Nefara

I don't have much time to respond so I'm going to just hit one bullet for now:

Are you going to try to argue that Khan and Gul Dukat weren't given nuance and development? Some of the things that made them such compelling antagonists is that we were given insight into their motives and backgrounds and perspectives. Khan absolutely was nuanced and the persecution and illegality of genetically enhanced humans was a great stepping off point for him. Just about every antagonist that pops up in Star Trek gets some kind of explanation why they are doing the things they are doing, and the crew takes a moment to acknowledge their inherent worth as living beings and, if they're sentient, discuss possibilities for negotiations or nonviolence. I haven't forgotten that Klingons, Ferengi, Borg, Cardassians and many others start off as villains, but we are given many opportunities for them to be "humanized" through characters like Worf, Quark, Hugh/Seven, Garak and others. There are no "good" or "bad" aliens in Star Trek.

So keeping that in mind, how did things go with the Ba'Ul? How did they handle Control? What nuance was Lorca given? In Discovery, your first impression of a bad guy being bad is always correct.

I have an intense distaste for Discovery, and wouldn't recommend it.

I could rant about it a la Angela Collier for 4 hours but here's my main issues boiled down to a bulleted list:

Some things I like about Star Trek:

• Optimistic future, humans can create greatness and beauty if they continue to check and overcome their faults
• No black and white villains. All antagonists are given nuance and development and many become favored allies
• Themes of teamwork, a functional ensemble, core crew are all valid and valued, no one star of the show.
• No such thing as magic or gods, everything is in the realm of human understanding if we have sufficient knowledge

Guess what Disovery has?

• Nihilistic, apocalyptic future
• Bad guys that are just bad, they're evil, don't ask questions
• One principal star of the show that is the focus of nearly every episode
• No attempt to explain things with any veneer of science

Then add on some blatant examples of total ignorance for the universe it's set in, attempts at ham handed fan service by shoe horning in clumsy references to characters from other series, you have a show that is farther from Star Trek than a 14 year old's submission on IO9. When it actually let the supporting cast do things, they were charming and likable, but Stamets, Saru and Tilly weren't enough to keep me from getting mad at just about every episode.

If you don't really care about or know anything about Star Trek it can be entertaining I guess, but why watch it when there's Strange New Worlds, Lower Decks and The Orville?

Iron supplements, vitamin C and moderation all help so hopefully no need to give it up entirely 💜

I'm so glad I could put you onto a new lead!

Here's a paper I found that has some good info, especially the Dietary Nickel section. It has a food table under the treatment section too.

I went to my doctor about it too! She was convinced it was something I was physically in contact with so I was trying to eliminate types of fabrics, changing detergents, soaps, my cleaning gloves, wearing shea infused gloves at night, etc etc and at the same time I was eating dark chocolate nearly every night. I finally cut back in an effort to lose some weight and the rashes got better. Someone somewhere in my searches mentioned the nickel thing and it all clicked. You can search for "systemic nickel sensitivity" and "dietary nickel and dermatitis" and see if it sounds like what you're dealing with. If so, I'm glad I could help!

Dark chocolate. I've apparently developed what appears to be a nickel sensitivity that manifests itself as itchy rashes on my hands, and guess what has a high amount of nickel in it? I've been ok at cutting out other foods but while I reduced my intake I'd rather be itchy than give up my chocolate.

You're not too smart to be fooled. Teach yourself about abusive narcissism and learn the signs of boundary violation. Your family loves you but they're clueless about this stuff. There is so much more you need to learn about relationships, and you have so many more options outside of high school, no need to rush. Oh, and you're what's called "demisexual", it's not really a thing yet but don't worry, there are others like you they're just rare. You can wear that pride ribbon without feeling awkward, you're just your own flavor of queer.

Oh, and drink more water.

I have fine, thin hair I cut short. If I get sweaty I'll wash with water, but if it's greasy or oily I use rye flour mixed with water in my hair about every 5 days. It works impressively well as a "shampoo", and for being all the fancy things (sulfate free, paraben free, ph neutral, all natural etc etc) it's dirt cheap per wash. I would not recommend it for anyone with really thick or textured hair because the grains can be a damn pain to rinse out (unless your water pressure is incredible), but it's awesome if you have fine, thin hair and you're looking for a new routine. It's probably one of the weirder self care things I've discovered but it really works for me. I love my hair now.

When I lived in the city I was dead broke but had a great time. I hung out at the library, which was its own cool thing but also served as a community hub to let me know when the local Gurudwara was doing a luncheon, or when crafting clubs met, and having a library card also came with some museum passes. I learned about all sorts of cool, free goings on through my library.

There were also local attractions that had free days or days for locals, and there were street festivals nearby that had live music and performances. One of my favorite things about living in the city was hearing the sound of live music and walking out the door to go follow it to some cool, hitherto unknown to me event that was happening.

We also went ice skating on the pond in the park (free if you had your own skates), or went biking on bike paths. We built snow sculptures in public parks and gardens and just walked around exploring. There were lots of beautiful and interesting buildings and side streets where we could get pleasantly lost.

The key part of where I was is that it was walkable, and there were plenty of "third spaces". I understand not all cities have that. However, if you're in the US I highly recommend starting with your local library.

My own personal inventory, for carrying any items I could easily carry on my person but will just disappear and reappear in my hand as I desire. No more pockets, purses, totes or backpacks, just pick it up and it disappears into some ethereal space I don't have to worry about to be summoned back when I feel like it.

I am better at establishing and enforcing boundaries. I am not worried about the approval or judgment of strangers. I have confidence in my tastes and preferences. I have grown and matured into a better person and all around human. Projects, plans and "seeds" I've planted are coming to fruition.

Also my mother is finally slightly less likely to assume she knows more than me.

People tend to very much not consider how fucking awful everyone smells when almost everyone is a manual laborer, washing machines don't exist, indoor plumbing largely does not exist...

This is a common myth but people absolutely did wash and do their best to stay clean. Being smelly was just as undesirable as it is now, if not more so because it was commonly associated with disease. People would have a ewer (pitcher) of water and a basin in their bedrooms and wash themselves every morning and evening with a cloth. Of course scented oils and perfumes used to be a huge business, but even people who were extremely poor could make or buy "posies" or sachets of sweet smelling herbs, grasses and flowers and carry them with them. As another poster said, they would also wear natural fibers like linen, hemp, cotton or wool that don't hold on to scents as much as polyester or rayon do. Even if they had one set of clothes, they would have at least two under clothes like shifts or shirts or tunics and wash them regularly in ammonia and hot water.

Deoderant would probably be a neat trick and on par with an expensive perfume but I doubt it would be on the level of magic.