn't even have room in your mind to feel sorry. You were numb and tired and scared for your life.

You jumped out of the closet and aimed your gun at the next guy.

He fell down. And the next. You only got shots onto those two before everything went dark.

Am I dead?... Please tell me I'm dead… Shit…

The darkness faded into blinding white. After that faded, you saw that you were in a prison cell. And not dead. Fuck.

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meichenxi · 3 years

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<j q x> and <zh ch sh>: an in-depth pronunciation guide

Help! I can’t pronounce <j q x>! AM I FOREVER CURSED??

No! You shall rise from the void of bad pronunciation! The gleaming ladder of linguistics beckons and shall guide you to success!

Alright, let’s go!

This, below, is your mouth! (simplified, in paint, please use your imagination) The pointy bits are your teeth - the dangly bit at the back is your velum. The bits that are relevant for us today are the alveolar ridge, post-alveolar space and the palate.

<j q x> are all technically 'alveolo-palatal' sounds. Your alveolar ridge in your mouth is the bit behind your teeth that is very hard, before it goes upwards and gets softer. Your palate is divided into your hard palate and soft palate - the hard palate is the bit that burns when you eat pizza!

Alveolar sounds in English are /t d s z n l/ etc - feel how your tongue is tapping off that hard ridge in the first two. We just have one palatal sound in English, made when your tongue approaches the hard palate - <y>, which is usually written /j/ in linguistics. (<this> means spelling, and /this/ means phonemic pronunciation).

Post-alveolar sounds are sounds which are made when you retract your tongue a bit from the hard alveolar ridge. We have quite a few - /ʃ/ as in 'shot' <sh>, /ʒ/ as in 'vision' <s>, /tʃ/ as in 'church', and /dʒ/ as in <j>, 'jam'. Congratulations, because these all exist in Chinese! If you're a proficient English speaker or your language has them, pinyin <zh> , <ch> and <sh> should be straightforward (though <sh> especially is a little bit more retroflex, i.e. your tongue curled back, than the English). T

Alveolo-palatal sounds are made with your lips spread wide, with the back of your tongue raised to your palate (like in <yes> as in ‘yes’) and the tip of your tongue resting along the back of the teeth.

Compare the two pictures. The first is the pronunciation of the post-alveolar sounds, so pinyin <zh ch sh>, and the second is the pronunciation of <j q x>. Notice how in the second picture the body of the tongue is much higher, and the tip of the tongue isn’t curled back, but resting behind the teeth.

In the picture for the English sounds above, please note that this isn’t totally accurate - Chinese <zh ch sh> as well as <r> are more retroflex - they are pronounced with the tongue curled further back in the mouth - but while your accent may sound ‘off’ if you pronounce them in the English way, it’s close enough that it’s unlikely to be mistaken for anything else, so we’ll leave it there for now. The picture below shows the difference.

In pinyin, <j> <q> and <x> are written with separate letters to <zh> <ch> <sh>. This is really helpful for us, because they are different sounds, but technically speaking we could write them all the same. What?? Because they are actually linguistically speaking in complementary distribution with each other.

Think about it.

Do you ever say ch+iang or q+ang? Or q+an or ch+ian? Or pronounce ch+u with the German umlaut vowel ü, or q+u with the normal ? You never do!

The consonants <jqx> and <zh ch sh> are always followed by different vowels to each other. Knowing these vowels will help you tell them apart in listening, and aid you, eventually, in production.

Look at this diagram below of standard Chinese monophthongs (single vowels). The pointy bit is the front of our mouth, and the lines represent height and ‘backness’. The dots are where the highest point of your tongue in your mouth is when you pronounce the vowel. We only need to worry about and <y> for now.

The /u/ is the we get after <zh ch sh> - e.g. chū. This is familiar to most people with knowledge of Romance languages - it’s a long, clear sound without any change of the vowel (careful native English speakers; we’re not very good at this one). The /y/ is the German <ü> or French .

The /I/ here is the high ‘ee’ sound that we get in qi, ji, xi etc. This sound doesn’t exist after <zh ch sh>, but also <s r>. Instead, we have what’s often analysed as a ‘syllabic consonant’ - if you think about it, there really isn’t much ‘vowel’ in 是 shì or 日 rì. The first is just a long <shhh> sound - but this is a complex topic best left for another day.

Why do we get the high sounds (if you make the sounds in your mouth, you can feel that ‘eeee’ and ‘üüü’ move your tongue higher up than the other two) after the alveolo-palatal consonants and not the others? If you remember, <y> or /j/ as in ‘yes’ is a palatal consonant. This sound is actually incredibly similar to that high ‘eee’ - try saying ‘eee’ and then ‘ehhh’ (as in ‘yes’) and notice that when you switch vowel, you automatically say a <y> sound without even trying. If you are making a palatal sound like <y>, or like <j q x>, your tongue is already in the position to make <ü> and high ‘ee’ very easily. And humans are lazy - it’s much easier to follow a consonant with a vowel that’s in the same place, than to change the place completely. Technically speaking this is called ‘ease of articulation’. So when we want to say <qu>, the gains some of the characteristics and is pronounced more similarly to the <q>.

And if you think about the rest of the pinyin table - this pattern of <q j x> being associated with ‘high’ vowels doesn’t stop with and . You get <chang>, but you don’t get <*qang> (* means ‘wrong’), but <qiang> with an extra palatal <y> /j/ sound in there. You get <zhang>, but not <*jang>, but <jiang>. You get <shang> but <xiang> etc etc. There are essentially no overlapping areas where only the consonants and different, but the vowels are the same. This is hugely helpful for learning to recognise the difference between the two sets of consonants, and also for people understanding you, the terrible, unforgivable second language learner - since there are no contexts in which the two sets can be confused with each other, as long as you pronounce the vowel afterwards correctly, what you want to say should be clear.

With that in mind, let’s get onto the actual pronunciation!

This is where you want to pronounce <x>. It’s similar to, but not quite the same as, the German palatal fricative written <ch> as in ‘ich’ (NOT as in ‘ach’), so if you have this sound in your inventory, you’re already winning! When you pronounce <sh>, the body of the tongue (the middle bit) is sunk down quite low; when you pronounce <x>, you need to raise the tongue towards your palate (the ‘palatal’ bit of the sound) and bring the front of your tongue under the back of your teeth, almost like you’re going to whistle. It’s helpful for all of these to put your tongue behind your lower front teeth, though you can also make the sound with it behind your upper front teeth as in the diagram below.

When you say <x>, without any vowels following it, it should sound higher pitched, and your lips should be spread wide. When you say <sh>, it sounds lower pitched and your lips are not stretched - in fact, they’re bunched. Watch videos of native speakers pronouncing them in isolation, and try to copy their mouth shapes.

Most people can get away with some approximation of <x> because of the difference in vowel sounds, and while it may be wrong, if the rest of your pronunciation is ok, it won’t make a huge difference to people’s understanding of you. Many people, however, struggle hugely with <q> and <j> - and there’s no handy vowels to tell these apart.

First: Chinese doesn’t make the distinction between voiced and voiceless consonants like many languages like Spanish or Russian, but instead between non-aspirated and aspirated consonants, a little like English. This means that English natives often actually sound more natural when they are pronouncing te de or bo po than other foreigners. For speakers of languages without this aspiration difference (the difference between a consonant with a puff of air and without), this is difficult to get used to, but doesn’t usually cause difficulties with comprehension. What it does mean, though, is that the biggest difference between <q> and <j> is aspiration - <q> is aspirated, while <j> is not. Hold out your hand and try to feel the difference. You should feel a thin stream of air hit your hand in consonants like <t p q>.

Youtube for practicing:

Grace Mandarin - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05BMKdxHjp8 Mandarin Blueprint - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxIL11PcNXE Yoyo Chinese - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_K1RTPxWiI0

BUT - BUT IT’S STILL SO HARD!!! HOW CAN I MAKE IT EASIER??

Firstly, this vowel difference afterwards is incredibly important. Your pronunciation won’t be CORRECT if you only make this vowel difference, but it will go a LONG way towards helping you a) distinguish the correct pronunciation of other speakers, and b) copying them more accurately. What we’re all doing now, as second language learners or learners who have grown up without as much input as we’d like, is retraining our brain to the contrasts that are important. English doesn’t have a contrast between <q> and <ch>, or <sh> and <x>, so naturally if you’re a monolingual native English speaker it’s going to take some time. Be patient with yourselves. When we’re very young babies, we can make a difference between all phonemic distinctions in the world. And then at about 10 months we just lose that ability essentially instantly, because we’ve already established which contrasts are important and which aren’t. That’s not to say kids can’t learn it - because they clearly do - or adults can’t, but that you are LITERALLY RETRAINING YOUR BRAIN.

It’s not just about where to put your tongue, how to shape your mouth. Our brains are effective - they only store which information is necessary for the language, nothing extraneous. Technically speaking the /k/ in <kit> and <car> are two very different sounds, and in some languages they count as different phonemes and are written with different letters - but you probably never even noticed they were different at all! Because in English, all the extra information that says ‘this sound is pronounced more palatal’ and ‘this sound is pronounced more velar’ just doesn’t matter. So when you’re trying to learn these contrasts that don’t exist in your native language, it doesn’t matter if you can make the sound correctly once. What you actually need to do is convince your brain that every single time you hear or pronounce <j q x zh ch sh> you need to pay attention to contrast it previously filed under ‘not important’.

Lastly: be kind to yourself!!!

This takes babies about 10 months to get down - 10 months of solid, constant input with caregivers that are very focused on them. And you’re fighting how your brain has wired itself to disregard that contrast. How can you fix this? Input. INPUT IS KING. You need to present your brain with enough Chinese, enough different voices and speakers, to make it realise that there’s a crucial, important difference between all <qiang> and <chang> and so on. This will take time, but as long as you have enough input you’ll get there. But be kind to yourself. YOU ARE RESHAPING YOUR BRAIN.

加油！

- 梅晨曦

#pronunciation #chinese #chinese langblr #chinese studyblr #chinese pronunciation #pinyin #langblr #studyblr #linguistics #lingblr #phonetics #phonology #tongueblr #polyglot #hate this tagging game but guess it's gotta be done

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tearlessrain · 3 years

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Giant Masterlist of Cathar Facts (that I completely made up but nonetheless rigidly adhere to)

I am an unstoppable force and disney should have killed me when they had the chance (that chance was splash mountain when I was seven and as you can see I survived).

Under a break because it is way too long and covers really quite a lot, much of which I will probably never even need. But researching and writing this kind of thing is what I consider a fun afternoon so here we are.

General basic stuff

Cathar are basically felids evolved to fill a similar evolutionary niche to humans in the absence of any viable apelike species on their native planet, in the same way hyenas evolved to fill a niche normally occupied by canids.

They are pursuit predators but not terribly efficient ones outside their home planet. In terms of both speed and strength they can outperform humans on average in the short term, but have noticeably less stamina especially when it comes to running or walking long distances. They greatly outmatch any quadrupedal felids for stamina, however. (Mandalorians are an invasive species)

They run hotter than humans, around 100-102F.

Though height varies quite a bit, cathar are taller on average than humans and build muscle easily, making them extremely formiddable opponents in hand-to-hand combat.

The average face/skull shape of cathar is largely based on assumptions that they evolved under weirdly similar conditions to humans evolving from early hominids, aka shortening of the face, larger cranium, smaller mouth, etc.

While they are obligate carnivores and do have elongated canines, their teeth are more even in size than wild felids, and while they do still have barbed tongues, the barbs are relatively small/soft and more similar to a housecat than anything of comparable size (aka they won’t literally take your skin off if they lick you). They also have somewhat thinner skin than wild cats, though they are still more damage resistant than humans.

They do not have retractable claws because that’s not how fingers work, but they do have narrow, naturally pointed claws rather than humanlike fingernails. Many cathar choose to either dull them or file them down for convenience, but losing/damaging them, as per that one ambient dialogue on Dromund Kaas that I can never find when I need it, is extremely traumatic for them.

They have tails because I want them to, used for both balance and communication. Cathar tails are approximately lion-like, thin with a coarse tuft at the end regardless of markings (ie. a cathar with stripes won’t have a tiger tail), with the tip the same shade or a few shades darker than the darkest part of their coats. occasionally those from colder regions will have longer fur over the whole tail, or look like they don’t have a tuft due to longer fur overall.

Variation and a lot of bullshitting about genetics

Wookiepedia describes Cathar as “a planet of savannas and rough uplands” but I refuse to believe that all these habitable worlds are all one consistent climate/temperature across the whole globe. The weirdly ubiquitous infrastructure/cultural info I can kind of forgive since 90% of them were wiped out by Mandalorians and the rest left, and I’m charitably assuming there were a lot less than 7 billion cathar to begin with, so a lot of smaller or more isolated cultures across the planet were lost entirely.

They have less sexual dimorphism than SWTOR implies, though females are a little smaller on average and tend to have shorter/finer manes that are closer to their base color. In terms of relative strength/mass the difference is minor and female cathar are still very capable of fucking you up (the conventional assumption in the Empire that females are weak/docile and males are too uncontrollable to enslave is not remotely true in either direction).

Variation in fur/metabolism/ear and nose shape depends on which region/s of Cathar they come from (or their ancestors come from), but they don’t recognize different “races” the way humans do, particularly in the wake of the Battle of Cathar.

On average, cathar originating closer to the equator have shorter, finer fur, larger and more tapered ears, a tendency toward slender, lanky builds, and coloration that leans more toward golds/reds and higher pigment density. whereas those closer to the poles are much stockier and can be extremely fluffy, sometimes with an undercoat, with paler colors and less vivid/extensive markings. None of the above is universally true and cathar didn’t necessarily always stay in the region where their ancestors come from (and thus sometimes you get people like Riska, who is all limbs but has fairly northern features and entirely too much fur)

Cathar mostly left their planet in groups, so in some parts of the galaxy you’ll run into whole colonies that originate mostly from one part of the planet and have distinct appearances/cultural idiosyncrasies from other colonies.

They mainly follow the same general rules that apply to most felids in terms of coloration/pattern.

Markings can be stripes, spots, or less commonly rosettes (definitely some version of Taqpep variants) and mostly lie along Blaschko’s Lines, though it’s more obvious on some individuals than others and it isn’t always perfectly precise. Even spotted individuals usually display some striping on the tail and around the eyes, though not always.

“Default” coloration is black-based, with dark markings on a greyish or brownish base.

Countershading falls pretty much along patterns you’d expect and usually lightens the chest/stomach, lower face, palms/soles, and inner thighs. Specific distribution and patterns vary quite a bit, and sometimes express in odd ways (hence whatever is going on with Khatte). Darkest points tend to be the tail tip, nose bridge, and mane.

Genetically solid cathar are incredibly uncommon; much more common are genes that affect the appearance/distribution of markings, sometimes rendering them almost invisible. Even ones who appear mostly solid (aka Khatte) usually still have some faint striping around the face and/or tail.

Khatte is basically some loose equivalent of ticked tabby, which mostly just looks like weird countershading but leaves some faint striping on his face and tail.

Jial-ro’s coloration is the result of a gene that suppresses all eumelanin production, and a sepia-like form of partial albinism.

Riska has something similar, along with something that reduces the size/spread of spots.

Food

They’re mainly carnivorous and have different nutritional requirements from humans (similar but not identical to those of a cat), which can be a problem in places like the military where standardized rations are the norm. In the Republic a cathar can usually put in a request for rations designed to accommodate carnivores (or supplements, failing that), though they might have some trouble on more isolated or undersupplied planets. The rare cathar in the Imperial military have to procure supplements out of pocket, though it’s technically possible to get reimbursed for it if they’re willing to wade through the bureaucracy.

Cathar are perfectly capable of eating raw meat with few to no ill effects, and have a subgenre of cuisine centered around it (and while they didn’t invent sushi, they have enthusiastically embraced the concept). They also have plenty of ways of cooking meat and readily adopt any new ones they come across.

Their “natural” diet apart from meat mainly consists of fruit, root vegetables, and eggs, though the closer to the poles you get the less likely you are to encounter fruit in a dish. Cathar never cultivated grain and it holds no meaningful nutritional value for them, so bread, rice, and similar products simply do not appear in traditional cuisine. This does not stop some of them from eating grain products in small amounts, as they can still enjoy the taste, but it isn’t any healthier than processed sugar is to humans and they have a high rate of gluten intolerance as a species.

All cathar have a heightened and refined ability to detect savory/umami type flavors, but around 30-40% of cathar, and the vast majority of those from colder regions, have no taste receptors for sweetness at all. This has resulted in the cathar equivalent of the Cilantro Debate centering around desserts, even though they’re all perfectly aware that it’s genetic, and some who can’t taste sweetness still enjoy some desserts for the other flavors present. Those who do have sweet taste receptors are about as sensitive to it as humans, but it tends not to have the same addictive quality for them and a lot of them don’t like processed sugars in anything but small doses. They would appreciate a lightly sweet creme brulee but most of them would find soda absolutely disgusting.

Citrus is right out.

They suffer no more ill effects than humans from drinking alcohol, and due to generally having a fair amount of mass they can usually drink a lot of it.

Social minutiae

They use a fair amount of feline body language, particularly with others of their own species. While facial expressions play a part and they do smile, scowl, and generally express broad emotions, they have a reduced range of facial mobility compared to more humanoid species and no eyebrows to speak of, which leads to a lot of them having what humans perceive as resting bitchface. It also results in humans underestimating the range and depth of their emotions, and can be a problem in the medical field with human medics/doctors who haven’t been trained to work with less humanoid aliens and won’t necessarily recognize severe pain or distress.

Their ears are less articulated than a cat’s but still have some degree of mobility that serves more of a social function than a practical one. They also express a lot of emotion through their tails, to the point that it can be a detriment in some situations if they haven’t practiced consciously keeping control of it.

Bumping foreheads is a common way to express platonic/familial affection, or can be the equivalent of a chaste kiss between partners. They also squint and slow blink, though it doesn’t always translate clearly to other species.

They have a wider range of vocalization than humans; while their voices are often humanlike and they’re just as capable of articulate speech, they can also growl, purr, and make sounds outside human hearing range. Those raised among humans or near-humans tend to do this less, if at all, while cathar raised in more insular communities of their own kind can come off as very taciturn due to heavier reliance on nonverbal communication.

Sense of smell is much stronger and more refined than a human’s and plays a more significant role in how they perceive and navigate the galaxy. They can occasionally be mistaken for Force-sensitive by humans due to their knack for picking up on emotional distress or the presence of particular species/people by scent. This is more true with people they’re familiar with; they won’t pick out distinct members of the other species by default but will eventually be fairly reliable in identifying the scent of a friend or anyone else they spend a lot of time around.

The exception to the above is other cathar, who they can easily tell apart on an individual basis. They have scent glands around the jaw/neck that come into play for identification, conveying broad emotional states, in some situations can aid medical diagnoses, among other things. They also play a part in building connection and familiarity between friends, family, or romantic partners.

The ~horny section~

Cathar don’t really kiss the way humans do by default, but they can, and usually do so unless they’ve somehow had no contact with any near-human species at all. Their equivalent is gentle biting around the neck and jaw, which is another situations where the scent glands are relevant, and when aroused that whole area becomes an erogenous zone for the vast majority of cathar.

Plenty of humans (particularly if they don’t encounter a lot of aliens day to day) will avoid kissing cathar anyway because they have sandpaper tongues and dry mouths and fangs, and it feels fucking weird if you aren’t prepared for that.

They tend to be very bitey in general unless specifically asked not to. It only becomes a problem if the cathar in question is inexperienced with humanoids and hasn’t figured out how much bite force is acceptable for a species with thinner, more sensitive skin.

Their dicks are fairly humanoid in size and shape, though somewhat more conical at the head, but they do have a sheath rather than a foreskin. after maturity they don’t actually retract into the sheath more than about two inches when flaccid, and tend to be slightly less sensitive than the average human (same keritinization factor that affects circumcised humans). It also makes them more vulnerable to damage, but since it’s customary to wear pants on most civilized planets, that never really becomes a problem in the course of a normal day. The base of the shaft that’s usually covered has noticeably higher sensitivity. There are probably individual exceptions to most of the above.

Conventional understanding is that cathar don’t have barbs, which is true the vast majority of the time, though about 60% of them have some amount of vestigial non-keratinous bumps over their head that have no noticeable affect on anything aside from occasional increased sensitivity in that area. Rarely an individual might develop a few actual barbs at the onset of puberty, but they have no practical function and pose a risk of discomfort and injury, and can easily be removed via a fast and mostly painless medical procedure, so the number of adults who have them is close to zero.

Females do have (mild, easy to suppress if desired, and mainly not at all disruptive) heat cycles. Other cathar can generally tell by scent, but not to a distracting degree, and it’s considered rude and inappropriate to point it out with anyone but a close friend or partner. It should go without saying that males don’t have heat cycles, but I’ve gotten enough weird DMs about this to know that I need to say it. Unless said male is trans, and not on any sort of HRT, that’s not how that works.

They kind of have breasts but unless actively nursing they’re barely noticeable if at all, especially under clothing. Cathar have much fewer hangups about going topless regardless of gender than certain human cultures do.

#cathar #swtor #long post

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regrettablewritings · 4 years

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I’ve been in an Arthur Curry kind of mood lately so let’s see your take on Arthur for the General section of the headcanons

I think Big Boy’s been in our heads ever since Jason snapped the other day over WB’s bullshit 👀👀👀

Who initiated the relationship, and how did it go?: It didn’t exactly get initiated so much as you guys sort of . . . fell into it. Neither one really noticed when the talking turned into actual conversing with one another, or when the conversing began to include you two inching closer, or when that started to include the both of you meeting up at a bar or taking walks or going to the beach to relax and so on. Arthur’s kind of thick-headed in that regard, the realization hitting him one day that what the both of you were doing could technically be qualified as dating. Hell, it wasn’t even so much as a hit as it was a nudge in his brain that made him take a pause as he drank his beer, glance at you as your eyes skimmed the grill menu, and think to himself, Oh, shit. Guess we’re datin’ now. And then take another swig. You never corrected him when he referred to you as his significant other around other people, either, so it’s safe to assume it works for you two knuckleheads.

Did they have an official first date? If so, what was it like?: As stated before, you two kind of stumbled into dating the same way someone who keeps walking in New York will eventually stumble into a bodega. If you wanna play it loose, then the first time you guys went on what could be considered a date was when Arthur dragged you to a taco truck he and Barry had tried out the other day. To his credit, it was a pretty kickass taco, and you were more than happy to admit that as the two of you sat down and people-watched, with him occasionally working the water in the nearby fountain to take the form of random shapes or funny scenarios. When it finally clicked that the two of you were an item, there was more or less a feeling that you should probably do an official outing just to make sure you were “doing this right”, whatever that meant. It took a bit of “conversing”, but eventually Arthur pulled a few strings (read: Convinced Bruce to land him a reservation at one of the best restaurants in town) and, well . . . It definitely could’ve been worse. Arthur has definite home-training, but fancy establishments just aren’t his cup of tea. He honestly had more fun making the wine in everyone’s glasses make little whirlpools, or having the still-alive lobsters climb out of the tank and “mysteriously disappear.” Suffice to say, maybe the first “date” really was the date done right. It also suffices to say that Bruce never pulls a favor like that for Arthur again: the next time y’all want a date somewhere exclusive, you have to be the one to do the talking.

What was their first kiss like?: Hot. Passionate. Hard. Wet. (God this sounds pervy.) When I say “hot”, I mean temperature-wise: Arthur runs hot, so his lips can feel almost searing when he’s really feeling a mood. The passionate and hard are given traits, considering that that’s just how Arthur does this: Never half-assed, always a full and complete 110%. And as for wet . . . Don’t worry, it’s not because he’s a sloppy kisser. It was because the first kiss the both of you ever shared happened to be after he returned from a mission. It wasn’t an especially life-or-death type of experience, mind you, but that didn’t make it any less nerve-wrecking for you since it considered him pulling an entire cruise ship to port. But the thrill of seeing your boyfriend succeed and be a hero quickly filled you, to the point where it was quite evident in your features when the soggy boy came home. Maybe he felt the need to bathe in that praise before even bathing himself. Or maybe he thought you looked so puppy-like that he just had to plant one on you. But whatever the case was, you got your first kiss of the relationship in the living room of Aquaman’s place. With him smelling like the water and everything that was in it. . . . Well, at least he was hot dripping wet, no?

Were they each other’s first anything (kiss, relationship, etc.)?: Well, if you really want to stretch it, you’re the first human he’s dated since being revealed to the world as Aquaman. Things with Mera . . . didn’t work out, but she does unfortunately hold the title as first to date him period. But as an Atlantean, there are just some things the human world’s got her beat on: Like the fact that it has you.

What’s their height difference? Age difference?: Soooo . . . Arthur Curry is 6′4″. Make of that what you will. Do the same with the age he’s approximated to be if you’d like.

What’s their relationship with each other’s families?: If you still keep in contact wit your family, they’re both amazed and thrown off by the fact that you’re dating the Aquaman: He’s a superhero, he’s an underwater king, he’s a member of the Justice League, he knows Batman, and, oh yeah, he’s hella fine. If you ever bring Arthur around your family, they’re definitely going to want to take photos or have him show them feats of his strength. He’s more than happy to drink any drunkles or cousins under the table, and gleefully lets younger kids dangle from his arms like he’s a living jungle gym. (Frankly, he prefers interactions with younger members of your family since they’re innocent and generally more upfront yet less nosy.) Thomas and Atlanna adore you, being ever so proud of their son for finally being with someone who looks like they’ll stick around for the long haul. Thomas is more than happy to share with you silly stories of what Arthur used to do growing up, and Atlanna just pretty much wants to hear everything about you. Given that she’s missed out on most of her son’s love lives, she wants to be very aware of you and familiarize herself with you. They welcome you back to Amnesty Bay any time. If they think Arthur is shirking on his boyfriendly duties, they are not afraid to get on him about it.

Who takes the lead in social situations?: Arthur, most definitely. He’s not even the most confrontational person, he doesn’t necessarily seek out situations to take the lead on. But when you’re a 6′4″ wall of muscle and a fairly recognizable metahuman superhero, people sort of wind up looking to you for answers. He’s more than happy to let you take the lead, however.

Who gets jealous easier?: A little bit you, but honestly neither of you are particularly the jealous type. The only reason I could venture to say you is because you have yourself quite a catch, no pun intended: Tall, handsome, heroic, a literal king, smart, kind . . . Everyone wants a piece of the Aquaman, and you can’t fight them all off. The good news is that you don’t have to: In spite of his party boy image, Arthur knows about dedication and loyalty in a relationship. As messed up as their relationship was in some regards, Arthur very much respects his parents’ union and, deep down, hopes for something even half as good as what they had. And he already knows he’s not about to get it from just any old random person trying to cop a feel of his biceps. So it’s perfectly safe to say that Arthur’s ghostly eyes are only ever for you. Though . . . it couldn’t hurt just to hang on his arm. Just to let people know, y’know?

Thanks for sendin’ in this request, I forgot it can be fun to write for this rascal!

#arthur curry x reader #aquaman x reader #arthur curry imagine #dceu imagine #dceu imagines #dceu x reader #arthur curry imagines #character ship meme #regrettablewritings

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timefortrees · 3 years

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Review of the schools of thought related to measuring tree vitality in urban trees through tree growth, physiological measurements and chlorophyll fluorescence testing

Understanding the health of our urban trees is an important part of any arboriculturist role, but how exactly is it that we can measure this? There are different schools of thought related to the measuring of tree vitality which revolve around tree growth, physiological measurements and the testing of leaf chlorophyll fluorescence. However, measured, the subsequent information from measuring a trees vitality can be essential in some tree management situations. Being able to know the vitality of a apparently declining tree can make all the difference in the decision to fell or retain, if it shows good vitality then there is an argument for retaining as the tree may be through whatever stress or strain has caused the initial decline and may now be in the process of recovering, however if a tree is in decline and shows poor vitality it is likely it will continue along the downward spiral of decline and removal may be a justified option.

Tree Growth

Tree growth as a method for measuring tree vitality is based upon the principle that a tree will grow less if it is stressed or unhealthy (poor vitality) and as such will be smaller than it would otherwise be if the tree was healthy and without significant stresses. There are several different measurements of tree growth that can be used to measure tree vitality.

A measurement of tree height and diameter at breast height have been used for many years in regard to tree vitality. These measurements have been used in many experiments into the effects of various commonly occurring tree stresses such as planting depths and the effects of drought. These measurements are simple and quick to attain and can be carried out by anyone with a basic understanding of how to measure heights and diameters. The methodology is based around the principle that a stressed or tree with low vitality will have a thinner diameter stem and be shorter in height, whilst I cannot dispute the logic or the accuracy of this there are a few issues with the use of this method on mature urban trees.

The measurement of tree height and diameter at breast height has significant benefits on assessing young , newly planted trees in experiments and the urban environment, however when it is used on older and larger trees they are some questions over its effectiveness. Over the course of a trees life it is likely to experience a wide range of external stresses and strains which may vary from natural environmental stresses to those caused by the activities of humans. The intensity and frequency of these external factors may vary from tree to tree within the same street and even more so over the expanse of a city, county or country. As such the tree height and diameter at breast height is likely to be so variable on older trees that it cannot be definitively used as an accurate measure of a trees vitality and this doesn’t include the natural genetic variance between specimens that may have a significant effect on the potential growth rate of any one tree. Of course, extremes will be present and reliable such as an avenue of lime trees all planted at the same time, if one of them is significantly shorter and has a smaller trunk diameter at breast height it is likely that its vitality is lower than its surrounding larger neighbors, however, this could be genetic.

It is important to remember that trees have stored resources and their growth rates partly depend on the previous years stored carbohydrates. As such all tree growth measurements will suffer from time lag, meaning that there is potential for either the reductions in growth rates to be measurable too late after the external factor occurred and subsequently caused significant harm to the tree or the event has occurred and has been ”dealt with” by the tree making the measurement “out of date” and fairly irrelevant as a one off measurement.

It is important to remember that trees growth varies from year to year due to an immeasurable amount of external factors, unless the measurements are fairly extreme one way or another I feel that the usefulness of one years measurements have the potential to be fairly irrelevant within the lifetime of many tree species.

However, what about the leaves? On deciduous trees these are replaced each year.

There are methods for measuring the leaf area of trees and using this as a measure of tree vitality. Leaf area index is the ratio of leaf area to ground area and is a widely used method for analysing the growth of crops or forest areas. It is not really practical or effective when used for individual urban trees. For individual specimens we are able to measure direct leaf areas and combine this with leaf weights to create a ration call the specific leaf area (SLA). SLA is defined as the ratio between projected leaf area and leaf dry mass. The SLA reacts sensitively to many factors that affect trees such as the availability of resources (light, nutrition) and hydraulic limitations and lower water potentials in greater branch heights. Because of this it is essential that leaves are harvested from similar positions within the trees (aspect, height, distance along branch) to ensure accurate comparison with surrounding and other measured trees. SLA is effectively a measure of density and subsequently health of individual leaves. Because leaves are regularly replaced (albeit at different rates for different species) this allows for a more “up to date” measurement of tree vitality. A lower SLA will tend to indicate a lower tree vitality, in studies by Pierce et al. 1994; Cornelissen et al. 2003; White and Scott 2006; Poorter et al. 2009, it was found that trees that are well supplied with nutrients tended to have a higher SLA than the same species of tree positioned in nutrient poor environments.

The SLA of a leaf is highly sensitive to a wide range of factors, many of which may vary throughout a growing season, light, nutrient availability, and as such the results should be compared against many other trees of the same species and in similar growing positions to allow for an accurate result. The impracticality of this method is a significant downside to it, the removal of leaves from different parts of the tree, whilst also being the same positions on other tested trees, will require aerial access (climbing, MEWP) which requires time and money. Unless the tree is particularly valuable or a study is being conducted it seems unreasonable to expect a tree owner to be funding such a investigation when there are many other methods available.

Tree canopy architecture can be used as a measure of tree vitality. It is commonly used by tree inspectors, to be honest it is commonly used by everyone who looks at a tree and states they think it looks “unhealthy” or “that tree doesn’t look right, I think we should get someone to look at it” , although many people are using the basis of this method unknowingly. In 2017 at the arboricultural association annual conference Dr Andreas Roloff presented a methodology of using above ground symptoms as a measure of tree vitality, within which he proposed that the crown transparency and branching patterns of trees are the most practicable methods for assessing tree vitality.

Crown transparency is an easy to learn, fast to carry out and above all a practicable method for tree vitality assessment, it relies upon the differences in the amount of light penetrating a tree canopy and is graded on a scale of 0-3.

Although it has important benefits there are significant disadvantages with this method.

· There are natural variations in crown transparency. E.g Betula pendula allows high amounts of light through its canopy whereas at the other end of the scale Cupressus × leylandii allows very little.

· In deciduous species this methodology is only really reliable for 4 months of the year

· Fructification and weather can influence the results

· Damage to the tree such as branch loss will result in increased light penetration and can lead to result misinterpretation.

· In some trees it is not possible to have 10% crown transparency due to their growth characteristics, which will mean they are at best ranked as 1 or 2 on the scale despite not having any vitality issues.

· Tree age can affect the results

Because of the above issues Roloff proposed that the use of branch architecture is a more accurate measure of tree vitality. He proposed that using branch and canopy architecture we can assess a trees vitality at all time of the year. Below is an image showing the vitality stages 0-3 in relation to branch and canopy architecture.

0 At stage 0 we can see the canopy is dense, there is good crown extension, and the branch architecture is very spear like.

1 At stage 1 the outline is spikey, the outer crown has started thinning, and the canopy has some bottle-brush type shapes at its periphery. There is little or no spear like architecture.

2 By stage 2 the canopy is getting sparser, it only contains short shoots and appears more bushy in nature rather than as a singular canopy.

3 Stage 3 shows the canopy retrenching. The leader has died back and the crown is reducing in size and density.

(the image to the left is originally from A.Roloff presentation at the 2017 AA conference)

This methodology is easy to understand and put into practice, in fact many people utilize its principles everyday without necessarily knowing. Most importantly it is effective for 12 months of the year.

The main downside or at least potential for misuse/ misdiagnosis is that the rough age of the tree should be known and whether the condition of that tree is normal for that age. For example, Quercus robur is a long-lived tree, but is known for its natural retrenchment until it becomes short and squat. If a mature Quercus robur is at stage 2 and is considered to be approximately 500 years old we could consider that to be fairly normal and that unless there is obvious indication otherwise, it is likely entering its natural retrenchment stage. However, if the same tree was only around 150 years old, being in stage 2 would indicate that something is wrong and causing the tree to enter early retrenchment or mortality spiral.

While this is an extremely useful and effective method of measuring tree vitality, I do feel it is also only formalising what many people do when assessing trees already.

Physiological measurements

Electrical admittance/impedance

Shigo and Shortle developed the principle of using electrical admittance/impedance for measuring the vitality of trees. The principle states that trees with a higher vitality have higher moisture content, therefore a higher concentration of mobile cation in their vascular tissues and lower concentration of mobile ions. Shigo developed his “Shigometer” as a tool for measuring electrical admittance/ impedance. It uses two needle probes that are pushed through the bark, cambium, and slightly into the wood. The pulsed electrical current from the meter passes through one needle, through the tree tissues and back through the other needle to the ohmmeter in the “Shigometer” where resistance in kilohms is measured. Because the cambial zone is so moist and contains high amount of cations most of the current flows through this zone. The higher the electrical resistance, the less vital the tree. It is important to have a baseline for which to compare the readings against, to do this at least 20 healthy trees of the same species need to be measured prior to testing.

Harris, Clark, & Matheny, developed the plant impedance ratio meter in 2004, it used two needle probes like the “Shigometer” but instead measured the impedance of an alternating current over 2 frequencies to measure the cambial electrical resistance (CER).

There have been many studies into the effectiveness of measuring cambial electrical resistance (CER) and using it has a measure of tree vitality which have produced mixed results. Effectively there are some issues with the methodology. The reliability of the results fluctuates between different tree species, cause of tree stress and time of year, there is certainly a difference in the amount of moisture within the tree at differencing times of year. Research cited in “The measurement of plant vitality in landscape trees” by Denise Johnstone, Gregory Moore, Michael Tausz and Marc Nicolas, stated that Clark, Kjelgran, Hushagen, and Fiore (1992) found that CER was not able to detect changes in tree vitality when compared against the diameter growth on Liquidamber styraciflua but conversely Martinez-Trinidad et al. (2010) could detect the tree vitality in mature Quercus virginiana when compared to a visual assessment of the trees when their symptoms were acute. A number of other studies produced similar variance in the effectiveness of CER.

In 2006 Gibert, Le Mouel, Lambs, Nicollin, and Perrier found evidence of a direct relationship between sap flow and electrical potential in the trunk of a Populus nigra in the spring, but not so in the summer. This indicates that the time of the year is likely to have a significant effect on the results of any electrical resistance or admittance-based testing.

Gaseous exchange

Carbon dioxide intake and water release take place through tree stomata. The measurement of gaseous exchange can provide an indication of tree vitality. These measurements allow for the estimation of CO2 assimilation, stomatal conductance and transpiration. Research by Epron, Dreyer and Breda in 1992 found that a Quercus petraea suffering from drought stress showed declines in leaf CO2 assimilation, similar results were found on Quercus ilex by Peria-Rojas et al in 2005. If very little gaseous exchange is occurring then it is likely that low vitality is present, whereas high amounts of gaseous exchange would indicate a good vitality and healthy tree. There really needs to be a baseline to compare the readings against in many cases and tests on multiple trees of the same species in the same area would be needed to form any reliable conclusion on a singular urban tree in the absence of some extreme results, e.g. no gaseous exchange. The measurements taken in measuring gaseous exchange are carried out by an infrared gas analyser (IRGA), this is a complex tool to use and is also expensive to purchase, because of this it is primarily only used for research purposes. Gaseous exchange can only be carried out while the tree is in leaf and presumably while the tree is not subjected to some external factors such as drought. While droughted a tree will close its stomata so there is likely to be a notable reduction or cessation in gaseous exchange and water release through transpiration as such testing at this time would not provide an accurate measurement of tree vitality and it would be predictable that the tree would not be in full health, although after the drought event the use of this method could indicate which trees, for example, along a street suffered worse because of the drought event and subsequently may need different management.

Chlorophyll fluorescence testing

Normally a healthy tree will use about 78-85% of the sunlight it receives at the leaf surface for life processes such as photosynthesis. The remaining sunlight is dispersed or reflected. A tree leaf will do this through non-photochemical processes: re-emitting in the form of infra-red radiation (heat) or as far-red radiation (chlorophyll fluorescence). This all changes when a tree is not in optimum health, lowered vitality. For example, after a period of drought the rate of photosynthesis is likely to be reduced, and as such more energy from the sun will be dissipated as infra-red radiation (heat) or as far-red radiation (chlorophyll fluorescence).

Chlorophyll fluorescence is a non-invasive measurement of photosystem II (PSII) activity, it has developed from a fairly novel technique to a widely used technique in plant physiology. Photosystem II is extremely sensitive to the influence of abiotic and biotic factors and as such the measurement of this allows us to understand otherwise invisible physiological changes a plant has/is experiencing and provides us with an accurate measure of how environmental change can affect a plant. The tools and equipment to carry out chlorophyll fluorescence testing have vastly improved over the last decade or so, it is now an affordable piece of equipment that can fit in a pocket or small pouch which connects to a portable computer device such as a tablet which provides detailed and easy to understand data about the test subjects physiological health. Some tests are now so sensitive that they may pick up physiological stress weeks before it manifests as a visible symptom.

Although the use of many modern devices is very simple, the science behind it remains complex. Below is a diagram that shows a simplified depiction of events in photosystem II that allow for identification of the key parameters used in chlorophyll fluorescence testing. It is originally from Chlorophyll fluorescence analysis: a guide to good practice and understanding some new applications written by E.H. Murchie and T. Lawson.

A- A schematic figure which shows the electron transport within the photosystem II reaction centre complex. Energy that is absorbed by chlorophyll within this light harvesting complex is either dissipated vie photochemistry, by heat or as fluorescence. These processes are always in competition which allow for the efficacy of photosystem II to be measured.

B- Shows a typical fluorescence trace made on a dark-adapted leaf material which shows how and are formed. The measuring beam of the chosen testing tool excites the chlorophyll but is not enough to be able to cause electron transport through photosystem II. This gives , the minimum amount of fluorescence, reaction centres are open at this point. Once the measuring tool creates a pulse of light the maximum possible yield of fluorescence () can be found. During the pulse of light, the reaction centres are closed.

C- Shows a schematic figure which explains how the transfer of energy and electrons within photosystem II results in open and closed centres as well as the creation of and . The excited state and the subsequent transfer of an electron to the primary acceptor causes a closed centre. cannot accvept another electron until it has passed its electron onto the next electron acceptor (). It should be noted in the context of chlorophyll fluorescence that and are bound quinones and is a type of chlorophyll.

The most commonly used measurement of chlorophyll fluorescence is / where F is the difference between the maximum () and minimum () fluorescence. / is widely considered to be the theoretical measure of the quantum efficiency of photosystem II if all of the reaction centres are open during photosynthesis. The values of / are generally between 0.78 and 0.85 on healthy and non-stressed specimens with the optimal value for most leaves being 0.83.

Chlorophyll fluorescence testing has a vast array of uses within arboriculture from monitoring the health of nursery stock during growth and before planting to inspecting trees suspected to have been adversely affected by changes in surrounding land use or development. The modern devices and tools for carrying out measurements have made this form of vitality testing widely available and affordable and I expect to see an increase in its use in the future. The largest drawback of this testing is that it requires leaves, limiting the time of year when testing can be carried out quite significantly.

The use of unmanned aerial vehicles

The development of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) over the last decade or so has created a potential arboriculturally related platform for their use. As UAV’s become more affordable, accessible and are developed so as to be able to carry more complex equipment it was almost inevitable that someone was going to attempt to use them in the field of arboriculture at some point. A UAV with a camera allows the user to quickly view large areas of land, for example some woodland, or view the upper parts of a tree in greater detail than if that person was stood on the ground using binoculars. The images/video is also recorded and stored for future analysis.

It is now possible for UAV’s mounted with thermal and/or narrow band multispectral imaging equipment to be used in the assessment of tree vitality. The ability of a UAV to fly and view a large area in a short time makes it a very versatile tool indeed. Areas of woodland or forest can be assessed in a fraction of the time compared to on foot and individually inspecting each desired tree and a tree or group of trees vitality can be easily compared against the wider tree population. This is an important feature as it allows the surveyors to assess whether it is individual trees that are stressed, groups of trees or even an entire tree population, being able to highlight pockets of stressed trees amongst a forest or urban forest is useful for assessing how species are coping in certain areas.

Aerial imagery using thermal and narrow band multispectral detects the sun induced fluorescence (SIF) or dissipated heat produced by trees during photosynthesis. Any alteration in the efficiency of one of the components will affect the other. Light that is re-emitted by the tree as sun-induced fluorescence is a small emission but is a strong proxy for tree photosynthesis. Tree responses to environmental stress, such as, light, nutrients, water availability and, extreme temperatures, affect the photosynthetic rate and therefore fluorescence emission.

Tree temperature is related to stomatal conductance and transpiration associated evaporative cooling. When stoma close, under water stress conditions, vegetation temperature increases and the transpiration rate decreases accordingly. Consequently, the temperature of the tree can be used to learn information about transpiration and the health of the tree.

Trees have various mechanisms to overcome the excessive reduction of the light energy transferred when photosynthesis is reduced. This includes downregulating the rate of electron transport in cells and dissipation of excess energy controlling the pool of xanthophyll pigments. The dissipation of excess energy by non-photochemical quenching through the xanthophyll cycle is one of these mechanisms. Non-photochemical quenching is linked to tree stress, caused by limited resources and to the tree photosynthetic activity through the associated changes in the reflectance of the blue and green regions of the spectrum. When excess excitation energy accumulates in the leaf, the chloroplast thykaloid pH gradient increases, and the xanthophyll cycle is activated. These chemical changes affect the spectrally selective absorption of light, the relative absorption by each pigment and hence the leaf spectral reflectance and transmittance factors.

The use of UAV’s allows the aforementioned tree changes to be monitored on a wide scale in relatively small amounts of time. The results can easily be compared over multiple surveys and years. The main downside to this technique is that like, chlorophyll fluorescence testing, it relies on the trees being in leaf which limits the months each year this is usable, however, the large number of trees able to be tested at a time reduces the hindrance of this as a forester could easily survey their entire stock within the limited time window each year. There are restrictions to UAV usage in and around urban environments and airports, however with the evolution of licenses and professional competencies this has become less of an issue over recent years, there are now many professional UAV survey companies available who are licensed to operate in urban areas.

Conclusion and discussion

There are a number of different methodologies and techniques for measuring tree vitality, some are more complex than others, whilst some are used in their basic form by many people without them even knowing (crown/branch architecture).

Methods such as electrical impedance/admittance testing were promising and useful in their time, however advances in technology and scientific understanding of trees has, in my opinion, made this an outdated method with only niche uses in current times. Their unreliable results that were affected by the time of year and the subsequent changes in moisture within the cambial layer of the subject tree made the reliability of the results unpredictable.

The use of tree measurements, height and trunk diameter at breast height, is limited. Although these are basic bits of information regularly recorded during tree inspections/ surveys they are effectively useless on their own. To give insight into the health of the tree there needs to be baseline measurements for that species or a number of previous years measurements of the inspected tree to compare against. Where such information exists these basic measurements can be useful, similarly when a group of the same tree species, that was planted at the same time is compared such measurements will highlight specimens that are not growing as well as the rest of the group. However, there are endless factors that may impact on tree growth over a period of years or even a single year so this methodology should be used in conjunction with other visual findings.

The use of branch architecture is a great system for assessing tree vitality, it can be used 12 months of the year and take little skill or time to learn. I do think that it is not a new discovery or methodology, rather, a formalization of what many people did already, some without realizing. It is however extremely important to take into account the point in its life cycle that the tree is already in, concluding that a veteran tree does not have a positive future outlook due to some thinning of the canopy is not only a gross misunderstanding of the tree and methodology but potentially damaging to the development of future veteran and ancient tree habitats.

Chlorophyll fluorescence testing, this is a highly complex method for assessing tree vitality, behind the tools. But using the modern advancements in testing tools is simple, quick and accurate. The development of some of the most up to date tools that produce graphs and easy to understand data on a tablet is a significant step in not only being able to assess tree vitality, but in communicating it to the client whilst also justifying any management decisions with hard data.

The advancements in UAV technology over recent years has allowed for the development of their use for surveying trees. The usage is still relatively low, compared to the other methods, however it has the potential to be a game changer. For a tree manager to be able to survey the vitality of their entire tree stock in a fraction of the time it would normally take is a significant advancement in tree health care. It will allow the tree manager to pin point trees that are showing early signs of ill health that are invisible to the naked eye, allowing for early treatment.

The important part of any tree vitality assessment is choosing the most appropriate method for the situation. Visual checks and measurements are arguably the most commonly used and, in my opinion, always will be due to their everyday occurrence, sometimes sub consciously but every day for tree managers nonetheless and even with advancements of other techniques, such as UAV’s tree managers and surveyors will still visually inspect a tree that has been highlighted by other techniques when they are sent to investigate further. The advancements of chlorophyll fluorescence testing may narrow the gap in future years due to the affordability and production of tree vitality data that can be used in reports, however, I believe that UAV technology is going to be a significant part of the future of tree management. The ability to survey large areas of tree populations in a short period of time, whilst detecting changes in tree physiology that are invisible to the naked eye is a game changer. I foresee this technology being widely used in the coming years and decades as the basic and initial survey technique, with traditional physical inspections being used once trees have been highlighted as stressed or showing lower vitality than normal.

Ultimately, as with most inspection techniques and tools, a combination of multiple techniques will, in my opinion, provide the most accurate and reliable results whilst allowing the tree managers tool kit to remain versatile and able to accommodate the wide range of situations and environments that the future will bring.

(The above text is based on information originally found in “ Specific leaf area of European Larch (Larix decidua MILL.)” written by Helga Fellner, Gerald F. Dirnberger and Hubert Sterba, Pierce LL, Running SW, Walker J (1994) “Regional-scale relationships of leaf area index to specific leaf area and leaf nitrogen content. Ecol Appl 4:313–321”, Cornelissen JHCA, Lavorel SB, Garnier EB et al (2003) “A handbook of protocols for standardised and easy measurement of plant functional traits worldwide. Austria J Bot 51:335–380”, White JD, Scott NA (2006) “Specific leaf area and nitrogen distribution in New Zealand forests: species independently respond to intercepted light. For Ecol Manage 226:319–329”, Poorter H, Pepin S, Rijkers T et al (2006) “Construction costs, chemical composition and payback time of high- and low-irradiance leaves. J Exp Bot 57:355–371”, “ The Measurement of plant vitality in landscape trees” written by Denise Johnstone, Gregory Moore, Michael Tausz and Marc Nocolas, “Visual assessment of tree vitality via branch architecture” by Professor Dr. Andreas Roloff – PDF presentation and audio of initial presentation viewed from https://www.trees.org.uk/Amenity-Conference-2020/Conference-Presentations/Conference-Presentations-2017#wednesday , “Modern Arboriculture” written by Alex L. Shigo, Kate Maxwell, Giles N. Johnson, “Chlorophyll fluorescence—a practical guide, Journal of Experimental Botany, Volume 51, Issue 345, April 2000, Pages 659–668”, “Chlorophyll fluorescence analysis: a guide to good practice and understanding some new applications” written by E.H. Murchie and T. Lawson, “Early Diagnosis of Vegetation Health From High-Resolution Hyperspectral and Thermal Imagery: Lessons Learned From Empirical Relationships and Radiative Transfer Modelling” written by R. Hernandez-Clemente, A. Hornero, M. Mottus, J. Penuelas, V. Gonzalez-Dugo, J. C. Jimenez, L. Suarez, L. Alonso and P. J. Zarco-Tejada, “Estimating chlorophyll with thermal and broadband multispectral high resolution imagery from an unmanned aerial system suing relevance vector machines for precision agriculture” written by Manal Elarab, Andrres M Ticlavilca, Alfonso F. Torres-Rua, Inga Maslova, Mac McKee)

#arboriculture #tree #urban forest #science #future

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keithsgaycousin · 2 years

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Voltron & My Hero Academia World Crossover: Pidge

(long post!)

----

Pidge

Family:

Colleen Holt (mother): has an intelligence quirk: enhanced when surrounded by plants and plant emissions. She had always showed an interest in horticulture, even before her quirk manifested!

Samuel Holt (father): has a gas-type quirk: he can breathe in any gas without consequence for a limited amount of time (approximately 20-30 minutes depending on the amount of gases present). His lungs and ribcage are bigger than the average human. His work is very helpful with evacuations. He was a pro-support hero once upon a time…

Her parents met in graduate school. Once graduated, they married and continued their research on space, atmospheric pressure, and gases. With their shared efforts, they were able to create the first plants to survive outside of Earth’s atmosphere!

Matthew Holt (older brother): Has a gas-type quirk. He has the same quirk as his dad, however, can withstand a higher intake of gas for an unlimited amount of time. Additionally, he can see which gases are present in the area he is in. He is naturally intelligent, just not as extreme as his mother and sister. He is a licensed Pro Hero, but prefers to work alongside and aide his parents in their lab.

Profile

Name: Katie ‘Pidge’ Holt- Alias: Pidge Gunderson at Garrison University

Hero Name: Respiro

Quirk: Intelligence, Gaseous Creation, Gas Exchange

Birthday: April 3

Age: 18— Second year in college (Sophomore). Graduated from highschool early.

Height: 5’4

Birthplace: Colorado, USA

Personality: Quick-witted and Informative.

Ultimate moves: Breath of Death (They don’t actually die…)

Quirk- 6th generation. Transformation Type/Mutant/Emitter:

Intelligence, Gaseous Creation, Gas Exchange

Pidge’s quirk is a combination of both of her parents’ quirks. She has a high intelligence (naturally) and feels stronger when surrounded by plants (like her mom). Naturally smart and quick on her feet, she is also trained in hand-to-hand combat and different fighting strategies.

She can breathe in any gas without consequence for any amount of time. She also can breathe out any gas (of her choice) and diffuse it through her mouth and nose. She and her brother have sensitive eyes, which require special lenses when not using their quirks. Their eyes allow for them to see and sense the different gases present in the current environment. This is good when assessing the danger zone for any possible threats; her being able to check oxygen levels or see if there are any dangerous gases present, or see if the atmosphere area is safe for living things (ex: humans or plants).

When learning how to control her quirk, she was notorious for almost suffocating herself. Her dad and brother had to ‘babysit’ her training sessions.

Physical attributes of quirk: Her lungs and ribcage are bigger than the average human. She also has an insane lung capacity. Because of her enlarged lungs and ribcage, she is known for wearing baggy shirts, sweatshirts, and hoodies everyday.

Hero Costume: She pretty much copied her dad’s old suit design: a black fitted crewneck with a grey “R” on the front, black cargo pants, and combat boots. She wears a black gas mask to shield her eyes and protect herself from other quirks, and wears a tight chest plate underneath.

She is wired with all types of gadgets that will help her whip up the best gaseous combinations when the time is right! At a first glance, people would assume that she is a villain!

Support Items: She creates her own support items. Her favorite creations are her “Gas Bombs”, which hold any gas of her choice and can be detonated remotely! Her brother advised her to change the name, but she ended up keeping the name out of spite.

She also carries a small, arrow-shaped blade that has the ability to deliver electric shocks, a grapple function that can be used for both transport and incapacitating villains, and has an edge that can cut through extremely thick metal easily. All of her creations are made from various metals and rubbers, the most precious ingredient being the noble metal Palladium!

Fun facts: Before her quirk manifested, she had really bad allergies to plants!

Reason for being a hero: find the reason behind her family’s disappearance.

Pidge working with Keith—Stability meets Reactivity

In the beginning, she finds herself more stressed than usual when working alongside Keith, for she never knew when he would rush into a bad situation. While he was rash and impulsive, she was very analytical and preferred to gather information and then proceed with a strategy. She had to hold him back on multiple occasions.

Over time, he learned to wait and gather information before attacking. In turn, she learned to jump into attacks unprompted to save those around them, which is something she was not comfortable doing before meeting him. He helped her build confidence in her abilities.

Both Pidge and Keith are extremely agile and are the two physically fastest of the team in terms of running speed. With that, Pidge never has to worry about fleeing from a scene when they are together. She also likes how he reacts as fast as she thinks, and is always ready to quickly change their course of action when it’s called for.

After a few fights together, Pidge realized that she pretty much uses Keith as a human Bunsen burner to create her reactions in battle; which is why she calls him “Bunsen” (in addition to many other names) from time to time.

Pidge working with Hunk—Team Punk

They are a part of the same cohort at Garrison University and were paired up for their Midterm freshman year. They coined their team name “Team Punk” after passing the exam against Pro Hero Mystify!

Pidge enjoys working alongside Hunk because of his cautious and curious demeanor. Like her, he always prefers to have information before initiating any type of attack. They also get along due to their common ground as science experts. Hunk’s cheery demeanor balances out Pidge's excitability, and his voice of reason balances out her sometimes questionable means of sourcing information.

Pidge working with Lance—H2herOes

They are apart of the same cohort at Garrison University. They were initially ‘friends by association’ due to Hunk, but later became close after a class fighting simulation where he saved her from one of the villains.

Over the course of the year, they grew close thanks to their shared interest in video games and comic books. She is typically the first to call out Lance on his unbearable remarks, usually in the form of displays of violence. One time, he asked her to make him pass out to avoid a test, but she declined.

“My preferred method of putting people under is through violence,” said Pidge, not a hint of sarcasm present.

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thepetulantpen · 4 years

Text

Out Of Sight, Out Of Mind

(My blind!Geralt fic. I already posted this on my ao3, but I decided to put it up here, too. Enjoy!)

Plenty of boys are blinded in the Trials. It’s the price paid for tampering with vision enhancements, and it almost always ends with more boys dead- succumbing to complications, or put out of their misery.

Geralt is not one of those unlucky few. No, Geralt lived through the Trials- lived through more trials than most- and came out the other side mostly whole.

So, of course, a fucking Bloedzuiger is what does it.

Afterwards, he barely remembers the battle. His clearest memory is of getting acid in his eyes, followed closely by him blindly stabbing the damned thing to death and then stomping it into a pulp. In hindsight, it was probably already dead, but he hit it until it stopped making any sounds whatsoever, because he deserved a little overkill when it felt like his face was on fucking fire.

He doesn’t even feel panic in the moment of fading adrenaline. He’s made for survival and killing at the detriment of everything else- he feels nothing as the world fades away, filtering out everything save for the next steps, the next move. Just like a fight.

He finds Swallow by weight and smell, and drags himself towards the sound of a nearby river. Downing the potion and splashing water in his eyes does absolutely nothing, which is frustrating, but he’s not going to fix it by sitting around and cursing Destiny. It’s time to figure out how he’s going to make it to town and find someone competent.

He trips seven times, but finds Roach by her heartbeat. She’s a good horse, a smart horse, and with a bit of urging in the right direction, she follows the path towards the sound of people without issue.

The healer he finds by smell alone, because he can’t be bothered to ask for directions in this state. It’s not a difficult trail- the potent herbs act like a beacon and Roach keeps them carefully on the road.

The walk gives him time to acclimate somewhat, pushing through any remaining shock and pain to the calm clarity of a mission, same as any hunt. There’s a world of sound and smell around him, his senses just as strong as they’ve always been- possibly stronger when his attention is not drawn away by sight. It forms a map of sensations, coloring a world gone dark.

A healer’s hut is in front of him. He can hear the wind- strong today, it was annoying until now- hitting the wooden walls, prompting little creaks of protest. The shape of it becomes clear in the places he hears resistance, the motion of the wind halting, and there is an outline where the wind whistles through the gap between the door and its wall.

He leaves Roach to her own devices, trusting that she’ll behave, and finds the door, knocking loudly. Louder than necessary, but he thinks he can be excused on account of the spectacular evening he’s had.

The woman who answers- he assumes it’s a woman, based on the length of her hair, which he can hear brushing her shoulders, and the smell of flowery soap- only comes up to his shoulder, the subtle displacement of air giving him her approximate height in a blurry silhouette of awareness.

“How can I help you, witcher?” She must not have been looking at his face because there’s a second of audible movement and she gasps. “Oh, dear. Come in.”

She takes his arm to guide him, which he probably doesn’t need, but he can’t be bothered to correct her. He’s had a long fucking day, and he’d rather not trip over a dining table, failing his newfound navigating abilities.

The wet cloth against is skin is shockingly terrible, he feels each individual scratchy fiber. There’s more water on his face, in his eyes, and a smell of herbs that stings his nose. It hits him full force, and when he inhales, trying to identify them, he can practically taste them.

The woman’s heartbeat is loud, saying what her expression might’ve. He’d known that he could hear heartbeats, but had little cause to listen to them before, no reason to do anything but block them out on a daily basis. It takes him a minute to remember the rhythm of a human heart, gauge what’s fast, and decide what that may mean.

She swallows and Geralt hears that in horrifying detail now that he’s concentrating, now that his senses are scrambling to compensate.

“I’m not sure there’s much I can do.”

The careful step process in his mind reaches its end, leaving him without anything to hold onto for a moment, scrambling for calm in the realization that there’s nothing to be done. He pushes down panic with a sigh, willing his mind to clear.

There’s always another step, always something to do. He just needs somewhere to recover, like any other injury. Somewhere safer than the floor of a stable, ideally.

He’ll be making an early return to Kaer Morhen, then.

“Wait,” the healer puts a hand on Geralt’s shoulder as he stands, a low note of concern and fear making her voice shake, “take this. I’ll show you how to use it.”

A wooden cane is pressed into his hands and he has to fight everything in him that protests the idea. Taking a breath, he allows the woman to lead him through the motion- tap, tap. Left, right.

It’s not sustainable- too visible, too obvious. Nobody will hire a blind witcher, but he can keep it strapped to Roach for emergencies.

At least until he figures out how to hear cracks in the ground.

...

It’s pure luck that he happened to be close, planning on starting his winter early for lack of work. The trip up the mountain is a challenge, but it gives him a good idea of what his remaining senses can and can’t do.

Everything has a sound, and that sound echoes until it hits something. With practice- and he has plenty, tripping over rocks and nearly falling off cliffs- he learns how to map out his surroundings in an array of newly audible shapes. Rain and wind make it easier, constant sound that cuts off when it comes in contact with something. More obvious than echoes.

He uses the cane occasionally up here, where there are no witnesses. It eases the mental burden of processing every single sound, but it’s not something he could rely on in battle- or around people, for that matter. There’s not much kindness in this world for witchers or cripples, never mind a crippled witcher.

The echoey halls of Kaer Morhen present a unique challenge in wide open spaces, sound that seems to stretch out endlessly. He stops at the threshold; head tilted to try and make sense of the room in front of him. He’s been here so many times, but now that he has to, he’s struggling to remember its precise layout.

“Geralt? What the fuck are you doing here?”

Telling Vesemir what happened is the part he’s dreaded most. He forgets how damn quiet the man is, and it irritates him now, with no face to read. The pause after his story is extensive, leaving him straining to hear any clues. He catches the brush of hair against Vesemir’s collar- turning his head, maybe?

Finally, a sigh and Vesemir steps up to put a hand on Geralt’s shoulder. “Surprised you didn’t kill yourself on the way up here. Could’ve just sent a message, you know.”

Geralt isn’t so sure he could’ve- his handwriting was bad when he could see, and he doubts he could’ve gotten hold of a bird in his state.

“I happened to be in the area.”

Another pause, he thinks Vesemir is giving him a look, then Vesemir is moving. “Come on, let’s sit down. Do you need help finding anything?”

“I’ll manage.” He moves steadily after him, hands forward when he senses an obstacle. Muscle memory helps, a little, in the most familiar parts of the keep.

Vesemir doesn’t seem impressed, watching him feel for a chair in his room.

“Do you need a cane, or something?”

“Already got a stick. Left it on Roach.”

A new sound- is that Vesemir rolling his eyes? He did not need to know there was a sound for that, but there it is, the unmistakable movement of eyeballs. “Of course you did.”

They sit. Geralt gets a sense of the size of the room first, then uses smells to fill in a few blanks- the paper and ink denoting books on the shelf, soap residue from a bath, Vesemir’s general musk clinging to the bed. He grounds himself on Vesemir’s heartbeat, a steady rhythm.

“You could stay here.” Vesemir leans against his desk, making the wood groan. “Help out around the keep.”

Geralt snorts at the idea of cleaning or doing chores in this empty, lonely place. There’s barely enough for one man to do, let alone two irritable witchers. He doesn’t know how Vesemir does it without going mad- and he has books to read.

There’s not much for him here, just an exasperated, and secretly worried, Vesemir. He could stay, and- not quite retire, but... make use of what life and skill he has left.

It’s an offer that falls on deaf ears. Geralt can’t sit here and wallow, can’t sit here when he knows he could still be out there.

“I just need the winter to adjust. Then I’ll be out of your hair.”

From the sound of his head shaking, Vesemir already knew he was going to say that. He thinks, if he spends enough time around the old witcher, he might find a smell for exasperation.

“I’ll have to see you hunt, before I send you out there again.”

“Worried about me, old man?”

Vesemir doesn’t respond but his mouth moves- a frown? Definitely a frown.

Beasts, it turns out, are the absolute least of his concern.

The heartbeat, the smell, they may as well be announcing their position at all times. He has a feeling hunting at night is going to get significantly easier- no more Cat for him.

The Kikimore’s legs creak with every movement, its jaws click before every bite, and Geralt learns, in the span of a battle, to recognize the near-silent gurgling sound as a precursor to the beast spitting venom. He feels a strike coming before it lands, the air moving subtly in warning, and finds himself ducking hits that might’ve been out of his line of sight. It’s like having eyes at the back of his head, except- well, he doesn’t actually see.

Vesemir nods his approval when he successfully takes down the Kikimore that’s acted as a pest too close to the grounds of the fortress, and brings them home dinner on the same hunting trip in record time, tracking heartbeats to bypass natural camouflage altogether. Geralt hears the movement, but Vesemir grumbles a verbal affirmation a minute later. Adjusting to more audio-heavy communication- for politeness sake.

“Next test is gutting it. Think you can find a liver blind?”

...

“Any monster trouble?”

The bartender scoffs and turns to Geralt- presumably glaring. “We’ve got a notice board for a reason. Why don’t you check there?”

“I can’t read.” It’s a simple enough lie- not even a lie, really. He can’t, not anymore.

The man mutters something to the effect of witchers being no better than beasts, but directs him to the alderman, who’s desperate enough to explain. Someone is sent to show him the main site of attacks, guiding him unwittingly- though, he could have found it faster by smell.

From there, it’s the same as it’s always been. The only challenge in the hunting process is harvesting the useful alchemical bits afterward. He can thank Vesemir for forcing him to spend the last several winters drilling on butchering blind, so he knows, intimately, the difference in smell between a heart and a liver. Dodging toxic parts to reach the valuable ones is still a little tricky- he’s been burned by acidic insides more times than he can count- but practice makes perfect, and he’s getting there.

Hefting proof of kill on one shoulder, he puts his other hand on Roach. To anyone else, it looks like he’s leading her, but he relies on her to take his general direction and follow the road. He can hear where the town is, but finding the distinction between grass and dirt path is another issue altogether. On his own, without constant concentration, he’d wander off in a more direct diagonal, cutting through rougher terrain and calling unneeded attention to himself.

Reaching town requires bracing himself for the barrage of sensory information that crowds bring. With so many people around, navigating is far harder, but he lets the assumption that witchers are rude cover any vision-related blunders- bumping into people, cutting people off, ignoring people shouting at him.

Getting humans to believe he can see is shockingly easy, more likely due to the stupidity of humanity than any skill of his own. Nobody wants to get any closer to a witcher than they have to, so it’s a simple thing to keep his head turned away, avert his eyes, and mind his own business.

The scars have faded to faint burns around his eyes- or so Eskel told him- leaving nothing for chatty whores or curious townspeople to ask him about. Most physical indicators of his condition have been wiped away; the only remaining obstacles being his inability to make eye contact and occasional struggle to not trip over barstools.

He’s been discovered a few times, all of them equally unpleasant, but ultimately unremarkable. He can handle mocking and rocks- especially now that he hears them whizzing through the air, before they nail him in the back of the head- but he counts his blessings that he’s never had an incident notable enough to add Blind to his Butcher epithet.

His routine doesn’t change much, sticking to his usual strategy of staying out of sight, as far from people as he can manage. He gravitates towards the dark corners, feeling the slight absence of heat in the sunless parts of the tavern. Blindness never becomes a weakness- there’s nothing to exploit, if they never even realize something is different. Being a witcher makes him uniquely invisible.

Nobody bothers him and he makes sure they never will.

Unfortunately, he underestimates the pushiness of a certain bard.

He doesn’t even realize the bard lingering nearby is looking at him, or talking to him, until he’s sliding into the bench in front of him. He sensed his presence, sure, but he thought he’d be looking at someone else, talking to any number of other people in the tavern.

The bread in his pants is stale, and smells like it. It squishes and crumbles as he moves, probably getting bits stuck in the folds of silk so numerous he hears every slight shift, every wrinkle forming. He thinks the sharper, almost clicking sounds, are sequins against each other- another ridiculous, new sound to add to his catalogue.

“You must have some review for me.” His smile is wide enough that Geralt hears it without trying particularly hard. “Three words or less.”

For all he listens closely to his surroundings, he’s pretty sure he didn’t catch a single word of that song- much less enough for a review, were he inclined to give one. Once upon a time, he may have glared him away, but he fears his aim wouldn’t be good enough now, so he settles for tense silence.

Jaskier does not take no, or an implied no, for an answer.

...

Having Jaskier around is not nearly as annoying as he thought it’d be. At first, he was sure he’d have to dump him somewhere- the noise would be too distracting- but now, the sound has become something of a blessing.

Like the wind or rain, it creates consistent feedback, bouncing off obstacles and forming a mental image of the area around him. It wraps around their campsite, chatter and music traveling into the forest behind them and dancing around tree trunks until the sound is out of even Geralt’s range.

It makes nights like this, of Jaskier talking constantly and playing his lute intermittently, pleasant. As close to seeing as he ever gets, giving him a complete picture the world.

Jaskier breaks his litany of nonsense with an abrupt, “Geralt?”

He actually waits for a response, which is a new and alarming development. Geralt hums and hopes that’s enough.

“I was wondering- and I hope this isn’t too personal- what’s wrong with your eyes? They never really focus.”

Geralt hears Jaskier’s heart beat a little faster- nervous- and the more subtle sound of him biting his lip. As a rule, Geralt doesn’t disclose his condition to anyone who hasn’t figured it out, but Jaskier-

Jaskier could be sticking around. There’s no point keeping it.

“I’m blind.”

A silence that he’s come to equate with facial expression- something too subtle to guess, he’s never cared to be precise enough for specifics- follows.

“Is that one of your weird jokes?”

“No, Jaskier. I’m really blind.”

More silence, a steadily fast heartbeat. It’s accompanied by the familiar, frustrating feeling of missing something, an irritation he’s trained to ignore, but has never quite mastered. Geralt sighs and turns fully to face Jaskier, meeting his eyes as well as he can.

“What are you doing?”

A creak of wood, Jaskier startling on the log and shifting too fast. “What do you mean?”

“You got quiet. Usually that means I’m missing something.” He tilts his head, considering. “You’re making a face, probably.”

Another moment of silence. He never thought he’d grow tired of these- let alone become annoyed by them.

“Huh. I guess I just looked surprised, if my face matches my thoughts as well as I think it does.” Jaskier leans in, for a better look, maybe. If he squints enough, he might be able to see the scar. “How long have you been, uh...”

“A long time.” He’s not being difficult- despite what Jaskier, and the inhale of breath preceding a scoff, might think. He doesn’t exactly track the date. “A decade, maybe more.”

“How-“ Jaskier clears his throat and Geralt hears the movement of his sleeve as he waves. “How do you do all this?”

“Witcher senses are much better than an average man’s. I use my hearing, mostly.”

The sound of fabric rustling and stretching as Jaskier scoots forward on the log, sliding as close to Geralt as he can without getting up. “How good? If you don’t mind me asking, that is.”

“You’d ask anyway.” Geralt swings back the last of his drink and turns back to the fire. “Really good. I can hear heartbeats, movements. The way air and sound move around things makes... an outline, almost.”

Jaskier’s heart beats a little faster. Geralt isn’t sure what that means; he strains to hear, but he doesn’t think Jaskier is smiling or frowning.

“That’s amazing.” A grin- lips sliding over teeth. “No wonder you’re such a good hunter.”

There’s a jab comparing him to a wolf in there somewhere, but Jaskier doesn’t make the connection so Geralt just hums and picks up his swords, content to spend the rest of the night sharpening and oiling. He’ll keep the fire going, enjoying its heat, if not its light.

They lapse into a silence that feels more comfortable, less tense than it was the first time. Then again, it’s not really silence- Jaskier is humming almost silently under his breath. Quieter than usual.

“You don’t have to be quiet, Jaskier.”

Surprise, in the quickened heartbeat and sudden inhale. Shifting, as he sits up straighter.

“Sorry! I thought it might bother you.”

“I’ll be fine.” Sensing- not through any particular sound or smell, but through his increasing familiarity with Jaskier- Jaskier’s disbelief, he tacks on, “I would’ve stopped you before now, if it was.”

Jaskier nods, then narrates, “Sorry, I nodded.”

“I can tell. I can hear your collar scrunch.”

His mouth falls open and he adjusts his collar. Geralt dutifully does not smile, and keeps his smugness to himself.

“Right, of course.” Jaskier pauses, then looks up again. “Could I ask you a question you probably won’t like?”

Geralt raises an eyebrow. “You’ve never asked permission before.”

“I was wondering, is there anything you can’t do? Anything I could help you with?”

He’s tempted to say no. He should say no. Jaskier probably wouldn’t even argue- too unbalanced around this subject- but he doesn’t want to.

He wants to say, Keep humming. He wants to ask, Guide me. He wants to demand, Stay by my side.

He doesn’t do any of those. Instead, he says, “Reading. I can’t read print on contracts. If you could-“

“Of course.” The buttons of his doublet clink together as Jaskier adjusts it, straightening it and puffing out his chest. “I’ll be your agent, of sorts. A very intelligent, shrewd negotiator, taking only the best monster hunting jobs. I’m brilliant at public relations, too.”

Geralt nods, and leaves it at that.

...

“Make way! The mighty White Wolf is gracing your town with his presence, clear a path!”

The townspeople mutter amongst themselves, confused, but move right away at Jaskier’s tone, lingering curiously at the edge of the street through town.

Geralt hates the attention, but he can’t deny that Jaskier’s little show is helpful. Particularly since this town is more crowded than most and Roach is struggling to guide him through without trampling anyone.

Helpful. Unnecessary but- nice. Against his better judgement, he’s started to let Jaskier help more and more often. It’s dangerous, carrying the threat of developing dependency, but Jaskier never oversteps any boundaries and, sometimes, he’s just too tired to refuse.

There’s been a distinct difference in the time he’s spent with the bard, bisecting his life into the uneven parts of before and after Jaskier. For one, his headaches have decreased, not having to strain to guide himself as often. People are nicer with a human- and a charismatic one, at that- around. They get to stay at better inns if Jaskier performs, and enjoy quality meals outside of rations or burned rabbit.

He’s happier. There was a time when he thought happiness had been burned out of him, but he’s reminded of its fleeting presence in those special, few and far between moments that prove him wrong.

Well. Previously few and far between.

“The man at the bar,” Jaskier starts in a dramatic whisper, still loud to Geralt, “is wearing an absolutely ghastly outfit. Geralt, we’re talking multiple primary colors, ruffles, and feathers.”

It’s easy to identify the man based just on his smell, wearing enough perfume to kill. “I imagine it matches his taste in perfume.”

“Gods, yes. I can smell it from here- I don’t know how you can stand it.”

It’s a test of his willpower, certainly, but then, on a few desperate occasions, he’s shoveled shit for coin. This, however, ranks right below those incidents, and right above the stench of a necrophage.

Jaskier’s color commentary on the world fits right in with his usual chatter and fills in a few, albeit unnecessary, blanks on the decor, the attractiveness of barmaids, and other visual odds and ends. It transitions, at some point, into a story that’s so exaggerated he may as well have made it up and ends in musings about his newest song, which, inevitably, leads to him needling Geralt for details.

Geralt just hums and tunes him out, focusing on the noise of the street outside. It’s a challenge to pick apart the individual moving pieces of a crowd but it’s enough of a distraction until Jaskier throws his hands up.

“You know, all of this,” Jaskier waves generally at Geralt’s eyes, “explains why you’re such a shit storyteller.”

He senses there’s more to this, can feel Jaskier winding up to something. It’s a quiet evening and a nice tavern, so he indulges. “Does it?”

“Well, I suppose much of the blame falls on me.” Rustling, and the clinking of several unidentifiable objects in Jaskier’s bag, as he fishes out his notebook. “I wasn’t asking the right questions.”

Geralt can’t tell what he’s writing, but he hears a few long drags of the pen and figures he might be drawing something. A box, maybe? A chart, a probably. A series of shorter scratches, for letters.

Jaskier grins, wide enough that Geralt hears it without concentrating. “Right. Are you ready?”

“For?”

“Your role in the creative process. Now, what did the rotfiend smell like?”

Geralt scrunches his nose and braces for a complicated answer. “I’ll need a few more drinks before I get into that.”

Wordlessly, Jaskier waves for another round and the questions begin. It seems like Jaskier is determined to pick apart every aspect of his sensory experience and, as they get deeper in drinks, Geralt is willing to play along. He’s never talked about it, at length, like this and it’s fascinating to hear the things Jaskier can’t detect, the parameters of human senses that were lost to him long before his vision was.

He talks until the candles stop giving off heat and his words start to slow, having detailed every smell, sound, feel, and taste that he can articulate. Sleep comes easy, after he lets Jaskier describe the pattern of the quilt and climb in beside him, warm and tired.

Jaskier’s heartbeat, though faster than his own, forms an easy rhythm to follow into unconsciousness, sinking into a darkness he no longer registers.

The next time they’re in a tavern, he listens carefully to Jaskier’s new song, lyrics filled with more sounds and smells than he’s used to hearing described. Where there was once brilliant colors and hideous monsters, there is now rich smells and vicious growls.

He can’t help but smile, hiding it behind his tankard.

How Jaskier worked rotting flesh into a chorus is beyond him, but it earns a clap.

#the witcher #geralt of rivia #jaskier #geraskier #vesemir #blind!Geralt #my ao3 account is the same username btw #im not dead!#i know i nearly never post here anymore lmao

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speedyinfluencerkid · 3 years

Text

SCP – 0606.

Object Class: Keter

Special Containment Procedures (Obsolete Information): All instances of SCP - 0606 are to be contained in Area 11A. The perimeter of the area is to be fenced off with a 220 V high current steel lattice fence, █ █ meters high. The area and individuals should be monitored by automatic security cameras and unmanned aerial vehicles plying over the area. Access to Site 11A is only permitted to personnel of class 4 and above, the main requirement for which is the absence of children or old age. New instances of SCP - 0606 appearing in area 11A are to be destroyed immediately by drones.

changed

All instances of SCP - 0606 are to be contained in Area 11A. The perimeter of the containment area should be fenced off with a lattice steel fence with a current of 220v, the height of which should be increased by meters, and the entire area of the containment area should be completely concreted. The area should be free of any foreign objects other than SCP - 0606 specimens. All airspace above the area should be traversed by a laser grid. Tracking drones should be equipped with a self-destruct system in case of failure. Heavy machine guns and flamethrowers are to be deployed every ██ meters around the perimeter of the zone.

Only Class 4 personnel are allowed access to Zone 11A, the main requirement for which is not to have children or to be in old age.

New instances of SCP - 0606 appearing in Area 11A are to be immediately destroyed by drones and their troupes incinerated. In the event that SCP - 0606 instances appear outside of Zone 11A, the Steel Wall Flamethrower Teams are to immediately destroy both SCP - 0606 and SCP - 0606-1 instances. Destruction of SCP - 0606-2 has been made a priority. Steel Wall personnel are to comply with SCP-0606's clearance rules.

At this time, the Foundation does not have significant methods to contain SCP - 0606.

After Incident 11-2, Area 11A was completely abolished, and all individuals contained within it were incinerated. In the event of the appearance of new instances of SCP - 0606, the "Steel Wall" fire and flamethrower teams are to immediately destroy both SCP - 0606 and SCP - 0606-1 instances, as well as SCP - 0606-2. Destruction of SCP - 0606-2 has been made a priority. All acquaintances of SCP - 0606-1 are to be treated with Class C amnisiacs. The basic requirement for members of the Steel Wall group is good physical fitness, professional skill in using small arms, a high level of mental stability, and not having children or being in old age. Any images of SCP - 0606 are to be captured and destroyed by the Disinformation Team as soon as possible.

Description: SCP - 0606 is a multicellular prokaryotic life form. Individuals have a cylindrical or cone-shaped body, four slender limbs up to thirty to forty centimeters in diameter and a perfectly round head, devoid of eyes and ears, and several long, thin processes at the "crown". SCP - 0606 has four finger-like branches on its upper limbs. On the lower, front part of the head, there is a semblance of a large toothless mouth.

The entire surface of SCP - 0606's body is covered with a thin layer of parchment epidermis, which contains organic fibers as well as unclassified carbonate compounds and alkaline earth metal oxides. The processes on the head are composed entirely of keratinized "dermis".

Body color is not uniform. On the limbs, it is more dark (up to black). The body has different color shades, the head corresponds to the flesh color of the skin of the Caucasian, on the frontal part there are two black heels 5mm in diameter.

SCP - 0606 lacks skeleton, nervous, circulatory, immune and lymphatic systems, and lacks any internal organs at all, including the heart and brain. Internally, SCP - 0606 is composed entirely of randomly spaced muscle cells of unknown classification. Analysis has shown SCP - 0606 cells to be more structurally similar to bacteria from the Spirochete order.

In the absence of a throat, SCP - 0606 is still capable of ingesting food and further defecating. It is not known at the expense of what and how exactly SCP - 0606 will mix. Despite the thickness of the limbs, they can not only walk upright, but also develop a running speed of up to 42 km / h.

Emit SCP - 0606 sounds that resemble human speech accelerated several times. The decoding of the "speech" was not crowned with the result, since in fact, it is a chaotic set of vocalizations of different timbre. At the same time, SCP - 0606 themselves understand each other well and act collectively.

For all its apparent survivability, SCP - 0606 is quite vulnerable to piercing weapons and fire.

SCP - 0606 are capable of two types of reproduction: division and parasitism. Observations in zone 11A showed that reproduction by division occurs only if there are at least ten individuals within a meter of each other.

SCP - 0606 are aggressive and purposefully seek out humans for further parasitic reproduction.

Parasitization occurs as follows. SCP - 0606 possess powerful psycho-hypnotic effects, affecting 90% of humans. The hypnotic effect does not apply to minors and the elderly.

The hypnotic effect is transmitted through eye contact, and it does not matter whether the victim sees SCP-0606 itself or only its image. After, the victim's (hereinafter referred to as SCP - 0606-1) level of intelligence drops sharply, he begins to mix in abrupt jerks, sharply bend his legs and feet, and shouts out limited phrases as well as very loud and insane laughter. Occasionally, SCP - 0606-1 attempts to mimic the sounds of SCP - 0606. It is likely that SCP - 0606-1 are unable to see SCP - 0606 in their vicinity.

Seconds after becoming SCP-0606-1, SCP-0606-1 will begin self-mutilation, manifesting itself in lacerating its own mouth, sewing eyes, removing ears and nose, knocking out teeth, removing the fifth toe, and removing the scalp from itself, and attempts to unnaturally thin their limbs. Apparently, SCP - 0606-1 are trying to make themselves something like SCP - 0606.

If a child or an untouched person is in the vicinity, SCP - 0606-1 shifts its attention to it. It behaves extremely aggressively, constantly snaps and beats its victim, and, if successful, produces similar self-mutilation with it. Observations have shown that children are a priority target for both SCP - 0606-1 and SCP - 0606.

Subsequently, SCP - 0606-1 dies from blood loss or from exhaustion, since having crippled its arms and legs, it cannot serve itself. SCP - 0606 who are near SCP - 0606 all this time (which SCP - 0606-1 is most likely not able to see), take away his body, as well as the bodies of victims killed by him or by SCP - 0606 themselves, and form an incubation cocoon from them, designated as SCP - 0606 -2. After approximately 30 hours, new instances of SCP-0606 begin to emerge from SCP - 0606-2, approximately one per hour. SCP-0606-2 itself dries up over time and ceases to function.

If the psycho-hypnotic effect does not work, SCP - 0606 will attack the victim in a group and attempt to kill it in a similar manner.

Despite the lack of a brain, SCP - 0606 can use a variety of tools, including those made from scrap materials, and in some cases exhibit advanced strategies. There is an assumption about the presence of collective thinking.

Application:

Incident 11-1

On 20██ / 20██, a sharp decline in the activity and number of SCP-0606 instances was recorded in Zone 11a. As a result, the doctor, along with several members of the Steel Wall, went to the zone to investigate the cause of the incident. After the doctor and team members entered the [DATA EXPUNGED] area. Moving 20 meters away from the perimeter, the ground collapsed under them. [DATA EXPUNGED] resulting in the death of 15 members of the flamethrower team trying to rescue the doctor. As it turned out later, the entire underground structure of the zone was dug by tunnels strongly protruding to the surface near the perimeter (presumably used by SCP - 0606 as traps).

Following Incident 11-1, it was decided to concretize the entire area of Zone 11a and significantly improve security.

Русский перевод.

Объект SCP - 0606

Класс объекта: Кетер

Особые условия содержания (устаревшая информация): Все особи объекта SCP - 0606 должны содержаться в зоне 11A. Периметр зоны должен быть огорожен решетчатым стальным забором под током в 220v, высотой ██метра. Слежение за зоной и особями должно осуществляться при помощи автоматических камер слежения и курсирующих над зоной дронов. Допуск к зоне 11A разрешён только сотрудникам 4 и выше класса, основное требование к которым — не имение детей либо нахождение в преклонном возрасте. Новые особи SCP – 0606 появившиеся в зоне 11A должны быть немедленно уничтожены при помощи дронов.

Изменено

Все особи объекта SCP - 0606 должны содержаться в зоне 11A. Периметр зоны содержания должен быть огорожен решетчатым стальным забором под током в 220v, высота которого должна быть увеличена на ██ метра, а вся площадь зоны содержания полностью забетонирована. В зоне не должно быть никаких посторонних предметов кроме особ��й SCP - 0606. Всё воздушное пространство над зоной должно быть пересечено лазерной «сеткой». Дроны слежения должны оснащаться системой самоуничтожения в случаи отказа.

Через каждые ██метра вокруг периметра зоны должны быть установлены крупнокалиберные турельные пулемёты и огнемёты. Допуск к зоне 11A разрешён только сотрудникам 4 класса, основное требование к которым - не имение детей либо нахождение в преклонном возрасте. Новые особи SCP – 0606 появившиеся в зоне 11A должны быть немедленно уничтожены при помощи дронов, а их труппы сожжены. В случаи появления особей SCP – 0606 вне зоны 11A, стрелково-огнемётные группы «Стальная стена» должны немедленно произвести уничтожение как особей SCP – 0606, так и SCP – 0606-1. Уничтожение SCP - 0606-2 поставлено как приоритетная задача. Персонал группы «Стальная стена» должен соответствовать правилам допуска к SCP – 0606.

Изменено

На данный момент, фонд не располагает существенными методами по сдерживанию SCP - 0606. После инцидента 11-2, зона 11A полностью упразднена, а все содержащиеся в ней особи сожжены. В случаи появления новых особей SCP - 0606 стрелково-огнемётные группы «Стальная стена» должны немедленно произвести уничтожение как особей SCP - 0606, так и SCP - 0606-1, а также SCP - 0606-2. Уничтожение SCP - 0606-2 поставлено как приоритетная задача. Все знакомые SCP - 0606-1 должны обработаться амнизиаками класса C. Основное требование к членам группы "Стальная стена" – хорошая физическая подготовка, профессиональный навык пользования стрелковым оружием, высокий уровень психической устойчивости а также не имение детей либо нахождение в преклонном возрасте. Дезинформационная группа должна фиксировать и скорейшим образом уничтожать любые изображения SCP - 0606.

Описание: SCP - 0606 это многоклеточная прокариотная форма жизни. Особи имеют цилиндрическое или конусообразное туловище, четыре тонкие, до тридцати/сорока сантиметров в диаметре конечности, и идеально круглую голову, лишённую глаз и ушей и несколькими длинными, тонкими отростками на «темечке». На верхних конечностях SCP - 0606 расположены четыре ответвления на подобие пальцев. На нижней, передней части головы имеется подобие большого, беззубого рта.

Вся поверхность тела SCP - 0606 покрыта тонким слоем пергаментированной эпидермиса, в состав которого входят органические волокна, а также неклассифицируемые карбонатные соединения и окислы щёлочноземельных металлов. Отростки на голове состоят полностью из ороговевшего "дермиса". Цвет тела не однородный. На конечностях он боле тёмный (вплоть до чёрного). Туловище имеет разные цветовые оттенки, голова соответствует телесному цвету кожи европеоида, на лобной части имеются два пятка чёрного цвета 5мм в диаметре. SCP - 0606 не имеют скелета, нервной, кровеносной, иммунной и лимфатической системы, у них полностью отсутствуют какие-либо внутренние органы включая сердце и мозг. Внутренне SCP - 0606 полностью состоят из хаотично расположенных мышечных клеток неизвестной классификации. Анализ показал, что клетки SCP - 0606 по своей структуре больше напоминают бактерии из порядка Спирохет. При отсутствии горла, SCP - 0606 всё же способны к поглощению пищи и дальнейшей дефекации. Не известно за счёт чего и как именно перемешаются SCP - 0606. Несмотря на толщину конечностей, они могут не только к прямохождению, но также развитию скорости бега до 42км/ч. Издавать SCP - 0606 звуки, напоминающие человеческую речь ускоренную в несколько раз. Расшифровка "речи" не увенчалась результатом, так как на деле, она является хаотичным набором вокализаций разного тембра. При этом сами SCP - 0606 хорошо понимают друг друга и действовать коллективно. При всей кажущейся живучести, SCP - 0606 достаточно уязвимы к колющему оружию и огню. SCP - 0606 способны к двум типам размножения: деление и паразитирование. Наблюдения в зоне 11A показали, что размножение делением происходит только при наличии хотя бы десяти особей в пределах метра друг от друга. SCP - 0606 агрессивны, и целенаправленно ищут людей для дальнейшего паразитического размножения. Паразитирование происходит следующим образом. SCP - 0606 обладают мощным психо-гипнотическим воздействием, распространяющимся на 90% людей. Гипнотическое воздействие не распространяется на несовершеннолетних и людей пожилого возраста. Гипнотическое воздействие передаётся при помощи зрительного контакта, причём не важно видит жертва самого SCP - 0606 или только его изображение. После, у жертвы (далее обозначаемой как SCP - 0606-1) резко падает уровень интеллекта, она начинает перемешаться отрывистыми рывками, резко сгибать ноги и ноги, и выкрикивает ограниченные фразы а также очень громкий и безумный хохот. Переодически, SCP - 0606-1 пытается сымитировать звуки SCP - 0606. Вероятно, что SCP - 0606-1 не способны видеть SCP – 0606 находящихся всё это время рядом. Через несколько секунд после становления, SCP - 0606-1 приступают к членовредительству, проявляющемуся в раздирании собственного рта, зашивание глаз, удаление ушей и носа, выбивания зубов, удаление пятого пальца а также снятия с себя скальпа и попытках неестественно утончить свои конечности. Судя по всему, SCP - 0606-1 пытаются сделать из себя некое подобие SCP - 0606. Если по близости находится ребёнок, или человек не подвергшийся воздействию, SCP - 0606-1 переключает внимание на него.Он ведет себя крайне агрессивно, постоянно огрызается и избивает свою жертву, и если удаётся, производит с ней аналогичное членовредительство. Наблюдения показали, что дети являются приоритетной целью как для SCP - 0606-1 так и для SCP - 0606. В дальнейшем SCP - 0606-1 умирает от кровопотерь либо из-за истощения, так как покалечив свои руки и ноги не может себя обслужить. Находящиеся всё это время рядом SCP - 0606 (которых SCP - 0606-1 вероятнее всего не способен видеть), забирают его тело, а также тела убитых им или самими SCP - 0606 жертв, и формируют из них инкубационный кокон, обозначаемый как SCP - 0606-2. Через приблизительно 30 часов, из SCP - 0606-2 начинают появляться новые особи SCP - 0606, примерно по одной в час. Сам же SCP - 0606-2 со временем усыхает и перестаёт функционировать. В случаи если психо-гипнотическое воздействие не сработало, SCP - 0606 нападают на жертву группой и пытаются убить её аналогичным образом. Несмотря на отсутствие мозга, SCP - 0606 могут пользоваться различными инструментами, в том числе сделанными ими же из подручных материалов, и в некоторых случаях проявляют развитую стратегию. Есть предположение, о наличии коллективного мышления.

Приложение: Инцидент 11-1 20.██.20██ в зоне 11а было зафиксировано резкое снижение активности и численности особей SCP – 0606. В связи с чем, доктор █████ вместе с несколькими сотрудниками из «Стальной стены» направились в зону доля выяснения причины случившегося. После того, как доктор █████ и сотрудники группы зашли в зону [ДАННЫЕ УДАЛЕНЫ]. Отойдя на 20 метров от периметра, под ними провалилась земля. [ДАННЫЕ УДАЛЕНЫ] что привело к гибели 15 членов огнемётной группы, пытавшихся спасти █████. Как оказалось далее, вся подземная структура зону была изрыта тоннелями сильно выходящими к поверхности вблизи периметра (предположительно использовались SCP – 0606 как ловушки). После инцидента 11-1 было принято решение забетонировать всю площадь зоны 11а, и значительно усилить охрану.

#scp #horror #keter #мистика #хоррор #биопанк #сверхъестественное

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