It’s hard to generalize that much. It’s going to depend on the level of civilization as well as the species and the nature of any illness or symptoms, of course. As with human history, I’d expect medicine to be developed along with science and other learning. It would vary from shamanic practices and herbalism to any level of advancement possible. I generally posit a certain amount of instinctive knowledge suited to each individual species. That would usually include an innate inclination to some of the natural herbal remedies available to ease common symptoms like cough or fever. Specific diseases or infections might or might not have scientific treatments available.
Ah taxonomy. I had way too much fun studying it. Just wish careers weren’t so few and far between for it >.<
Everything I’ve posted here I’ve talked about with people (sometimes, only with people close to me), either openly or not. Some of these things are sensitive (and I’m nervous about posting them), but I do because I would rather someone take that knowledge and use it to write a good story rather than hold it and never let anyone get any value out of it. There is one topic I will not disclose in an open/public forum, but I am willing to talk about it if it ever comes up.
So, stuff that’s happened to me and/or that I like to talk about:
Miniatures, Paper and Pencil, Video, and Boardgaming – Tactical miniatures games such as Warmachine and Hordes from Privateer Press; board games such as Power Grid, Ticket to Ride, Arkham Horror, Dungeon!, Risk, Monopoly, &c; video games starting with the Commodore 64/Atari 2600, Nintendo Entertainment System, through modern day. Note that I don’t play a lot of FPS/Shooter or Horror games, but I do some MMOs, like World of Warcraft, Final Fantasy XIV, Guild Wars/Guild Wars 2, &c.; pencil and paper games, like Dungeons and Dragons, Shadowrun, and some lesser known ones like Iron Kingdoms, Desolation.
Religion and Violence in Religion – I have a non-theological degree in Religious Studies from Indiana University. The unofficial focus was religion and violence. My capstone was on defining villains on the basis of Us/Them groups, Agency, and utilizing religious and secular texts to flesh out this definition. I was also raised as a Catholic, but no longer practice. However, I remember a lot of this pretty well.
Minority Culture (Latino) – I am a Latino and though I do not carry some/all of the Latino tendencies, some of the major ones I still bear. I can also talk at length about what it’s like to be in a principally homogenous geography with a minority culture at the lead and other aspects.
Computer Science – I have a minor in computer science and still maintain an interest in computing systems, machine learning, system software, software development, and several other technical academic aspects of computing. I am also IBM certified on some midrange storage subsystems and can talk quite a bit on modern storage area networks based on fibre channel. I also know a little bit about Intel hardware, the SPARC platform, mainframes, IBM i/AIX/Linux/BSD and a lot of other information that most people don’t really care about when it comes to computers.
Hardware Consulting – The more practical and less academic side of Computer Science. This deals with hardware installs, power/cooling, what tape libraries, computers, and SAN storage actually do (and it’s not have tape fights with two actuator arms inside of a tape library), and various other practical things.
World View Nullification – This happened to me in middle school; I’m open to talking about it and the emotional impacts it had on me as an adolescent. This also ties in to …
Being Gay (or Homoflexible in Later Years) – Happy to talk about this as well. My perspective on this may be different than may other peoples both because of my age, because of the culture I was raised in, because of my family situation, and because of the time period in which I was born.
Gout/Degenerative Arthritic Conditions – I am happy to discuss this at length.
Nearly Being Kidnapped – I was almost kidnapped as a child once. A short, but amusing story, which ties into…
Being in a Drive-By Shooting – The people in the situation above being angry about not getting the right person.
Being Lost in a Foreign Country – I was left behind once on a trip and was blamed for it. Happy to tell the story.
Being Homeless – I was homeless for a while and lived out of my truck. At some point, I transitioned to couch surfing. I didn’t have it as bad as some. I’m okay with talking about it. This was also tied to…
Being Underemployed – Yep. Not making enough money to do much more than pay really basic bills. I’m okay with discussing this experience.
Running Away – Though it was for a silly reason. Happy to discuss it.
Having Deja Vu/Prophetic Dreams Consistently – I hate these, but am happy to talk about my experiences.
Living Alone For Extended Periods of Time/Psychological Isolation – I’ve been living on my own for close to nearly 8-9 nears, give or take. I’ve been “psychologically alone” for much longer. Happy to share experiences/insights on this.
PTSD – I was diagnosed with this in college. Though the ultimate source isn’t really well understood, it was a diagnosis. This experience also ties in with experiences in …
Emotional Disconnection/Conscious Psychological Partitioning – A defensive mechanism I developed when I was going through middle school. It’s enabled me to survive for a very long time and I am open to talking about it.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy – Mostly as a recipient of. My knowledge on this subject is limited.
Self-Image/Self-Worth/Trust Issues – Can talk about these at length. I have all three.
Grief/Regret Issues – Suffering from insurmountable grief or regret. I can talk about what this is like/my experiences.
Being Shy/Socially Awkward – When it comes to work, I know what to do. When it comes to interacting with people? Not so much. Happy to give examples, discuss.
I may as well throw in here too. Rougher topics, but I’ll share.
Panic attacks - Yep, have them. Hate them. If you want, I’ll do my best to describe them, and share tips on how I deal with them.
Severe depression - Yep, this too. No suicidal thoughts though, just straight depression.
Lost homes/staying with friends - I’ve almost lived out of a storage locker, while sleeping on friends floors. Filed bankrupt too.
Parent/Grand parent - father of 2 (boy and girl), and daughter has a daughter.
PC Tech support - I worked at a call center, helping people with there computers for 8 1/2 years. need a good laugh, or pissed customer idea, I can help with that.
Unemployed - yeah, been there too.
emotional breakdown - that’s what gave me depression and panic attacks. another one that’s hard to describe, but i’ll try.
bad back, herniated disk(s) - got 3, not much the docs can do about them either. (have some arthritis in my back too so they won’t operate.)
Camping(not hunting) - camped in everything from a tent(with and without heat) to motor home. I can let you know what you can hear, see, and smell, in almost any kind of weather(even winter).
Most of the other’s I could help with are already covered, but if you need a second opinion; small town/farm town, sex(m/f), poverty.
Like Kyle and Alkaniserval, I have emotional issues and depressive episodes. I am at the stage I can joke about it but not quite where I can discuss it seriously. Too many conflicting opinions within myself at the moment, but mentioning it because to me, K & A seem so much braver than I, and I salute them for that… and maybe some day I can edit this and make myself available on those subjects.
FACILITY MANAGEMENT – in a review http://www.locusmag.com/Reviews/2012/08/lois-tilton-reviews-short-fiction-late-august-3/#sh201208 the reviewer says “I also find it hard to credit that the manager would not be aware of the name of the company working on his building’s HVAC system.” That’s actually pretty damn common these days and I can tell you why. In real life, I handle repairs nationally on commission. I sit in a cube in NJ and managers call in problems. I figure how much I’m allowed to spend. And then I spend it. Store managers know only that they’ve called a repair line. I deal with corporate types, min wage workers, and tradesmen… if you need insight into retail and corporate procedures and repairs, I can help. I can explain purchase orders, work orders, job numbers, mutual clients, 3rd party and 4th party web-sites… and 45 day turn around for payments.
SEWERAGE – If you want to know how to make human waste run uphill, I can help you with that. I can also tell you some basic plumbing stuff, from drains to grease-traps, and maybe get you some video of clogged sewer lines. But, pumping human waste uphill is, sadly, one of my specialties.
I am also a SME for Backflow Protection Devices, which is all about clean water, so that’s not as sexy–
FIRE SAFETY – Sorry, the science of pyrotechnics is beyond me. But if want to know if a cigarette lighter will really set off the sprinklers (NO), then I can help you with that. I can also explain why Chicago, California, and New York have different kinds of exit signs and why you have to call the Department of Transportation in Times Square to replace a valve, while the same job in Staten Island (the same city officially, but a different county) doesn’t need a permit when replacing like for like.
RETAIL – I worked RETAIL for years, my pain is your gain.
BDSM – and generally fetishes of all flavours. I’m a ponyboy wannabe (who can afford all that gear?) and a member of Bondage.com going on twenty years now. I’m a switch, which means that I have my sub moments and my dom moments. I’m big on rules so I tend to include a lot of fetishes under BDSM; especially the socialized sex because they have rules. Clown Sex has rules, for example, so I consider that BDSM. I would not be able to defend that stance in a serious intellectual setting; I just mean to say, ask me anything and I’ll try to answer it without much titillation.
COMICS – I’ve worked in comics and created a few, went to cons, etc. I can explain why an inker isn’t a tracer, what the blue lines are for, what’s with Jack Kirby and Stan Lee, shed light on obscure Funny Animals, and a few other things I’ll enjoyed researching.
MOVIE EXTRA & PRODUCTION ASSISTANT – I interned at Troma and was a movie extra in different movies and tv shows (nothing from Troma). I can help with explaining agents, auditions, production, GOBOs, and how to wrangle Kevin the Wonder Duck (keep 4 on hand in case of accidents). I took a lot of working vacations by working on small and student films I discovered on Mandy.com…
KITCHENS – I cook at home and volunteer in a kitchen for the poor and needful… I am not a chef, but I get by.
LEAD GENERATION – I can research companies and have access to tools that allow me to phish companies. Legally. There’s a lot of people who will give up their co-workers phone numbers and emails and ask them nicely. It was a greater skill 10 years ago, but if you wanted to interview someone from a company I might be able to get you their name and number.
I know some stuff.
Police Work
I was in Law Enforcement for six years with a specialization in narcotics. From NIKs to jargon, if it’s drugs and Law Enforcement, I probably know it. Also to a lesser extent I did a lot of traffic crash investigation. Was involved in one use of force where the subject, (thankfully,) made the right decision at the last moment to save his life. So all the headaches and paperwork of that, I’m familiar with. Very familiar with the court process, and have a 100% conviction rate on every case that went to Grand Jury or trial.
Cars
I’m an amateur gearhead. I work on cars and race them from time to time. If you don’t know the difference between NOS and a Nitrous Oxide system, feel free to ask. ^.^
Trauma and First Aid
Fist Aid certified for many years. Well aware of the sound that the sternum cracking makes when you’re giving CPR. Combat Lifesaver certification in the Army, and speaking of which …
Military
Was in an airborne MLRS (Mutiple Launch Rocket System) unit at Fort Bragg. Trained in the first line of Hand-to-Hand combat, certified on the M203 grenade launcher, M249 SAW, M16 (obviously,) Mark 20 and Browning M2. Not terribly up on tech and ROE newer than 2005 though.
BMX
If there’s one passion I have that I love as much as writing, it’s getting on a 20" bicycle and defying gravity. I ride freestyle street, but rode a lot of vert in Australia. If for some reason you need to know the difference between a Luc-e and an unLuc-e grind, I’m your moogle.
History
I love history. I study history a lot. I focus on the American Civil War, (or War of Northern Aggression, as it’s known in Dixie.) Related to Robbert E. Lee on my mother’s side, had a great great great grandfather in M16th Volunteer Calvary on the father’s side. (Still have the pension letter to his widow in a frame at my house. ^.^) I can tell you the difference between the Confederate Second Navy Jack and the “Stars and Bars” First National Flag.
Pipes and Cigars
Tobacco and tobaccina. If you’ve ever wondered why a cigar described as, “leather and black pepper with earthy notes” would be appealing to anyone, I can tell you. I have a collection of over twenty pipes, both briar and meerschaum. I smoke mostly aromatic pipe tobacco, but delve into English every now and then.
Faora Meridian
I’m an expert on this guy. Ask me about the time he said, “Crikey!” (not really, he’d kill me ^.^ (seriously, he would kill me))
Gay Christian Conservative
I usually make it a point not to talk about religion and politics, but I would do if you need the PoV of someone who grew up Pentecostal and discovered he was attracted to men. Though I tend to lean more Libertarian, (small government, big individual responsibility,) I am Conservative in political views. Since that’s seemingly a rarity among the LGBTG crowd, I’d be happy to explain why I have those beliefs under the condition that it stays as civil as possible, and I’ll do my best to do the same. ^.^
I guess I’ll sound off on a few topics that haven’t been mentioned yet, even though most of what I know has been posted already.
SKIING: I’ve been skiing for over 20 years now. I know pretty much everything there is to know about the sport, from types of skis, boots, clothing, and gear (along with the history of each), common slang, safety on the mountain, backcountry and avalanche conditions, snowfall and snow conditions, season weather patterns, melt processes, fitness in skiing, typical resort layout and structure, history of different types of lifts, ski regions of the world, and more subjects that I’m forgetting. I know a bit about the downhill and freestyle aspects of competition, but since I don’t compete in them my knowledge is limited, as observing can only teach a certain amount.
HOOKAH: I smoke shisha every day, and can tell you almost everything about shisha tobacco and hookahs.
That’s it for me!
Kris, even if something’s been mentioned, feel free to add it. I can’t speak for others, but I like to multi-source when investigating something for a story, just to be on the safe side.
Lets see:
Vascular Research and Academia: I’ve worked over ten years in University labs. I know how good labs operate and how bad labs operate. I generally grok the tenure system (In the US) and how the grad student the post docs generally get screwed (I am glad to be neither anymore). Most of that time I’ve been involved with small animal research and I’m a fairly good mouse surgeon. Good bad or Ugly if its Academic research I’ve seen most of it.
General Biology Knowledge: In general my knowledge is very specialized involving tiny blood vessels but I know a smattering of other fields. I can’t watch CSI without brain damage.
Foreign countries: I lived three years in the Netherlands. The very south, not Amsterdam.
I’m surprisingly normal (Boring): Grew up in a stable home with one sibling.
I’ve lived in Boston in the student ghetto.
I live in the San Francisco bay area as a second class citizen who is not part of the tech industry. (Not bitter at all)
Cougars- everybody here has an animal that we know about more than is healthy, Cougars are my favs.
Writing wise: I’ve written a lot of transformation scenes and stories. I’m quite good at them.
O.O How many Boston folks do we have? X3 Spirit, my hubby, grew up in Beverly and went to school in the area.
I live Boston Adjacent.
I have been meaning to fill one of these things out, but putting my abstract knowledge into words is hard.
Critical Theory I completed a BA in Gender and Sexuality in Japanese Arts with a thesis on shounen-ai manga and a double minor in Japanese and Film Studies. I also have a MA in Gender Studies from an institution focused on the study of Africa, Asia, and the Middle East with a dissertation on boys-love manga. I have presented papers on queer theory and yaoi, queer theory and political science in No. 6 (publication in the works), and gender performativity and drag. (For an example of the impact on my studies on my writing read my story “Moral Folly” in FANG 6) I have read a lot of post-structualist, materialist, and post colonial theory, a smattering of psychoanalysis, conflict theory, and legal theory. Additionally, I have studied pop music and culture, East Asian music and culture, I performed taiko in university and participated in a Balinese dedication ceremony for my school’s gamelan.
I have extensive experience in studying globalization and transnational human rights politics (primarily feminism and gay rights). Additionally, I have a background in the history of sexuality, both Foucault, western developments, and eastern developments (and why gay rights “lags” behind in eastern cultures).
College and University I attended a small private four-year undergraduate college in America. I served on committees and as elected positions in some clubs, including as treasurer for the second or third most funded (and most corrupt) club. One committee I served on was an independent advisory committee to the president on sexual assault and harassment on campus. I also did a lot of work in multicultural affairs.
I spent four months studying at a university in Japan, halfway between Kyoto and Osaka.
I spent 10 months at graduate school in London at one of the most leftist leaning schools (we had school holidays for protest marches). Coursemates came from all over the world including several prominent countries in current events and I studied with some of the premier scholars of the Middle East as well as activists.
Japan I have spent five years of formal academic study on Japan and Japanese culture, primarily focused on contemporary and popular culture. Sion Sono for best director and Ryu Murakami for best writer.
Depression Like many others on here I was diagnosed with depression. I was on anti-depressants for a few years and saw a therapist in cognitive behavior therapy.
Music Music has always been a passion of mine. Before college I played piano, saxophone, and percussion. In college I did taiko, gamelan, percussion, and guitar. Looking for a piano and saw to continue (yes, saw, I want to learn the singing saw for reasons). I actively research popular music, mostly on the independent neo-cabaret movements and gender in popular music.
I felt reluctant to share what knowledge have and the experiences I lived through, but I think it’ll be fine in this community which is very supportive as well as curious without judgment:
Shamanism, Christianity, and Spiritual Materialism - I lived in a town with seven different sects of Christianity competing for members and against one another, and I grew up a Baptist. It was my first experience in community and one of the most strange as a child. I truly believed in the ‘Word’ and was baptized at 12. It would lead me to a crisis of faith later when I realized that no one in the community actually lived by the Bible’s teachings and only used them as a shield against their own transgressions. This led to an identity crisis as well, where I fell into a deep depression and further more couldn’t understand who I was anymore. I became a spiritual materialist, gathering bits and pieces from many different spiritual teachings and dogmas. I know a little bit about a lot of religions and spiritual practices ranging from Christianity’s many sects to Neo-Paganism. I’m not an academic here, but know a lot of rituals, concepts, and faiths. This led me to even deeper depression as nothing I learned reflected that which I was seeking. I found Shamanism and realized just how silly I had become searching for the answers I needed outside of me. Through Shamanism I found that religion wasn’t necessarily sacred and that the sacred things I were looking for was, to use a cliche, inside of me. I still struggle with this, and I’m not a practicing shaman (I’d need to go on my ‘journey’ for that), but I know a lot and could likely answer questions for those curious.
Abuse and Living with Insanity - I’ve seen my father and mother hit each other. I’ve seen my brother and I be struck and hurt for no reason outside of cruelty by those that were supposed to protect us. I’ve abused others as well. Most of my childhood was punctuated by emotional, physical, or psychological abuse from family and extended family. I’ve also been in work situations where abuse of trust and emotions were rampant and expected of staff. It’s made it difficult to trust others, and while I am capable of that now, I find myself still questioning intentions even to this day. It’s strange to think I have so much knowledge on this, but a lot of my thoughts are centered on abuse and somehow moving past it. I also grew up with a family member who was committed for insanity several times in their life. This person tried to murder me in my sleep because ‘God’ told her to. It was a terrifying experience, but allowed me to glimpse what someone who isn’t completely connected to reality could do and choose. I can give some insight into insanity and how it affects others.
Small Towns, Texas, and Prejudice - In line with abuse, I’ve lived in rural Texas for a majority of my life. I was one of the few minority students in a 99.9% white school and have been called every racist name and pejorative imaginable, including those that didn’t make sense. I’ve had people light my things on fire, to put me in my place. Guns pointed at me for looking different. I’ve had KKK members threaten my family because of the way I looked, and people at school laugh about it (including teachers and the principal). I’ve been ostracized by those which only a few years prior were playing with me on the playground. I know what a small community with more cows than people runs like, where there is no grocery store unless you want to take a 25 minute drive and the movie theater and mall a half hour away were the only things to see and talk about as a younger person. A car/truck were mandatory. Texas isn’t all bad, but I did experience a lot of that which people fear and dislike in it. The pine belt where I lived was beautiful and wild, and sometimes, I do miss that smell. I think it’s why I like Seattle so much, honestly.
Industrialized Farming - I know how it is to raise industrial chickens. It’s disgusting, filthy, and unrewarding work to put chicken into grocery stores. I’ve walked through tens of thousands of chickens, cramped together, eating whenever they heard the feeders going because they were bred that way. I saw them balloon in size and shape in weeks. I’ve seen the antibiotics and terrible conditions that are required for that kind of output, as well as the lack of compassion required to raise them this way. If you want to know the deal on chicken farms, I’m your guy.
Environmental Protection / Pollution - I worked at the EPA for nearly 9 years and have picked up a lot of knowledge on the state of the environment in the United States. From Superfund sites to how a cleanup of a place works, if you want to know horrifying things that’ll make your toes curl and the atrocities many companies commit without knowledge of many and accountability at all, I’m your guy. If you want to know the things people are doing to save the planet, I can help with that as well.
How Government in the U.S.A. actually Runs - Sort of keeping with working in the EPA, I’ve seen how the government machine works from the inside. I’ve been a cog inside of it. It’s slow, clunky, mostly underfunded (except the military and even then isn’t appropriated well at times), and doesn’t accept change well (unless you’re in NASA or the health organizations, and even then it’s hamstrung). If you want to know bureaucracy and how that works, I can help out. It’s not all bad news though; I’ve met some of the most passionate and intelligent people working for the government. If you have a question about government workers and my perspective, I can definitely help there.
Conspiracies and not - As part of my government stint, I’ve read and heard nearly every government conspiracy theory out there. I also know quite a bit about those things that sound like conspiracies but actually aren’t (MKUltra, MK OFTEN). I know a bit about UFOs and talked often with a few coworkers who believed that the US actually had created the things we call UFOs. So, I have some strange knowledge about these. I might be able to tell you whether something is based in reality or if it’s mostly fancy. That said, my experiences have shaken what I think I know to the core and opened my imagination to the possibilities that what we know might not be sufficient to be ‘true’.
Yaoi - A secret passion of mine for many years. I was fascinated with these kinds of comics and took them in as a way to understand part of myself (the part that likes guys). While I’m no longer buying them with any frequency, I know a lot of the tropes of yaoi and can assist if you’re looking for insight into that (or just what the heck an uke or seme really are).
Sex, Submission, and Repression - More personal, but I know a lot about repression and how it stunts sexual growth and also shapes it. I prefer submission and can tell many stories of my wandering into bondage, BDSM, and how sex may be different for someone who doesn’t receive pleasure from being the “top” in a sexual relationship. While I don’t consider myself an expert, I do have a lot of knowledge on submission and how that plays into sex and how my repression at a young age actually led me to this.
Gaming and Running Games - I’ve been gaming a long time! Since my dad bought a NES when I was 8, and I defeated Super Mario Brothers for the first time, I have had a special place in my heart for games. Board games, card games, table top, and video, all are important to me. I have a wide knowledge of many different kinds of games and genres. If you want suggestions or insight into gaming, I may have that knowledge. I’m also an experienced Game Master for several rule sets, so if you’d like to know what it takes to run games for others and how to generate worlds that are consistent and fun to play in, I can help with that!
Bisexuality/Pan-sexuality - Having repressed urges over half of my existence, it’s only recently that I’ve been able to live more openly and love who I will. This sort of ties into repression and sex, but may be of use to those who want to know what it’s like to not necessarily be attracted only to one biological sex.
Encountering Death - From picking up the dead on our chicken farm to having witnessed someone kill themselves at a young age, death has always been a part of my existence from a young age. I have nearly been struck by lightning, hit by a car, nearly drowned at the age of 6, nearly didn’t save my mother from drowning, almost cut in half by a run away industrial chicken fan, witnessed a friend go into anaphylactic shock and nearly die, had a car go haywire and crash nearly killing me and my brother, nearly stampeded by cattle three times, almost mauled by wild boars, and almost kicked in the head by a horse. I’ve seen death nearly claim me and others often, and I’ve seen others die in front of me. I’ve killed creatures as well, hunting, fishing, and because I was told to. I know death and death knows me.
Wildfires - I’ve been in the middle of a few wildfires, I’ve seen swaths of land burn and crumble under what seems to be a nearly supernatural force when you’re watching it. The news likes to focus on the large flames and the inferno, but the scary part to me is the smaller flames that go on as far as the horizon. Watching as if the land itself were a dry piece of paper, incapable of resisting the line of burn steadily flowing across it.
Floods - Fire ant balls larger than basketballs, whole forests rushing down what used to be roads, hoping your livelihood won’t wash away, and more. I’ve seen three major floods in my life, and they were each awe inspiring.
2003 Space Shuttle Columbia disaster - Nacogdoches, Texas was on the national news for a while when the Columbia exploded over the earth. Pieces of it fell all over my town, my home, our lands. We saw some gruesome things I won’t talk about here unless asked and the worst and best in people those weeks. We found pieces of the shuttle on our land larger than our truck and smaller than our fingernails. I touched tiles and saw circuits and pipes for miles. If you want to know what happened in the debris path, I can answer quite a few questions on that since I lived it.
Boy Scouts - I was a scout for a long time. It was one of the better experiences of my life. I was a Senior Patrol Leader, sold way too much of that popcorn, and eventually became unable to finish Scouts and become and Eagle Scout because of personal value conflicts and people trying to help me ‘cheat’ my way in quickly without work. I ended up leaving before I completed the project I needed and spiraled into my identity crisis which would last quite some time. However, I know a lot about camping, rope tying, making fires, building simple structures, and self-sufficiency for short periods of time outdoors.
Cattle, Chickens, and Cats - I grew up around cattle and chickens. I came to understand cows and chickens very well and even was able to train some of our chickens before they went off to slaughter. I seem to have some affinity for animals in general, but cats in particular seem to like me more than my peers and friends. Most cats, even when they are skittish, will warm up to me very quickly and I have a strong intuition when they interact with me on what they are trying to communicate. This has manifested recently in my cat who seems to treat me as an ally and best friend who is really bad at being a cat but he loves me anyway. People are constantly surprised at how he interacts with me. So, while I hadn’t thought of it as a knowledge before, I think it’s something to note. I have some sort of animal affinity, even if I don’t often interact with them in the city.
Suicide - I have battled with suicidal thoughts for over a decade now. I have witnessed others take their lives as well. Since I’ve found a method of analyzing myself that isn’t judgmental, it’s become easier to not listen to the many voices requesting one resigns from life, but I’m still prone to the voices which haven’t gone away. If you want to know what it’s like to have these thoughts, I might be able to provide some insight.
Jack of All Trades - I like to learn and know a little about a lot! Chances are you can ask me a random question and I have at least some knowledge on the subject or possibly a very strong response. I’ve fixed cars, fired guns, driven loads of vehicles, been on farms, lived in the city, worked in the government, written more poems than I had sense, loved and lost, fought and lost, read multitudes of academic books and reports, lived in a dorm and off campus for college, and experienced a wide swath of events from random happenstance. So, I might be able to help out on random questions!
I have a lot of knowledge, and I’m willing to share it. I may have more topics I haven’t put down yet, but I’ll edit and update as I come up with them or am able to articulate them.
I wanted to share a couple things I know/have experienced, but I had trouble thinking of some good ones. Anyway, here’s some stuff I know:
Fatherlessness and almost having a father
Sad story time: I didn’t grow up with a dad; he died from leukemia when I was only 3 1/2. So, of course, I never got to know him personally, only through my mom and other relatives. From what I gather, though, he was a great guy who loved his family.
Most of my life, it’s just been me and my mom, and my mom had to play both parental roles of the household caretaker (typically mother) and financial provider (typically father). We moved quite a bit too, because my mom kept getting laid off or fired for no reason, plus she’s always had a hard time finding a job despite that she’s had a Bachelor’s in Accounting for the longest time; only a few years ago did she get her Master’s in that field.
There was one point where my mom remarried, but it didn’t turn out the way we both wanted. The guy my mom married seemed like a good guy, and he was probably the reason why I’m more of a geek now than when I was younger, haha. However, she felt like she was taking care of another child, and I saw him more as someone to hang out with rather than a father. She was married to him for three years until they divorced, and that damaged us financially.
It wasn’t until college when the fact I didn’t have a father all my life really hit me. Now, it bothers me quite often and makes me jealous of my friends who’ve always had a father they get along with. Me, my mom, my extended family, and anyone else who knew him well will forever ask, “Why?” And that’s yet another question that will never be answered.
Despite my fatherlessness though, I do see a few other men in my life as a fatherly figure, even some of my friend’s dads. Lately, I’ve also been questioning my orientation, and I wonder if this significant part of my life affects that. I’ll save that discussion for another time.
So there you have it: a good chunk of my life story. Hopefully this will give you inspiration or ideas; it sure has for me.
Cigars
I have a basic knowledge of cigars: shape, ring gauge, length, types, most terminology, types of wrappers, and, of course, properly smoking them. I’m not all that attuned to the tastes of different brands of cigars though, just basic knowledge (which could be good enough for descriptions).
Being an Only Child
Along with living with a single mother all my life, I didn’t have any siblings either. I only had at least one best friend growing up, and only a few other friends through boy scouts or church. Even in high school, I pretty much just had one best friend who I hung out with outside of school; all my other friends or acquaintances I saw at school, and only school.
This is probably why I’m shy and get intimidated when I’m in new, social environments (new school, new church, a convention I’ve never been to, etc.), that or it’s just the way I am by nature. Ever since starting college, though, I’ve been trying to not be so anxious about being in social situations I’m not familiar with, and worrying that I’ll make an ass of myself, even though I’m probably not. I’ll stop there before I get off-topic.
I think I have a few contact methods available here if you want to shoot me questions or comments about these.
I hesitate to say I’m an “expert” in anything, but I know quite a bit about the following:
Ethics/Morality and Meta-ethics That’s not to say I have the answer to right or wrong, but I know a lot of other people’s answers; Kant, Aquinas, etc… I’ve a decent grasp on most major schools of thought when it comes to morals and ethics. I’m somewhat more knowledgable on meta-ethics, but I doubt that would come up much in a story if it wasn’t primarily about it. If you’re interested, I count myself as a virtue-ethicist, with a slight leaning towards consequentialism at times. I’m a moral-realist, though I’ve not really made my mind up in which sense. On most days it’s moral non-naturalism.
Stoicism/Neo-Stoicism I consider myself a neo-stoic.
Philosophy I’ve a pretty good grasp of most major areas. Most knowledgable areas: Mind, Logic, Time, Society, Literature, German-Idealism, Modern Philosophy from Descartes through to Kant, Ancient Greek philosophy. I’m not too strong with Medival, though I do know quite a bit.
Hegelianism I’ve been through the Phenomenology, Science of Logic, and Phil of Right, so I’d say I’m pretty well versed with it. Also an avid follower of Zizek. I could talk about dialectical logic until the cows come home (and into the night, in which, all cows are black). If you want to understand Marxism then it’s pretty important to know that Marx was a young-hegelian.
Politics Fairly left-wing, but utterly ashamed of the state of the left as it is today. I consider myself a socialist, not a huge fan of neo-libertarianism. Somewhat authoritarian (as unpopular as that is), I honestly don’t think people can be trusted to govern themselves in any meaningful ways. As much as people can hate me for it, if it’s for the right outcome, I would agree with social-engineering (it would be alright, for example, to end stoning as a punishment in certain middle-eastern countries through subversion and controlling the media surrounding it).
Christianity I consider myself a Christian (even though I’m terrible). I’ve been through the bible, and tend to read quite a bit of Christian writing.
Bi/Mostly Gay and having homophobic parents I can be with certain women, but I much prefer men. For a long time I’ve been dealing with it and I still have my moments of self-hate. My parents would not approve though, so I don’t mention it around them. I’m literally moving out tommorow, so I’m looking forward to finally being more open about how I feel. I’m not a terribly romantic person, but I would like a companion in life.
Racism I’m white, but I’ve grown up around a very racist family. Where I’ve grown up we’ve a high asian population, esspecially people from places like India and the Middle East. I’m faily ashamed that my whole family is as racist as they are, to the point that if anybody non-white even comes on television it starts up a rant. If it wasn’t for the internet and how easy it is to spread ideas, I dread to think that I’d think the same as them. Therefore, I feel I know enough to be able to write about characters who have prejudices without it being their defining characteristic. I hate racism, but at the same time, I like to think that it comes from people not knowing any better. I don’t like people who hold themselves above others.
Being English Born and raised in England, ergo, I know quite a bit about it. If you want to set a story in the UK then I’m fairly good to talk to. Not London though. Every time I visit I’m always afraid of everything.
Determinism Goes slightly with stoicism I suppose (which means this is in an odd order). What will happen has already happened, there is no free-will and nobody is able to choose. It’s okay to punish people even though they’ve been determined to act, since deterency is important, but the emphasis should be on reformation.
Poor parental relations I hate my parents and they don’t like me either. That’s really all there is to say on it. We don’t see eye-to-eye and we don’t like talking. I’m finally moving out and I think everyone’s happy for it.
Being young and stupid I’m still very young. From what I’ve seen, almost everyone here is 30-40, which is kind of intimidating since I’m only 18. I’m still pretty stupid, but less-so than I was. If you’ve ever watched The Inbetweeners, that was basically my sixth-form experience (with slightly better grades).
Hoo boy… Yeah, I’m 22, and I don’t claim to be an expert on anything. But, uh, I’ve learned some things…
Wildlife Biology
I know a decent amount about vertebrate ecology, wildlife policy, animal behavior, how one designs and conducts field studies, stuff like that. I actually just graduated with my B.S. degree in Wildlife Biology, so… yay! I’ve worked on several different research projects studying animals in the wild, and I’ve also cared for captive wildlife. I’ve spent a cumulative six months working at different wolf sanctuaries. I’ve also worked in a zoo and a wildlife rehabilitation facility. Overall, I am a biologist/zoologist by profession, so you can come to me with all your animal questions!
gets bombarded with questions Oh yeah, this is a furry forum. I forgot. xD
Autism
My older sister has (“low-functioning”) autism, so I’ve grown up with a greater understanding of the disorder than most people. I’ve witnessed the hardships it brought to my family as well as the courage and selflessness my parents have shown in caring for my sister. I’ve also seen how brave my sister is, smiling and thriving in a world that’s so much harder for her to live in and understand. She shows a great joy in life that is truly an inspiration to me and to everyone who meets her.
Spirituality/Religion
My dad was a Catholic priest who retired to marry my mom. My mom went to graduate school to study theology and creation spirituality. I grew up in a very liberal household - raised as a Christian, but I also learned about other religions and traditions and the different ways that people of different cultures have sought to find God(dess) and to make sense of our place in the order of the universe. I have seen how striving towards something greater than ourselves can change people for the better. My faith in God and in the power of unconditional love is an undeniable part of who I am.
There’s plenty more that I can’t think of right now, but I’ve already been procrastinating enough by making this post. Back to work, I guess! n_n;
Firearms
I’m kinda new to the writing scene, but in some of the panels at Rainfurrest I was told one of the easiest things to mess up is with guns. Fortunately for me, I make my living from firearms. I work behind a gun counter, and I’ve been researching all manner of firearms since junior year of Highschool. If anyone needs help with firearms from about 1800-near future, I can get you on the money.
Military
I’m also a pretty deep into military history and partially into military life. Although I was never in the military personally, I was a penstroke away from joining the Marine Corps. I also come from a family with a long line of military veterans on either side.
Aircraft
Flight in general is terrifically fascinating to me, and I’ve devoted much of my time into researching aircraft, be it at airshows or flight museums. I can kinda answer some questions about being in a cockpit, but I never took a formal flight class. Most of my knowledge is about aircraft in a historical sense.
Music (Especially Guitar)
I’ve been playing guitar for about 4 or 5 years now, and while I’m not exactly an expert, I can certainly give you a right or wrong way to go about writing a musical instrument. Those who saw me at open mic will probably scoff at this, but I just have horrific stage fright, so do pardon me. >.<
High 5s another gun-fur Nice to see someone else who’s made a study of them! I’m probably nowhere NEAR the level you’ve got, but I’d like to think I know what I’m talking about. >.>;
I’m afraid I’m one of the boring ones. My experiences are very few, but I have some areas of knowledge:
Apples/Assorted Fruits
I’ve worked at an apple orchard for 10 years.
Photography & Art History
My major and minor in school.
Movies & Television
Anxiety
I’m anxious 24/7, as if locked into a constant fight or flight mode. Very hard for me to relax.
Allergies
I have a bit of histamine intolerance, so I can’t really handle dairy at all, or too much cocoa, tomatoes, alcohol, etc. Also have, by extension, very bad pollen/mold/dust allergies. Can’t sit in the grass without my eyes turning red. I’m that sensitive.
Sports
Particularly auto racing. I’ve been to 16 Indy 500’s, 34 Indy Car races overall. Have spent a lot of time at the track. Also have attended just as many Butler basketball games. Racing and round-ball are Indiana’s claim to fame.
Indiana
The Hoosier State.
History
Besides being my major, I just have an intense love for it. My main area of expertise is mid and late 1900’s (WW2 - Cold War era). Another area of history I am good with is the very early part of the same century (up through WW1).
Indiana
My home state.
Asexuality
I am heteromantic asexual and can give a fairly decent explanation on what asexuality is and how an asexual relationship would work.
Philosophy
3[sup]1/2[/sup] years in an intensive study class when I was in High School.