#white fungal infection | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

bonefall · 4 months

Text

Herb Guide: Deaf Warriors and Hearing Disabilities

UPDATE 1: Added more harshness to the lipreading section based on initial feedback; minor rewording of some lines!

A reference for Warrior Cats fans creating characters with hearing loss, blending human advice with cat biology, written for an in-universe perspective on living with and managing such disabilities.

AKA Bonefall casts Spell of Stop Being Weird About Snowkit on all amoebas in 500 mile radius

[ID: A headshot of three cats, a brown tabby with a shredded ear (Strikestone), a solid white cat with blue eyes (Stonewing), and a gray cat with a mane (Dovewing).]

In the five Clans, hearing loss is both one of the most common sensory disabilities, and one of the most intense to adapt to. Through any mix of simple infections, birth abnormalities, or even just getting older, any given Clan can expect at least 1 in 4 of its cats to have some form of hearing loss.

Hearing loss is any impaired ability to hear, defined as not being able to hear noises under 20 decibels. Deafness is "profound" hearing loss, which means their hearing STARTS at a noise that is 81 decibels (ex: motorcycle, middle-distant clap of thunder) or louder. Most deaf people can still hear slightly, but sound is "muffled" and they can only hear VERY loud noises.

Hearing loss = Any impaired ability to hear. Normal hearing is 20 DB or lower.

Hard of Hearing (HOH) = Mild to severe hearing loss; starts between 21 DB and 95 DB.

Deaf = Profound hearing loss at 95 DB or higher; a clap of thunder is a quiet whisper.

MOST hearing loss will affect one ear more strongly than the other, and the cat will be HOH. The vast majority of cats with a hearing disability will still be able to understand their Clanmates, if they're just spoken to louder and more clearly. Cats who are born deaf (congenital deafness), however, tend to have profound hearing loss which affects their ability to understand speech.

Cats rely on their hearing and sense of smell much more strongly than they do on their eyesight. With hearing that's 4x more sensitive than a human's and can differentiate between 1/10th of a pitch, a Clan's healer would recognize hearing loss as a disability long before humans would even notice a problem.

Since hearing loss starts with the high-pitch noises that prey makes, like squeaks and chirps, hearing loss is a major reason for a senior warrior to begin to consider retirement. However, with proper support and accommodation, ANY warrior could adapt to this disability; Especially cats born deaf and younger HOH warriors with lots of time to re-learn.

This guide covers;

Common Causes

Traits and Challenges of Hearing Loss

Communication: Signs, lipreading, and more

Unique Challenges Clan-by-Clan

Sources are linked in a separate post, here, and linked again at the very bottom!

(note: this guide doesn't cover devices of any kind, but one of many reasons why cochlear implants are controversial is because an implant will destroy that remaining hearing. They aren't hearing aids; hearing aids amplify sound. Aids and implants are two different things)

Common Causes

There are DOZENS of ways to destroy the incredibly sensitive ears of a cat. ANY infection or injury can lead to permanent damage. That can include,

Injury gone sour, from battle, hunting, accidents, etc

Concussion, or a hard enough blow to the ear

Ear Mites, especially if the cat can't stop scratching it

Swimming in cold or dirty river water

Fungal or bacterial infections

Allergies, which can lead to sinus infections. Even an infection in the mouth or throat can spread to the ear!

There doesn't even need to be an infection. Around the ages of 7 - 11, a senior warrior may begin to gradually lose their hearing. Sometimes, through genetic factors or degenerative disease within the ear, an even younger warrior will lose it for "no reason."

It just happens, and it's incredibly common. They will usually begin to notice it when they stop being able to hear and hunt small rodents, because hearing loss will start with high-pitched noises.

Healers can do very little about this, besides attempting to clean any wax out of the ear canal with flax oil and a dab (such as moss, wool, or cloth). There are SO many ways for it to happen and so little in the way of treatments, that it's practically inevitable.

The majority of hearing loss is from infection or disease, but the most predictable way to see deafness in the Clans is in kits born white with blue eyes. In fact, ALL pure white cats are more prone to being born deaf!

Pure white without blue eyes: 17% to 22%

White with a single blue eye: 40% (and usually on the side of the blue eye)

White with two blue eyes: 65% to 85%

In an afflicted kit, the inner ear will rapidly degenerate. They typically lose most of their hearing by their 4th day, and will only be able to faintly hear extremely loud noises.

Of course, there's also various other birth defects that can result in deaf and HOH kits, even if they aren't white with blue eyes. The ear canal and hearing organs can just not form correctly! Any kit could be born with hearing loss, and they can have any type!

If the loss came from injury or severe infection, chronic pain in the inner ear is also common. Nothing can be done about this besides painkillers such as poppy seeds. This condition is rare in born-deaf cats.

Most cats with hearing loss will also permanently hear a repetitive, single-note sound. For most it's a faint, tinny "ring," but others can hear hissing, crackling, or humming in high or low pitch.

At first, this constant noise can be distracting or even debilitating, preventing them from focusing or sleeping, until... you just get used to it.

There is no way to turn the noise off. It can get worse or better, but it's forever. Sleeping and not being stressed out will help, but over time, they typically learn to tune it out. Being reminded of it is usually annoying, just like when someone reminds you about manual breathing.

(We call this condition tinnitus. It is up to you what you would like your cats to call it, the same way they refer to pneumonia as greencough. Tinnitus is a LOT broader than this little snippet, but this is not a guide about tinnitus, this is about hearing loss)

So to summarize that,

There's a billiondy-million ways to damage one's hearing.

Losing your hearing from age or disease usually results in being hard of hearing (HOH) as opposed to deaf, and is likely to affect one ear more than the other.

It starts with high-pitched noises like rodent squeaks.

Cats born white with blue eyes have a massive chance of being born deaf; their inner ear degenerates.

But, any kit could be born with any type of hearing loss, not just deafness.

Most cats with hearing loss will hear a distracting, repetitive noise. They just learn to tune it out.

Traits and Challenges of Hearing Loss

Hearing impaired cats are LOUD.

Even warriors who have mild hearing loss will often end up speaking much louder so they can hear themselves, or not notice the sounds they're making as they shift around in their nests, scuffle sand at the dirtplace, or trample through crunchy leaf litter.

If one of their ears is better than the other, they'll usually try to stand with their "good side" facing any speakers or other sources of noise. They might appear to be constantly standing at an angle, with their head turned towards the sound. It might be so second nature that they don't realize they're doing it.

Plus, a cat with hearing loss in only one ear will lose their hearing's "distance perception," the ability to pinpoint a sound's location. EXACTLY like how losing the sight in one eye causes the loss of "depth perception," they will have difficulty telling how far away a noise actually is.

Warriors who lose their hearing later in life typically have years of experience in knowing how prey behaves and what sorts of actions make noise; but cats born deaf have to be taught this.

Instead, born-deaf cats tend to associate "sound" with "vibration." Echoes, rumbles, and the sensation of their own humming or laughter can feel very pleasurable. Their whiskers are so sensitive that they can even feel drafts of air from someone speaking in front of them! Because of that, cats with impaired hearing do better with low, rumbling "sounds" rather than high-pitched ones; even when they can't hear either. They can feel lower pitched noises.

(NOTE: Decibels are the measurement of volume, and Hertz are the measurement of pitch. These are different things, NOT interchangeable. HIGH pitch and LOW volume are lost first.)

This is why hunting is so difficult when cats begin to lose their hearing. Their sense of smell and sight can be perfectly intact, but a lot of how a cat hunts is in listening for delicate little sounds and balancing them in both ears to figure out prey's exact location. So, when a cat is learning to hunt without their hearing, they have to rely on their other senses and keep their whiskers low, dusting the ground with their chops and front paws, in hopes of their quarry making a vibration they can feel.

IMPORTANT: Don't forget that cats have carpal whiskers! They are short whiskers on the front paws of a cat, used primarily for "grappling" with other cats and struggling prey. They are less sensitive than facial whiskers, but still very useful for a hearing impaired warrior.

"Dusting," keeping the face low, is still more effective than relying entirely on "Sweeping" movements with the paws.

The younger the cat is, the more time they will have to practice and master this. Cats born deaf, who have never relied on hearing before, are usually better hunters than older warriors learning completely new techniques.

But. Clan cats aren't the only danger in the forest.

A warrior who is deaf or hard-of-hearing will not hear danger approaching, and is easy to sneak up on. Even if they keep themselves completely quiet, an intelligent fox or an enemy warrior can launch an unexpected attack on their unsuspecting target. The wilderness is dangerous, and it's not feasible to keep one's whiskers pressed to the ground at all times, even if vibrations did carry far enough to detect such danger before it's too late.

So, it would be recommended for warriors with hearing loss to not wander too far without a hearing Clanmate capable of alerting them to sounds.

They also will have a VERY difficult time acting as part of a "battalion," in large-scale battles.

In fights with dozens of entangled warriors, while they're focused on fighting the cat in front of them, they will have a hard time hearing commands. Even if well-trained in visual cues like tail signs, deaf and HOH warriors might fail to respond to yowled orders like, "RETREAT" or "SECURE THE ENTRANCE."

Even if the warrior isn't fully deaf, battles are loud and chaotic! It's very likely that such orders would get lost in the clamor of hissing and screeching cats, if the cat has any difficulties with hearing at all.

In summary,

Cats with hearing disabilities are loud.

Hearing loss in one ear will cause the loss of distance perception, and they will often stand at an angle with their good ear facing the noise.

If they were born deaf, they have to learn what makes noise.

Highly tactile, they tend to rely on whisker-sense to "replace" their hearing.

Keeping their facial whiskers low to feel for vibration, "dusting," is a very useful technique.

"Sweeping" with the carpal whiskers is also useful, but less so than "dusting."

They are in increased danger from things sneaking up on them, and shouldn't go anywhere unsafe without a buddy.

Following battle commands in large-scale battles will be difficult or nearly impossible, making them bad "team players."

Communication: Signing, lipreading, and more

(psst! @twiigbranch has a free-to-use version of pawspeak if you credit them!)

Since the majority of these cats lost their ability to hear later in life, most warriors with hearing loss will speak "normally." By "normally," that means they will talk the same way they did their whole lives, just louder so they can hear themselves better.

Over many years, they may begin to stop enunciating their words, 'slurring' their sentences, and their pitch may be a little off. Even then, it's rare that a Clanmate would be able to "tell" they have hearing loss just from their cadence.

But, meanwhile, cats who are born deaf will have a very complicated journey with speech.

It's PIVOTAL for the kit's development that the family and the Clan takes an interest in trying to communicate with them. Deaf children often become isolated from communities that don't seem to care about them, the same way any other alienated child would. This can result in trauma, lack of self-confidence, and behavioral issues.

Even if your project doesn't have Pawspeak (or doesn't have it yet!), kittens WILL find ways to communicate with their family and Clan. Sign language can evolve organically from home signs, unique gestures that will rise for a deaf child to speak with their family. BUT, the sooner they're introduced to a true sign language, the better they will be able to communicate.

Sign languages can also die naturally, simply fading away if the next few generations don't keep them alive. It's possible for the Clans to have gone through a few, over the years!

(Note: Sign languages are full languages, not just "physical versions" of a spoken one. American Sign Language and British Sign Language are from totally different families, even further from each other than English and Russian!)

It is also possible for cats born fully deaf, who have never heard words, to learn how to speak verbally... but, this takes a LOT more time and effort than using a sign language.

Teaching a deaf warrior how to say words is not quick, or easy, and is a very physical process. It involves a lot of dedicated practice time back-and-forth, with the apprentice placing their paw on their mentor's throat to feel their voice, and being coached on how to mimic the exact inflections of every word. It can be very repetitive, and very boring.

Even with lots of training, speakers born deaf have a noticeable "accent." They pronounce consonants better than they do vowels (aeiou), and often lack tone and inflection. Each warrior is an individual, and using a speaking voice is a skill some will be better at using than others.

Lipreading is very difficult. Most warriors born deaf will never learn how to do this, or even want to, as it takes an immense amount of time, effort, and tutoring. It will be more common for cats with more moderate hearing loss, especially if they lost their hearing later in life.

These are REQUIRED for a proper lip reading;

Clear view of the face. If the speaker is too far away, moving around, covers their mouth, stands in a dark place, or has their back turned, their lips can't be read. There are many ways that the view of the face could be obstructed.

Slow, clear speaking. If they're talking too quickly and mumbling their words, it will be extremely difficult to catch all of what they said. A better lip reader will be able to read faster.

Mental awareness. A cat who is tired to exhaustion, unable to focus, or not expecting to be spoken to will not be able to process what's being said. Lipreading is an action that takes brainpower.

MOST IMPORTANTLY: A single speaker, not overlapping with others. Lip reading is nearly useless during clanwide arguments. If there's tons of cats talking over each other, shouting out and interrupting, responding to unseen lips in the crowd, or even if an important speaker is just at a bad angle for the deaf warrior's line of sight to catch, they will not be able to catch everything.

Lipreading is also an action that takes focus. If the cat is tired, unable to concentrate, or isn't expecting to have to read lips, they won't be able to process what words the mouth was forming. It works best one-on-one, in clear lighting, looking straight ahead at the speaker... and even then, the BEST lipreader might only catch 40% to 50% of the words said.

So, it's truly reading. Interpretation. It isn't straightforward like language is. From, "I see a herd of deer, all of them are bucks" they might only catch, "...a... deer... of them... bucks." They will have to guess the meaning based on context!

(Look into a mirror. Quickly chant "Red right wrong" three times. Do you see how similar your lips look to form those words when you're not trying to clearly enunciate them? That's what lipreaders deal with.)

So, while there are other options, a sign language is absolutely the best choice if possible in your setting. Especially for cats who were deaf from birth, sign language is the ideal solution.

VERY IMPORTANT TIPS FOR WRITING A HEARING DISABILITY:

Please avoid them speaking with broken grammar, in third person, or with overly simplistic vocabulary, as if they are a toddler or a caveman. If a deaf cat is taught to speak, they will also learn grammar. BAD: "Examplefur go hunt. Me catch mouse good." OK: "I'm going hunting. I'm good at catching mice."

They will not suddenly "forget" how to speak if they lose their hearing, unless they have another condition such as brain injury.

Lip reading is inferior to signing.

They cannot perfectly catch every single word spoken in all conversations via lipreading, especially when the speaker isn't making an effort to include them, or it's during a disorganized group argument.

In ideal conditions, 30% to 40% of the words spoken will be picked up, and the reader will "fill in" the missing vocab with guesswork.

Teaching a deaf cat to speak verbally is a dedicated process, not something they easily "pick up."

Cats born deaf will almost never pick up lipreading, it is more common in milder forms of hearing loss.

Showing hearing clanmates making an effort to include hearing-impaired warriors, like doing translations or just making sure they understood everything, is massively appreciated.

A good culture around hearing loss is the best thing in the entire world for these cats. Support, respect, and acceptance are sincerely the most important factor in how well a hearing impaired warrior adapts with their disability.

So with that in mind, let's also explore the unique challenges in the terrains and culture of each Clan.

Unique Challenges Clan-by-Clan

Because of the nature of this disability, certain Clans are going to be more difficult for a hearing impaired warrior to function independently in, both in terms of environmental hazards and of culture.

Deaf and HOH warriors will not hear the sounds they're making if they step on noisy terrain or accidentally rustle nearby plants. Some enemies also rely more on stealth to attack their targets than others, and some territories will provide more places for prey and predators to hide. Water-related hazards will naturally cause there to be MORE disabled cats in some Clans more than others, which could mean that there will be less stigma and better community.

Environment means a lot to a cat with hearing loss!

RiverClan

Because this Clan is notorious for swimming in the river, they would have a massively higher rate of hearing loss (and scent loss) than other Clans; ESPECIALLY in late autumn and winter. This also means their healers would be MUCH more experienced with treating ear problems in general; but that's a subject for another guide!

(to answer a stray question before I eventually make that guide: RiverClan can make primitive earplugs out of beeswax to protect their hearing, but may need to trade with ThunderClan to acquire that.)

The important thing to note is that compared to other Clans, RiverClan has the highest rate of having HOH warriors. This means that there would be better support systems for hearing loss than in other Clans, and a cultural "bank" of techniques and knowledge to be shared.

They still have the same proportion of kittens born deaf compared to other Clans, but apprentices without hearing in RiverClan would have a bigger pool (heh!) of mentors who have experience with accommodating their disability.

Plus, you don't need to hear fish to catch them. While they'd still have issues hunting water voles and other wetland-loving rodents, fishers aren't at a significant disadvantage when it comes to providing food to the Clan.

Advantages--

High concentration of cats with similar disabilities provides community, and influences the broader culture to be more accommodating

Healers would have lots of experience with the injuries and illnesses that lead to hearing loss, leading to better treatment

Hearing is not necessary for catching fish, and thus has almost no bearing on how skilled a hunter would be.

Mentors would have better techniques for teaching deaf apprentices

Disadvantages--

Will not hear drowning cats. If you drop into that water you're on your own, bucko

Winter will be even harder than usual, when the river freezes over and fishing becomes more difficult.

Overall, RiverClan is THE best Clan for a deaf cat to be part of.

WindClan

With wide open spaces and lots of hills that offer a good vantage point, sight and vigilance is much more important for survival in a moorland than hearing. There's even an advantage to Pawspeak here; you can communicate from across the open moor without screaming out your location to all the prey!

On top of that, moorland has low-laying vegetation. It isn't a grassland, or filled with splashing water, or covered in crunchy leaf litter. There's not a lot of things TO accidentally make noise on, unless the warrior is trying to hide in a gorse or common heather bush, and WindClan is notorious for relying on speed over stealth anyway.

The one drawback to being a deaf moor-runner is that they will not hear baying hounds. Dogs are extremely common in moorland, either as sheep herders or as companions to human hunters shooting grouses. That said, the fact that hounds are the ONLY big predator they'll need to worry about immediately makes WindClan's moor safer than any woodland territory.

Badgers, boars, and foxes hate open spaces like moorland. It's just dogs that are a big concern, and hawks for smaller cats. There are very few "sneaky" predators in this area; most rely on speed.

So being a moor-runner is one of the best jobs that a warrior with hearing loss could have in the Clans... but the minute that they start to have problems listening to any orders, a tunneler should stop working underground immediately.

Deaf apprentices should be excused from their mandatory tunnel training, except to learn how to do evacuation drills.

There is no light underground. Even if they're capable of creating rushlights or are willing to sacrifice glowworms, that light will be dim at best, and could snuff out at any moment. Communication will become impossible with a deaf cat, and even moderate hearing loss will endanger any warrior who gets separated from their team.

If something as drastic as a cave-in or a flooding happens, they will be in extreme danger. They can't be properly warned unless they're pushed by a fellow digger, and they will not be able to notice anything that isn't rumbling. If they DO end up getting trapped under rubble, they will not hear a rescue party calling their name.

It's not just themselves they have to worry about, either. Not being able to warn or coordinate with their excavation team will put ALL of them in danger.

Advantages--

Moorland requires sharper eyes than ears to begin with.

Lack of ambush predators makes this territory particularly safe without hearing.

Quiet terrain makes sneaking less neccesary in the first place

Pawspeak is especially useful across wide distances

Disadvantages--

Hounds are still a massive danger; they could get very close before they're noticed, if they're upwind.

Will not receive a warning cry in case of any hawks or approaching predators.

Tunneling would be profoundly dangerous with a hearing disability; should be heavily discouraged.

Overall rating is that this is the second best Clan for a cat with hearing loss. RiverClan's sense of community still gives them the top seat imo, but if the attitudes of their Clanmates are good, WindClan's moor is an easy territory to adapt to.

ShadowClan

This one is going to depend on what version of ShadowClan the Erins feel like writing that day, or which one you've chosen for your own project. Do they live in a dry pine forest? Or a wetland?

If you're using the idea that ShadowClan lives in a dry pine forest, especially if your project exists in Britain where spruces, firs, and larches are non-native and thus the territory is a timber plantation, refer to the new growth section in ThunderClan below.

I do not abide by that idea, because Aengus the Prize Winning Hog did not emerge from a cranberry bog for me to disrespect him in this way <3 love ur local wetland <3

(quick note: a swamp is a wooded wetland, a marsh is an open wetland, a bog is acidic, and a fen is neutral/alkaline. Wetland is the general term here.)

Wetlands are rich with soggy ground, muck, and microbe-ridden stillwater. Though ShadowClan cats don't swim for fun, they would end up with more ear infections than most Clans through accidentally falling into the swamp. It's likely that they have the second-highest rate of hearing loss in the 5 Clans, but still significantly below RiverClan.

The lush, thick ferns and reeds provide lots of cover to the notoriously stealthy Clan, but to a warrior who can't hear, this terrain is loud and frustrating. The squish of mud under your paws and the rustle of undergrowth is very hard to adapt to if you can't hear it. ShadowClan's prey of birds, frogs, and water-rodents will respond to any accidental noises by fleeing, quickly, making hunting difficult.

Plus, ShadowClan doesn't rely on one, large, deep, stony body of water like RiverClan does, which seems to be sedimentary rock and open marsh all around. Predators are lurking everywhere in wooded swamps, and could sneak up on a warrior who can't hear them. Foxes, badgers, and boars are a danger in this territory.

All that said; ShadowClan still doesn't seem to rely on just rodents. They eat a lot of amphibians and reptiles, which are not hunted by sound. Most of the techniques they use to catch them can just be taught verbatim to a deaf apprentice, or continue to be used the same way by a warrior who has lost their hearing.

Advantages--

Concentration of warriors with hearing loss from falling into dirty water may provide community and support.

Has a good selection of prey that doesn't rely on listening to be hunted effectively.

Disadvantages--

Swamps, wooded wetlands, are dangerous and attract predators.

Lush foliage and soupy ground make moving quietly difficult for a deaf warrior; but not as difficult as leaf litter.

So, this Clan would be firmly middle-of-the-line in terms of its accessibility to a cat with hearing loss. It would depend a lot on how you plan to approach ShadowClan in your own project; such as if you plan to build out more campbound activities, see them as being social or antisocial with their Clanmates, and what kind of territory you choose for them to have.

SkyClan

As of the time of writing this guide in 2023, when the only decent description of SkyClan's new territory is from a single chapter of Squirrelflight's Hope, it's very difficult to figure out what sorts of terrain challenges a warrior with hearing loss would face at the lake.

Hopefully I can come back and update this later!

But it's most likely is that they have a diverse, varied territory, involving the climbing of steep hills and gorges. Even at the "gorge" territory, a lot of hunting would need to take place outside of the rocky parts of the ravine, in the sparse woodlands and countrysides nearby.

For hunting on sparse woodland, see the advice for ThunderClan. Most hunting in British countrysides is going to look very similar to WindClan's open fields, so refer up there for that.

Because of how close they are to humans, both in the Gorge and at the Lake, it's HIGHLY recommended that warriors with hearing loss avoid twolegplaces. ESPECIALLY towns. Between cars, crowds, and grabbing hands, these places are already dangerous (and sensory hell) for warriors with great hearing, but outright lethal for a hearing impaired cat who won't hear these things coming.

So while the majority of the Clan is jack-of-all-trades and regularly mixes up the particular terrain they hunt in, this is going to be harder for hearing impaired warriors. They have to invent brand new, unique techniques for ALL of these different environments, some of them more difficult than others. Because of that, it will naturally be easiest for a deaf warrior to "specialize" in a particular type of terrain.

This could result in some pretty intense feelings of alienation, as their hearing Clanmates regularly mix what sorts of places they tackle. Without even intending to, they could end up making the warrior feel very left out!

In terms of the culture though, SkyClan seems notoriously accommodating. Between the part-time-kittypet daylight warriors and the way they invented an entirely new mediator role for a cat who didn't enjoy hunting and fighting, it would likely be one of the BEST Clans in terms of supporting a hearing impaired warrior, even in spite of having a "standard" rate of hearing loss since their territory is not particularly wet.

So, it's very likely that they would WANT to fix the fact they've accidentally made their Clanmate excluded, and seek solutions that work for everyone. If any Clan besides RiverClan had a Pawspeak interpreter translating Leafstar's words, it would probably be these guys lmao

Advantages--

Varied terrain means there will be at least a few places that aren't too hard for them to adapt to

Sparse woods, open fields, and even gorges, the three most common terrain types, are at worst decent for a deaf cat to hunt in.

VERY accommodating culture, the absolute best outside of the Clans with a high hearing loss percentage.

Disadvantages--

Generalist training, where every warrior handles vastly different terrain types, will exponentially increase how much training a hearing-impaired warrior must learn.

Being unable to join with their Clanmates in hunting across the entire territory could feel isolating

Rating: Close to top tier, but variable. It's going to depend somewhat on the personality of the warrior. While SkyClan will likely make a big effort to include them, the reality of needing to learn several sets of parallel skills and the way they might feel like an "outsider" for specializing could cause extra distress. Especially for a warrior losing their hearing later in life.

ThunderClan

Because of their collaborative culture and hunting style, described as snobbish and bossy by other Clans, it's very likely that ThunderClan would struggle the most with a specific type of ableism. Since they value group cohesion, it follows they may force Assimilation onto a disabled warrior rather than Accommodation.

As mentioned earlier, Pawspeak is the best thing for the comfort of a deaf warrior... but it might not occur to this Clan to encourage the majority of the Clan to adapt to a minority of warriors.

But it gets worse. Forests are AWFUL terrain to hunt in if you can't hear. Imagine walking in a field with a bunch of invisible landmines, and if you step on one, it broadcasts your EXACT location.

It's difficult to tell if your mouse is running away because you crunched a leaf and made a sound... or because a bird in a tree SAW you and is now raising up an alarm cry. If you can't actually hear what the noise was that scared your lunch away, you might blame yourself for being clumsy as a fox barrels towards you!

When it comes to forests, there are significant differences between an old growth forest and a new growth forest. BOTH of them are going to be extremely difficult for a disabled warrior to adapt to, but old growth is harder.

OLD GROWTH

In both, ground litter is a challenge, but especially so in an old growth British forest. Natural forests there are primarily mixed oak, which drop twigs, leaves, and acorns all over the ground.

These areas are bountiful, productive, and brimming with life. Both in terms of prey and predators. The varied canopy of natural, mixed-age trees allows sunlight to filter through and create an "understorey," providing lots of food and cover to lots of different animals. Unfortunately, foliage is not a deaf warrior's friend.

As previously mentioned, a mix of areas for animals to hide in and a surrounding of rattling plant life is the worst possible combination for a cat who can't hear. Worse, hunting rodents depends massively on hearing them through the leaf litter, thanks to those high-pitched chirps and squeaks which are the first thing to vanish when a cat loses their hearing.

This would be so bad that it's likely ThunderClan "works" its youngest members much harder than its seniors, assigning apprentices and young warriors to significantly more hunting patrols. Since hearing loss is so common that it's practically inevitable, and the security of a Clan allows these wild cats to live to such old ages, it would be "common sense" to ThunderClan to structure things this way.

Old growth patches are practically food pantries for Clan cats, but hearing impaired warriors will have a HELLISH time trying to hunt in them.

NEW GROWTH

When a forest is new and all of the trees in a stand are about the same age, they create a uniform canopy. Like a continuous tent. This means they're so effective at blocking out sunlight that there's virtually no understorey.

No understorey means no food. Or very little food. But it also means no cover. And, usually, significantly less leaf litter. This is because in Britain, most of these types of forests are non-native conifers. Sitka spruce and douglas fir are the two biggest offenders-- and that's significant because nothing here has evolved to EAT the products of those trees.

In ThunderClan, Tallpines is an example of this, but this type of terrain could pop up anywhere that's seen massive destruction.

No understorey to feed prey, no products of the trees which native animals can eat, a silent floor covered in pine needles which offer no hiding places, almost chilling uniformity of the strange trees in evenly-spaced rows...

All of this to say that there's an irony here, that the hearing impaired warrior will be best at hunting in the most barren parts of the forest.

There's much less things to trip up on, or rustle. Prey can be plainly seen out in the open. Gray squirrels are the most significant prey that can utilize these areas, and they DO make a hearty meal for a Clan cat. Additionally, these areas are particularly silent because they're so barren, which might make them seem "creepy" to hearing warriors, but that wouldn't bother a deaf warrior one bit!

Advantages--

Cultural sentiment of "all for one; one for all" may lead to more dedication from the Clan as a whole in connecting to the hearing impaired cat

Which could be a blessing or a curse, depending on the individual warrior's feelings.

Ability to work efficiently in the most barren parts of the forest

Disadvantages--

Cultural emphasis on collaboration in group hunting likely leads to deaf cats being encouraged to adapt to the patrol rather than their own strengths.

May result in more emphasis on teaching lip reading and 'speech therapy,' rather than the adoption or implementation of Pawspeak.

Very difficult to stay quiet in a forest if you can't hear the crunch of leaf litter and twigs.

Lots of cover means random bullshit can spring out from any corner; abundance of ambush predators.

Cover also means there's a lot of places for prey to hide, and hearing can't be used to pinpoint the location.

Lots of rodent prey, which relies on hearing high-pitched noise to catch.

Rating: F MINUS, SEE ME AFTER CLASS. By FAR the worst Clan for a warrior with hearing loss to be part of, for both practical reasons, AND cultural reasons. Awful awful awful, absolutely abysmal, failing grade. Dark Souls for deaf cats

Though remember! This part of the guide is a suggestion. You do not need to include ableism in your own projects if you do not want to, and I hope with the information that you now have, you know how to better avoid it!

"Sources?"

Right this way~

#Deafness #Hearing Loss #Herb Guide #Clan Culture #warrior cats #deaf warriors #This is not BB but I feel like I should tag it just for the cover art #Since Stonewing and Dovewing don't have hearing loss in canon #BUT I SAY THEY DO #Better Bones AU...ish. kinda #Bonefall's Herb Guides

4K notes · View notes

somerandomdudelmao · 11 months

Note

Hopping back in the “when did Donnie get sick” train because of your latest update with memory ritual Casey, I think I have a pretty good guess as to what got Donnie.

The very long episode known as episode two, aka “carry the uncles.”

We see them extremely battered, can from the looks of it, both of them have a couple open wounds. While infection can get in though the holes on our faces (nose, eyes, mouth), it can also get in through the bloodstream, where it is usually identified by white blood cells.

Donnie is significantly more battered than Casey, who appears to be severely bleeding though his leg, plastron, side, and forehead. All prime locations to get into the bloodstream unnoticed.

(Another thing. Outsider cells can pose as insider cells, which is usually how stuff like cancer happens. I don’t doubt that when the kraang made that virus they took a few humans to make sure it was extremely lethal and wouldn’t get fucked over by Donnie’s white blood cells, as you said before that the area around Donnie’s grave turned so desolate that even other kraang vines were KILLED by the infection. (Which makes me think it behaves like the fungal virus of the last of us but worse.))

The earliest we see Donnie obviously pull his dramatics is episode six, primarily the first pannel of part two of episode six, kraangified.

This is the very same episode where he perched on Raph by using his spidershell’s arms.

Donnie was most likely feeling the effects even earlier, but because the episodes between 2 and six are more filler and elaboration (and also where people speculate he got it, episode three.) we don’t know.

I should note, people claim he got it in episode three when he ran a kraang over. This is likely not true, as you stated the infection killed kraang vines around Donnie’s grave. Why would you carry it on your body for long periods of time with how lethal it is? Wouldn’t you put it on one of your hounds or zombies?

From episode 6 onward, we see Donnie increasingly get more dramatic and need to rely on his tech more until he, unfortunately, goes poof from this plane of existence.

(One more thing I want to add is that this infection was most likely similar to a fungus or cancer, as it was eating up Donnie from the inside and transforming his cells into other cells, which is most likely how his blood turned pink.)

Anyway, theory time over, thanks again for giving us this wonderful series, can’t wait to see what happens when small donnie realizes why Casey got so upset over big donnie.

Wow, that's one BIG study.......

I'm not going to say anything because you've already said everything. But I will add here one new screenshot from a recent update as confirmation that you're right. Because if you look at the location of his injuries in both pictures....

#rottmnt #rise of the tmnt #riseofthetmnt #donatello #upd i forgot the tag haha #CAS details

3K notes · View notes

firespirited · 27 days

Text

i've had a severe case of oral thrush (candidiasis) from being immunocompromised for over a year

but since I present flatly and friendly and half the time with a written list because i'm non-speaking that day: my doctor apparently has no clue this is a complaint.

I've done a no dairy, no white carbs diet for a month,

no acid diet

tapered off the prescription antacids and stopped eating anything fatty to cope with the acid reflux in case that helped

each time I reported back in writing that it hadn't changed things

went to the dentist who said you have a really bad oral thrush see your doctor. On his word I finally got treatment for it in December and said "this isn't strong enough a dose but I'll take it while doing all the diet stuff on my end to maximize chances, and i'll report any changes": I was able to taste the christmas meal and sleep without numbing my tongue sores. I requested a higher dose - I was told treatment failing means it can't be fungal, I didn't contest this vehemently enough but forged forward with lab tests instead:

6 lab tests because the local lab doesn't test for candida but didn't say so. I found a private lab willing to take a swab, and they reported back that I have a severe case: 10^7-10^9 cfu/ml.

sent those results via email and today the Dr said: "you haven't complained about your mouth, and we already treated for oral thrush, i guess i could give you probiotics to rebalance oral PH"

Obviously i'm already taking probiotics and have been for 6 months.

I am this close to switching my mouthwash to a peroxide solution and eating fish tank cleaner.

What I need to do is make a scene, perform the distress this has caused me privately to the doctor directly, verbally with emotion.

I am currently flat as hell from depression. I couldn't cry if I stubbed my toe and imagined losing someone close (that's actually regular intrusive thoughts).

10^7 cfu/ml is 10 000 000 fungi per ml, it should speak for itself. Normal amounts are less than 100 cfu/ml. I don't understand how "massive pathological yeast infection of the mouth" by a specialized lab tech is somehow inconclusive.

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

i am too autistic for my doctor to see me as human and that's what i've known for a while now, the worst part is that it's made performing emotion or even making words even harder. I know she's having serious memory issues at the moment too and was willing to pretend it was that, give her some time.

i think i'll have to wait another month and see if I can "perform", if only by persistence: send her photos of my mouth every week with sad emojis.

#saf #disability blogging

25 notes · View notes

lildoodlenoodle · 9 months

Text

So I’ve been thinking, why does Spider Noir have black webbing? To my knowledge, no spider produces black webs and neither do any other insects that I can find. So, theoretically, how is this happening?

I can think of a couple ways:

1. Blood. Internal bleeding can turn mucus, urine, and fecal matter dark and even black. If Peter’s internal spinnerets bled with use into his silk gland then it could potentially darken the webbing. Maybe not black necessarily, as it would be more of a dark red(due to silk being white) but it could also be that his blood is darker or black.(this could part of the spider mutation or if u think his world is in black and white) This can also be tied back to necrosis, which if the spider god is changing his insides,,, yikes.

2. Pollutants. Certain chemicals and pollutants(including smoking) can cause black mucus. 1930s wasn’t exactly known for environmentally conscious business practices and air and water quality. Dude could just be dirty lol. This would also include a fungal/yeast infection inside the actual spinneret.

3. Spider silk is really just proteins, proteins are mostly died black with amido black. Amido black has a methanol base. Peter’s spinnerets could produce or overproduce a similar compound. Methanol comes into the body from just regular diet mostly, but is excreted through the kidneys. Maybe Peter can’t break down methanol as successful so it’s also secreted through the spinnerets, or he has to eat so much(super metabolism) of certain foods(like vitamin k is a pretty good fuel for making webs) that he has more methanol in his system than the average human and needs another way to secrete that. Nitrogen Dioxide is also a possibility.

4. The silk is created similarly to hair. Peter has darker or even black hair sometimes. Hair is ‘dyed’ black by eumelanin. If there is an over production of eumelanin it could cause some dark skin patches. This can be caused by hormone production changes(spider god). You can also increase eumelanin production by eating foods rich in antioxidants, copper, and some vitamins, so Peter’s body could be producing an excess of any of those.

5. ✨Magic✨

Note: Why am I focusing on mucus? Because it’s possible spinnerets would need an internal lubricant in human bodies which most likely would be a type of mucus.

#also human anatomy is not my specialty so lmk if anything is like blatantly wrong lol #but yea this is all very basic research wise so take it with a grain of salt #spider noir conspiracies #spider noir #spiderman #spider-man noir #Peter Benjamin Parker #spider people #webs #spider anatomy

118 notes · View notes

soulsforscrapbooks · 7 months

Text

So while reading Dracula, I was curious about what kind of bat Dracula is transforming into.

Romania is a great place to live if you want to go unnoticed as a bat, since the country has one of the most diverse number of bat species in Europe, with over 32 different species! Two of Europe's largest bat colonies can also be found in Romania. There are however, no blood-sucking bat species in Europe (they are instead all found in Central and South America).

If Dracula wanted to hide out unbothered in England, he might choose the form of the Common Pipistrelle, which is the most common bat species in England:

But Stoker refers to Dracula's bat form multiple times as "large," and Pipistrelles are little babies, only about 2 in./5.2 cm long. What might be a better fit is the Greater Noctule Bat species:

The Greater Noctule Bat is one of the largest bats in the world, and the largest bat in Europe. It has a wingspan of 18 in./46 cm. and is one of the few bat species that eats birds. In addition, where most bird-eating bats sit and wait for a bird to fly by, the Greater Noctule Bat actively hunts them.

(Of course Dracula is very old and has had plenty of time to travel, so he could have easily vacationed in South America and decided to become a vampire bat.)

And as a small aside: bats are incredibly important to the world's ecosystems, but species worldwide are currently being infected by White-Nose Syndrome, a deadly fungal disease that is wiping out entire populations. You can go to this website to see how you can help the bats fight against this illness!

#dracula daily #animals #batty

50 notes · View notes

ashcoveredtraveler · 4 months

Text

Headcannon Dumping

-The Blue Lake is a saltwater lake, but the salt filters through the ground making the rain not salty. Miners then mine the salt from the side or under in the lake.

-Vessels that either gain better ability/control of soul or inherited plant-ness of their mother, they can continuously gain soul from the ground beneath them or even in the air.

-Dirtmouth has an open sky above it, so it is home to a snow festival and lantern lighting events along with winter stolses.

-Important members of the court or guards have spells placed among them to make them live longer. Those would be: Monomon, Quirrel, Lurien, his butler and The Great Knights.

-I think the Pale Court mod actually encompass how The Great Knights would have fought in Hallownest glory days. But if that was the case, then I would think that every other boss would need to be upped like Pure Vessel, Hive Knight, maybe the Nailmasters.

-The Archives operates as a University or maybe a grad school for anyone in the STEM field. The archives also operates as a school for kids who are unfortunate, like orphans or for those who are considering an higher education but their area doesn't have it, like those in Fungal Wastes or Greenpath(not like those places done have any education, they have a different type that can't be applicable all around Hallownest).

- In game, the crystals in Crystal Peaks were apparently bought as they were admired by Hallownest individuals even though we only see the crystals in peaks(and I don't know what PK would allow objects to be sold with The Radiances influence in them). This would have been one of PK's sources of research on how to defeat her.

-Moth Lurien

-Moth Xero

-Soul Master is a cicadia, and I only think this is the case because of this post by @cupcakeshakesnake

-The amount of vessels that died in The Abyss is the same amount as the bugs that were killed by the infection. It's like would you kill a million people to save a million people, but pk ended up killing 2 million people all together

-Void doesn't just stain things black, it washes color out. If there is a black spot of void colorful wallpaper and you are able to wipe it away, a light outline of the design would stain but it would be pale white color.

-On contrary to some beliefs, you actually can't apply to become a Great Knight either by good, bad or questionable actions(I was brainstorming how all of the Great Knights got recruited, and I will make a dedicated post to it).

- Not everything in Hallownest is actually Hallownest. Forgotten Crossroads, Dirtmouth, City of Tears, Waterways and Queens Gardens are actually part of Hallownest while everything else is a territory of Hallownest and is partly governed by it.

-PK has eyelids along with eyeballs. You can see the eyeballs from the reflection in the dark but both of them are very very dark, making his eyes to appear hollow.

-This headcannon is depending on how much I want PK to suffer, but he can permetly go blind. Wyrms don't have sight, so when he can actually see his body is unable to support it and just degrades.

-There are Queens idols with the king's idols, but they aren't seen around as much as kings idols as the king is credited to creating Hallownest. However her idols are found in hospital, mostly in the maternity ward, and the households in new families.

#hollow knight #hk headcanons #hollow knight world building #hk vessel #hk pale king #hk white lady

25 notes · View notes

crevicedwelling · 1 year

Text

these Armadilldium vulgare come from an isolated population I found on a riverbank in the city. both females and males (unusual for this species) had warm, golden-brown to dark brown coloration, and one male had beautiful white patches in addition to the gold.

unfortunately, all of the wild ones were infected with a fungal parasite, and I only got one brood out of one female (pic 4) before they perished. surprisingly, two of the precious babies ended up piebald, so I'll be able to breed more of all of these rare color forms!

a gold and the piebald gold male from the originals. either pollution, weather, or the fungus has resulted in the wild river population disappearing entirely, so I feel lucky I was able to collect some while I could!

#armadillidium vulgare #roly poly #pill bug #isopods #bugs #cw bugs

185 notes · View notes

astyrial · 7 months

Text

puppy dog eyes joel miller x gn!reader (fluff) synopsis: something jumps out from the bushes word count: 1k warnings: guns, dogs (please be careful when dealing with an unknown dog :D) masterlist | requests are open

cold fall air falls on the settlement's homes, a breeze wafting through the trees. the sun begins to rise for the morning and it shines brightly on the set dew. most people are still in their homes, and yet besides the people watching the perimeter, one person is sitting on an old wooden rocking chair. you sit cross legged with a blanket cascading off of the front of it.

normally you don't like waking up early, but the morning hours in maria's settlement is quite a view. your head leans back against the rocking chair's backing. a soft smile rests on your lips as you listen to the rain-like sounds that come from the swaying of the trees.

something interrupts this calm morning, though, and it's the sound of something rustling in the bushes. you look up from the front porch and your smile instantly falls. the first thought to run through your mind is that of a stalker, hiding in the bushes to catch its next prey.

you slowly get up from your chair. it'd been a month since you've come across any infected. with the work that tommy and maria put into making this settlement what it is, it was easier to live life. but now your heart is racing as if it could jump out of your chest and make its way out of the area.

your feet feel the cold wooden panels of the porch while you slowly make your way towards the front door. it creaks just enough to make the thing jump out of the bush. "holy shit!" before thinking, you yell loud enough that joel could probably hear you.

however, before you can open the door and run in, you notice fur. large ears that appears similarly to human hair. it's wavy and a chocolate brown with white spots scattered around. it's certainly not a stalker, or any kind of infected for that matter, it's a dog.

a fluffy dog that you hadn't seen since the infection first took over america. he starts sniffing around, his nose close to the dirt road. when he finally looks up and sees you, his paws stay planted on the ground. much to your surprise his nose starts wiggling as he makes his way over to you.

"oh hello little guy," you kneel down, cautious because it wouldn't be the first time you've come across a rabid dog.

he cocks his head, lowering his body a little as he makes his way onto the porch. the little dog moves a little closer every few seconds. your eyes search him, looking for some sign of infection (fungal or rabies). however, nothing appears out of the ordinary. no foaming at the mouth and no fungi.

suddenly he stops, and maybe you were too focused on the dog to notice, but the door behind you opened up. joel is standing there with a shotgun positioned in his hands, his feet spread and planted on the ground.

"what happened?" his voice is deep and raspy from having just woken up, your head quickly turning to see him.

he looks over at the dog and then back at you, his eyebrows raised in confusion, "you yelled 'holy shit' cause you saw a dog? honey, i get that you haven't seen a dog in a long time but that's a little bit-"

"i thought it was an infected, okay miller? now don't scare him off, look at how sweet he is," you swat his leg, turning back to see the dog had backed away some upon the sight of the gun.

you wave your arms a little bit, urging him to come to you. "joel, can you please set the gun inside? it's clearly freaked out and as you can see doesn't have rabies or anything. besides don't you like dogs?" in an attempt to convince him to calm down, you give him an award winning smile.

he sighs, dropping his shoulders while moving the gun so that it isn't pointed at anything but the ground. joel cautiously sets it back down and rests his hands on his hips, "you're lucky i love you.."

"oh i know," you give him a quick wink before reaching out for the dog who has quickly returned to be a couple feet from you.

he leans forward, getting lower and lower to the ground until he's completely flat. his nose wiggles again as your hand gets a little closer. upon sniffing the air between him and your fingers, his tail starts to wag until it's creating a small breeze.

you reach out and pet between his ears, his fur soft but matted in spots. he crawls forward a little more so that your hand can rest on his back. he looks up with his tongue sticking out of his mouth, panting. when you feel the small curls in his fur, it does remind you of your time before the infection.

a pet dog, a retriever mix of some sort, that stayed with you for years. a part of you hopes he died a simple death, nothing having to do with infected individuals. maybe it would be nice to enjoy something so simple like a pet in this world. a dog who sticks it out with you.

"we're keeping him joel-"

"we are not keeping him, y/n."

"you wanna keep him too, i know you do. and i know ellie would like having a dog around too."

"a pet? in this time? plus we already have buckley here, what if the two don't like each other? then what?" joel squats down so that he's level with you.

you look back at him, a pleading look in your eyes. usually he can keep himself from indulging in those wonderful eyes of yours. but when he sees how your fingers run along the dog's back, or how you give him a lopsided smile to convince him of anything. even the dog was giving him puppy dog eyes.

he purses his lips, sighing, "fine, but i'm naming him.. and it's going to be rookie."

"rookie? i'm only agreeing to that stupid ass name because i wanna keep the dog."

#the last of us #the last of us hbo #joel miller #joel miller x reader #joel miller fic #joel tlou #tlou #tlou hbo #joel miller fanfiction

31 notes · View notes

mycoblogg · 8 months

Note

Hello. How r u? :)

Have you spoken about the "schizophyllum commune" yet?

Its a type of fungus I saw here on tumblr but idk which page I got it from. If you spoke about it already then dw.

I heard this fungus (mushroom? Idk the difference) has over 23,000 separate genders (mating types) which I think is hella neat :)

Anyway hope you have a great day. I love ur blog so much <3

hey !! i'm okey, thanks for asking, & i hope you're alright, too :-)

i don't believe i've spoken about them, yet, but they're honestly a fascinating species.

so, first off, this fungus does produce mushrooms, so you can call it either !! "mushroom" is the term for the fleshy, spore-bearing fruit body of a fungus.

about the mating types - yes !! it has 23 328 distinct mating types (different from genders ; *slightly* different to sexes, but more similar). of these types, most are compatible with each other !!

another interesting fact is that they are thought to be the cause of a few fungal infections - specifically those affecting the lungs. on a few occasions, they have also caused allergic reactions & sinusitis.

schizophyllum is derived from the greek word schíza meaning "split", which is also mentioned in it's common name, split gill.

i'll be happy to post a FOTD about it, soon :-)

[iD: a photograph of the split gill mushroom growing from a tattered, decaying log in the foreground. the mushroom consists of three fungal bodies. the insides are vein-like & brown, while the edges are fuzzy & white. the background is blurry shades of green. end iD]

#• askbox replies: •#(ask : luminousmoon21)#[schizophyllum commune]#: split gill :

40 notes · View notes

hyenagirl-pseudophallus · 7 months

Text

RARE BAT SIGHTING!

Little Brown Bat (myotis lucifugus) spotted at my worksite in Littleton, CO!

Little brown bats are especially susceptible to White-Nose Syndrome (WNS), a human-transmittable fungal infection (psuedogymnoascus destructans) that has devastated the North American myotis population over the last twenty years.

This infection presents as a white, frost-like bloom around the nose, and causes infected bats to wake from hibernation, leave the colony, and seek food. As the hibernation they're woken from occurs in winter, the infected bats are, of course, unable to find food (in the form of insects) and ultimately die from starvation, dehydration, or exposure.

Humans who are uninformed may travel between caves, parks, or entire states, without taking proper steps to decontaminate themselves or their gear, and so will aid in the spreading of these fungal spores unawares.

From visual inspection, however, this specimen appears to be uninfected with WNS!

As a result of wildlife conservation efforts, programs to warn and educate campers, hikers, spelunkers, and general campers of the impact they can have on these endangered populations, and natural selection, some populations of myotis are beginning to recover, but it's a long road to recovery.

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/amp/science/little-brown-bats-provide-glimmer-of-hope-against-a-species-threatening-fungus

23 notes · View notes

sicktember · 2 years

Note

Could you share some less common illnesses to use? The prompts keep making me think of cold/flu, which is great, but I don't want to write it all about that. I try to use different things, but I'm stuck in a rut, and I like variety in the sickfics I read and write. My main go-to is chicken pox, and I want to use mumps and meningitis at some point.

We can definitely see how many of the prompts could be interpreted as cold or flu related. And we certainly understand your desire to try something new!

But we also feel like the 'more cake' analogy is worth repeating. There are so many symptoms, scenarios, treatments, home remedies and 'old wives tales' that there is an endless supply of new ways to reinvent any trope! And one great fic definitely deserves another... and another... and another...

That being said, we've put together a list of illnesses/additional symptoms. How you can potentially work them into the various prompts is up to you! But goodness knows, any of them could lead to a few sleepless nights (Prompt 27) Anyway, we hope this helps!!

Acute Pancreatitis is the prolonged inflammation of the pancreas. Acute Pancreatitis usually appears suddenly and lasts for several days. Although some people may develop chronic pancreatitis, which can last for years. Causes include but are not limited to, infection, alcoholism, certain medications, gallstones, trauma and obesity. Treatment may involve a change in diet, IV fluids, pain medication or in some cases surgery to remove bile duct blockages, the gallbladder or infected pancreatic tissue.

Symptoms include: Upper abdominal pain, abdominal pain that radiates to the back, abdominal tenderness, fever, rapid pulse, nausea and vomiting.

Norovirus is one of the most common causes of vomiting and diarrhea. In some places it's also referred to as the 'winter vomiting bug' because it's more common in winter, although you can catch it at any time of the year. It usually takes a few days to recover.

Oral Thrush or Oral Candidosis is a fungal (Yeast) infection of the mouth. It isn't contagious and can be treated fairly successfully with antifungal medications. It can be caused by the use of certain antibiotics, poor oral hygiene, smoking or the use of steroid inhalers used for asthma.

Symptoms include: White or red patches inside the mouth, lose of taste, general redness in the mouth and throat, pain and burning within the mouth that can sometimes make eating and drinking difficult.If let untreated, Oral Thrush can become much more serious.

Cellulitis is an infection within the deeper layers of the skin. It can often be treated with antibiotics. Although more problematic cases can lead to hospitalization. If it’s not retreated properly it can become extremely serious. Cellulitis is usually caused by a bacterial infection that enters the skin via a cut or scrape.

Symptoms include: The affected skin suddenly becomes red, hot swollen and sore. More severe cases can be accompanied or preceded by a high fever, full body tremors, nausea and vomiting, dizziness and confusion.

Urinary tract infections or UTIs are common and affect the bladder, the kidneys and/or the tubes that connect them. They can have varying levels of pain and discomfort depending on the severity. They generally heal within a few days and are often treated with antibiotics. UTIs are usually caused by bacteria entering the urinary tract., generally from the urethra. A few of the causes could be dehydration, the use of scented hygiene products and/or not regularly and fully emptying the bladder.

Symptoms include: Pain or discomfort during urination, having sudden or frequent urges to urinate, lower abdominal pain or discomfort and a general feeling of achiness. More severe symptoms can occur when the kidneys are involved. Thos symptoms include back pain, fever, chills, confusion and restlessness. It is worth noting that while UTIs can affect anyone they are most common in women.

Vertigo isn’t an illness so much as it’s a symptom, often associated with migraines and inner ear infections. Vertigo can be described as the sensation that you, or your environment are moving or spinning. The feeling can be barely noticeable or extremely intense and can last anywhere from a few seconds to several days.

Shingles is an infection of a nerve and the surrounding skin. Shingles is caused by the same virus that causes Chicken pox. The main symptom of shingles is prolonged and virtually untreatable pain along with a rash that develops into itchy blisters. New blisters may appear for up to a week, but will become yellowish in color, flatten and dry out within a few days. Blisters can lead to scarring.

Other symptoms include: headache, burning, tingling, numbness or itchiness of the skin in the affected area, feeling generally unwell and/or fever.

Lyme Disease is a bacterial infection that is spread to humans by infected ticks. Lyme Disease can range from mild to severe depending on how quickly the symptoms are recognized and treatment begins. Although symptoms may not appear for up to thirty days post bite.Antibiotics are the most common treatment.

Symptoms include, most prominently a ‘bulls-eye’ shaped rash around the bite area that may increase in size over time. Some people will develop a rash over their entire body. One in three people affected by Lyme Disease will also have flu-like symptoms such as, fever, aches and pains, a stiff neck and fatigue. If left untreated, symptoms can progress to include swelling and pain in the joins, numbness in the limbs, lasp in memory, and heart issues.

Acute Cholecystitis is when there is swelling and inflammation in the gallbladder. This is potentially serious and usually needs to be treated in hospital. Treatment includes fasting, intravenous fluids and pain management. The doctor may recommend the removal of the gallbladder to prevent future attacks.

Symptoms include: Most prominently, a sharp pain in the lower right side of the abdomen that spreads towards the shoulder. The affected part of the abdomen is usually sore to the touch, and does not fade over time. Deep breathing may increase the pain. Other symptoms may include fever, sweating, loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting and yellowing of the skin and/or whites of the eyes (jaundice)

Catarrh is also a symptom rather than an illness. Catarrh is the build-up of mucus in an airway or other cavity within the body. Generally the back of the nose, throat or sinus. It’s usually temporary and is associated with colds, allergies and sinus polyps. It usually only last a few days but in some situations can become chronic and hard to treat. Treatments include avoiding allergens, taking sips of cold water, the use of a humidifier, saline nasal rinses, and over the counter decongestants.

Associated symptoms include: coughing, runny nose, stuffy nose, the feeling of mucus in the back of the throat, the need to constantly clear your throat, headache or facial pain, a cracking sensation in the ears accompanied by some temporary hearing loss (This could also lead into an ear infection, particularly in small children)

Mumps is a contagious viral infection that used to be common in children (but could also affect adults) before the introduction of the MMR vaccine.

symptoms include: Most prominently, painful swelling around the side of the face (The parotid glands) along with headaches, joint pain and a high temperature, which may develop a few days before the swelling occurs.

We found this website to be very helpful when compiling the list above. It not only lists common illnesses but additional symptoms as well.

#resources and advice #sicktember #sicktember 2022 #common illnesses #sickfics #sick characters #sickfic prompts #writing prompts #prompt event #whump #hurt/comfort

242 notes · View notes

jadespeedster17 · 1 year

Text

Lonely

Summary: Live long enough to see yourself become the villain, Grian never put much stock into these words. We all have the power to chose good or evil. To hurt or help people. Now... he wasn’t so sure. Staring down at the mentor from opposing sides. His brow in a white knuckled grip, and the smile that was painfully familiar but directed malicious intent at him.

Warnings: Mild Violence, Hero turned Villain, Manipulation, Villain Scar, Hero Grian

Notes: this was something I talked abut a few days back on blu’s blog again. We were going crazy with the Father Spore AU and i suggested that might be a Villain Scar. So yeah. Grian’s power is he can sense the emotions of others as a passive powers, but his main power is he harness emotions as powers to create potion like effects on his arrows. Scar’s power as Hotguy is Eagles Eye, he could see the world in slow motion, a passive ability of this is he can have out of body experiences and walk to places in his minds eyes. His powers are the same as a villain, but now he’s also got abilities from a weird alien spore cloud. (No this isn’t Venom :/)

The flash of lights, cameras, and reporters yells did nothing for Cuteguy as he walked with Redbot away from the crowd. He felt numb inside, despite the face he was beat up pretty bad from the fight. Silently they reassured the citizens that though this situation was unfortunate, they had it handled. These lies sat bitter on his tongue.

The drive back was even worse with his group, all of them having varying ranges of emotions Cuteguy picked up on. They all had taken off their masks and were most reeling from it all. The one spot near Grian felt empty now, a sense of bitterness also came with it. Ren’s emotions were of anger, sitting across from Grian glaring out the window. Ren, Wulf, always felt he was leader of this pack, to possibly know one of his own had been turned and he could do nothing to stop it... there was undertone emotions of disappointment and self loathing.

Mumbo, Redbot, was solemn, yet a steel to them. No doubt he was already planning encase their once friend tried anything. He was sad, upset at himself deep down, but also seemed to be on guard. Then there was Pearl, Nebula, who he only got sadness from. Grian could faintly make out tears on his siters face, but there was also anger that burned deep. He reached over and took her hand as she didn’t look at him, but squeezed it back.

Grian went back to staring out the window, they were all exhausted after all of that. The arrow wound in his shoulder would need looked at. He could still see it, the sharp green eyes as he fired the arrow to hit his shoulder to keep him from firing shots back. “I was the one who taught you that trick Gri.” a condescending, but knowing smile. “I’ll see you soon.”

He never liked how white and sterile the HA was, sitting here now in the directors office, Xisumi was pacing slightly. He could sense frustration and worry from the man. “This is... unprecedented.” he finally spoke, voice weary and tired. “Hotguy, Scar Goodtimes, has been infected by the fungal spores then?” he asked again to the group.

Soft agreement words, they all saw it, Grian got a front row seat to it. His mentor being careful to approach, the green cloud engulfing him as he started to cough... then... watching as the mushrooms grew on his back. The dread realizing now that could have been him. “The higher ups are not gonna like this.” Xisumi groaned a bit, looking at his desk in despair.

The agency they worked for wasn’t part of a good system, and while their director tried to make it barrable for them, it was clear that the higher ups were looking for any reason to bare down on this group. They had the highest success rate in villains stopped, and the least amount of crime. But this was also because they loved what they did, and felt they were doing good, at least here. More than just for greed and advertisement.

The group looked at each other, some other faces were here too, False spoke up “This might be the thing they need to bare their teeth.” Xisumi scowled at his desk at that, “And turn this place into a money maker... no... I won’t allow that. But they will no doubt tight security and leisure activities will be replaced with more training.” he grimaced.

They all grimaced with him, but it would be understandable why. Scar knew much about them, their fighting styles, and their powers. They were close here, they were a family, Ren their defector leader, Bdubs his second and right hand, Grian’s mentor was the sniper and training him to also be one, Mumbo was tech savvy and helping Pearl also become the same. False who watched from the skies for them and kept everything running, and who scared the shit out of everyone. Welsh was their trainer, and a hard task master of a mentor to them all. Everyone... the others, now all knew that Scar was now a Villain.

Grian gripped the edges of his skirt, and narrowed his eyes slightly. He tuned out Xisumi talking about how security now will put them all on protection. He doubted Scar would jump now to attack, no doubt getting used to his new self. Ash sat on Grian’s tongue even though he didn’t say that.

The meeting was dismissed with all of them told to be on guard. Grian felt like he had a weight on his shoulders still as he walked to change and head home for the day. No one said anything, Pearl opted to stay later to help Mumbo with security.

Grian didn’t want to stick around, putting on a sweater, comfort really. And... it had a scent to it that was familiar to him. And got his bag for the walk home, the sun was dipping low in the sky, casting somber orange shades over the city. The walk home and going to bed was uneventful, Grian didn’t remember most of it, he did remember crying though.

. . .

A few days later

. . .

Sirens going off was annoying as the building echoed them, Grian rushing out to the landing pad to open his wings to the wind. There was an attack on a large government building, a lab just near the outskirts. Souls... the villain’s sculk like stuff was easy to see from the air that False saw. Blocking entry and exit and to no doubt corrupt the people inside or make them into sculk husks. With the rebreather on his mouth, so not to get the sculk in his mouth or lungs, Grian was their way to get in.

Snipers like him were to infiltrate and be the eyes for the rest of the group. He and Scar had done many dangerous stuff like this. First to go in, and the most vulnerable. Being a duo made it easier to watch their backs.

Grian couldn’t fathom what doing it alone was like for Scar before, but he was about to find out.

He managed to find a small opening that was being closed off, the sculk luckily grew slow in light, and he managed to slip through before it closed behind him. He turned on his visor to see in the dimly lit room, sculk covered many areas, shriekers and sensors, Souls used them as security, and Grian knew he’d have to be as silent as a mouse to get deep inside and not be caught.

Moving slowly over the sticky stuff on the ground, Grian remembered his training, quiet, silent, your ears were your greatest strength. He focused on the area, he frowned as he noticed the air in the area was very dense. Dust? No, these buildings were very well cleaned. Even though reports False was sending showed that the ventilation had been turned off.

Grian could hear voices ahead as he pressed to the wall, and listened closely to everything. “Our powers are almost the same, but yours has a instance effect compared to mine” that sounded like Souls. “It’s fascinating, gonna requite more experimentation. But you say you can hear their thoughts now?”

He crouched low and peered over the banister, he saw Souls, the sculk along the left side of his face. His vison zoomed in on him, looking at the blue eyes, ‘Cub Fan: Former HA Scientist corrupted by the Sculk Catalyst.’ came up on his screen. Cub had been before Grian joined, Scar spoke often of his old friend and about how sad he was that Cub because what he did.

He frowned a bit, but who was Cub talking to? “Yup!” his insides turned cold and he turned to where the other person was. “I can feel them in my head, and vice versa, they do as I saw, those that agreed have more freedom of will then that but seem happier now.”

Scar smiled at Cub as he walked away from a person that had mushrooms growing out of their skin. He looked different, having on a had that had mushrooms on it, which also had the things growing out of his back and shoulders. Green mist came off his skin, which was much paler now and his eyes near glowed green. He was dressed in a purple vest, and black pants. The white shirt was loos and was buttons were undone to expose his chest.

He seemed giddy as Grian looked around to see people around. Some had the green and blue veins of sculk on their faces and glowing blue eyes. While others looked akin to Scar, they moved on their own compared to the shambling that the Sculk Infected did. Most smoother in their emotions, like they weren’t puppets on strings, and seemed to be gathering up things.

“They keep calling me ‘Father’ which is funny.” Scar’s voice said with a sheepish laugh as Cub also laughed. They were walking together as Grian followed above them. No doubt the others were watching through his visor and listening in. “Suppose it comes with the new role.” Cub commented casually, “But I will say I’m glad you’re here with me friend.” nudging Scar lightly, who scoffed out a laugh and shoved him back. “I’ve missed talking to you. Banter fighting can only do so much.”

So Scar had teamed up with Cub then? And from what Grian can gather their powers are quiet similar. He could tell False was sending this info to the others, he gripped his bow tightly and crouched lower. He noted they had stopped walking, and Scar smirked slightly, “I wonder how long the pretty bird is gonna keep sneaking about?” he said louder, Grian pressed his back to the pillar his heart pounding.

“Grian, I know you’re here, you forget I can walk without going their psychically.” a chiding tone, like one would scold a child or tease them. At that moment the sculk next to Grian reached out, and he moved fast, not bothering with stealth anymore, Cub knew where he was. He jumped from the balcony and onto the lights above, gripping the wires as they moved.

Grian looked down at the two villain who were smiling up at him, Scar looked excited and Cub’s neutral smile. “Nice of you to come out of hiding, but I prefer to talk face to face.” Cub commented as Scar nodded in agreement with a smile that showed sharp teeth.

“Like I’d risk being on ground level with either of you.” the rebreather distorted his voice a bit, which upon noticing Scar’s smile turned to a pout.

“Really Gri? The air if very breathable here.” he waved his hand, creating another cloud of spores.

“DANGER: Highly Contagious’ his headset said as Grian scoffed, “You know your tech can tell you’re lying about that as Scar just gave a smile that said he tried.

Scar smiled up at him, “Come on cutie, just want to talk is all, surely you must be curious.” and he was, Grian was curious as to why Scar was acting like this, what the spore cloud did to him. “tell you what, I’ll promise not to try anything, and we’ll have 10 minuets to talk it out on ground level. Then I’ll give you time to get higher again. Scouts honor!” he said with a hand to his heart and the other up in the air. Cub snickered next to him at the gesture.

Narrowing his eyes Grian knew this was a bad idea, but he also knew right now it was either engage in a fight or talk. The others were still getting ready for this place, so not to be infected by whatever Scar and Cub were doing. he had to stall for time, “Fine.” he said slowly as the smile grew on Scar’s face.

It was slightly unnatural, uncanny at that, like someone just plastered a smile on the glass face. Grian jumped down, his wings catching the wind and di blow away from spores due to the wind they made. Scar just laughed at that with a grin to the other.

“There’s my Cuteguy!” Scar said cheerfully, looking like he wanted to hug Grian, but opted not to, Grian’s chest ached at how familiar it was. And action he found he already missed, strong arms around him after missions and a kiss to his cheek. “It’s only been a few days, but I already miss you.” Scar admits to him, tone softer and sadder. Grian could feel the emotions stronger now from Scar.

Longing. Sadness. Nostalgia.

Grian didn’t falter though, “So... spores? Mushrooms?” he asked a little awkward unsure how to start this conversation. A look that made his heart clench, but Scar quickly smiled again, “Yup, amazing aren’t they? I can feel through them, I can feel everything now. The edges of my awareness take up more space, but... the city is rather empty.” he admits, the word sends a cold chill through Grian.

He opened his mouth to talk only to yelp as his visor was yanked off my sculk and pulled over to Cub, “HEY!” he yelled as the villain crushed it in his hands.

Cub tutted, “Can’t have eavesdropper Cuteguy.” he said casually tossing the remains on the ground.

Grian glared, as Scar continued, “I want to talk to you without them talking in your hear Grian... To offer you a place with me.” he breathed out as Grian looked back at Scar with a gapped expression.

“w-What!?” he balked out, as Scar looked at him unflinching, not saying anything, Grian knew what he meant.

“I miss you my songbird.” Scar said again, voice gentle and calm, “I want you back in my arms, to share this with you. Don’t you miss me?”

Grian shifted at the words, he did, he did miss Scar, it’s only been a near week but he missed him so much. The knowing that he’d be fighting his mentor again, and painful night wishing this was all a bad dream.

Scar looked at him earnestly, “Gri, you can sense my emotions, I’m not lying. I’m still me, the Mycelium changed nothing. Not how I feel about you or the others... it’s so lonely Grian, it wants to bring others into it’s embrace. To show you happiness.”

The words... sounded fuzzy on his ears. Grian knew what loneliness felt like, it was cold and empty... he didn’t like how empty it felt. Waking up alone without Scar holding him through the night. Would it feel like warmth? Would it taste sweet like happy emotions? Why did he feel unsteady on his feet.

‘Closer... closer...’

He wanted closer, he just wanted to feel Scar’s arms around him once more. Wanted to taste that emotion again of being loved and secure.

“I can show you my pretty bird, I can get rid of that loneliness... don’t you want that.”

He did, he wanted it so bad. A hand brushed along his mask, down to his chin. He saw Scar’s green eyes, they glowed softly, he... saw something else. It was foggy, hazy, like looking through mist. Triumph? For a moment he saw Cub smirking in the background, the sculk spreading along the ground to trap Grian form behind.

Grian felt awareness crawl back to him as Scar moved his hand to the back, to his rebreather- “NO!” he yelled, out as emotions burst forward to shove away the fog, fear, fear, fear, and he shoved the villain back. Scar grunted at that skidding back a bit as Grian gripped his bow again, he near dropped it. His heart was racing, and the fog was listening from his mind. That... jerk he was using his powers of persuasion on him!

Scar looked up at him and growled, “I wanted to make this easier on your Cuteguy.” he said in a cold tone. “I’d have accepted you easily, less pain that way. But... guess it's the hard way.”

A snap of the fingers, so much for their deal as Cub nodded also. The group of people around them suddenly turned hostile. His wings opened and he lfew, barely dodging the sculk that tried to grab him. He also felt an arrow whiz past him as Scar near shot him out of the sky.

This room was too open, he had to get out of here, and hope backup came soon. Grian pushed his wings, and dived to move through a hallway. He could hear the hissing and screeching of the spore infested and sculk infest people coming for him.

‘I’m sorry Gri.’ A voice cooed in his head, sounding like Scar’s, ‘I hate to do this, but... you won’t fly away from you that easy pretty bird.’

Fear rushed through Grian at that, he hoped that back up go here before he was captured.

EEEEEEE! Stopping point for now, the Cult One is gonna be another 9K oneshot, so I wanted this one to be short and simple. What did you guys thing? Scar Evil and Creepy enough?

#Scarian #grian #goodtimeswithscar #hermitcraft #hermitshipping #tw mild violence #heroes and villains #hotguy #cuteguy #villain scar #hero grian #tw manipulation

69 notes · View notes