Infants do not cry to upset you. They don’t have a concept of hurting others and they don’t have any reason to want to do so.
Infants do not have any other way of communicating distress or an unmet need. They do not have a choice about crying.
Do not ever yell at, shake, or punish an infant. They will not learn from this – but they will be upset and afraid and possibly harmed, either in the moment or via problems in brain development.
It’s okay to take a minute to set an infant down and go into a
quiet room if you are having a hard time staying calm and comforting,
and come back when you have more self-control.
The only way to get an infant to cry less is to meet their needs. If
you spend a lot of time with infants you can actually learn to notice
when they need something, before they cry about it at all. Most infants
show signs of discomfort, hunger, or having a full/wet diaper, before
they get upset enough to cry.
Infants whose needs aren’t
usually met right away may learn to cry immediately. Regularly not
responding to an infant’s crying teaches the infant to panic every time
they need something, and the trauma of being so afraid so often as an
infant can cause issues with healthy brain develoment.
If a baby is crying, they need something.
Is their nappy/diaper clean and dry? Even if it’s just wet, it should be changed right away.
Are they hungry? A quick way to check is to run your finger over their mouth and see if they try to grab it with their lips.
Do they have air bubbles? You may be able to tell if this is the problem by feeling the infant’s tummy for unusual firmness.
Infants need to be burped right after they eat to help them get
rid of air bubbles that may get trapped and cause discomfort. If it’s
been little while since they last ate, it may be more effective to lay
the infant on their back and move their legs in a bicycle motion.
Are they too warm/cold? Touch the infant’s hands and feet to see if they need more or fewer coverings.
Are they overstimulated?
If it’s too noisy/bright or they’re being touched by too any people,
etc., they may need to be held by one calm person with a blanket over
their head. Like most people, infants tend to get more easily
overstimulated when tired.
Are they able to breathe freely? Infants cannot blow their own nose. A nasal aspirator is an inexpensive tool you can use to help them clear nasal congestion.
Are they in pain? When
an infant is sick or otherwise in pain, it may be beneficial to give
them pain medication formulated for infants, such as baby tylenol.
Always follow the instructions on the bottle and consult a doctor or
pharmacist with any questions.
If a cold doesn’t start to improve within a few days or the infant seems to be in pain but you don’t know why, consult a doctor. The infant may have colic, silent reflux or other issues which can sometimes be treated.
If the infant is more than a couple months old, they may be teething. Baby tylenol will still help but a numbing paste, like orajel, on their gums may be more effective. They may also need teething toys to chew on or a cold wet (clean) washcloth.
Do they just need reassurance? Infants like being sung to, murmured to, and soothed with rhythmic “shhh”-ing. Calm and steady sounds help reassure them that they aren’t alone and help them relax.
Another way to comfort an infant is to bounce them gently and rhythmically in your arms, and/or pat their back rhythmically.
Some infants, including most newborns, may need to be swaddled. A tight swaddle helps the infant feel secure and warm. Ask a doctor, nurse, parent, or YouTube to show you how to do a proper swaddle.
Do they need to be held? The
need for touch is the need most often ignored. Infants are significantly
more likely to thrive with lots and lots of skin-to-skin contact. They
also just need to be held, in general, a lot of the time.
Being
held (especially with skin to skin contact but even without it) helps
the infant release hormones necessary for healthy brain
development. Being close enough to feel an adult’s steady heartbeat is
calming and beneficial for an infant.
For these reasons and many
others, infants need to be held – a lot. Our closest primate relatives
maintain constant physical contact with their babies for the first year
of life. Historically most humans have lived communally, which allows several people to take turns providing the necessary physical contact.
Infants don’t need to be held every single moment, but the more they are held, the safer and more secure they’ll feel and the more likely they are to be healthy. A sling, baby wrap, or wearable infant carrier can help an infant get necessary contact time.
If an infant needs contact to sleep, consider getting a cosleeper cushion to safely allow you or someone else to sleep next to the infant. If that isn’t possible, sleep training where you pick up and comfort the baby each time they cry, and then put them down slightly sooner each time that night, may help.
Do not let an infant cry and cry for help and not give it to them.
Just like Slughorn, Albus Dumbledore collects people. Only, instead of focusing on those with influence, he looks to the outcasts.
The expelled half-giant. The young werewolf. The repentant Death Eater.
He protects them and gives them a second chance. All he asks in return is their loyalty.
And, if on occasion he requests that they undertake a certain task, invoking their debt of gratitude – well, that is no more than he is owed.
He once thought to add a certain disowned Black to his collection, but quickly realised his mistake.
Sirius is not an outcast, but a rebel. He knowingly chose his path, and chooses what price he is willing to pay for it. He refuses to be used.
So Albus Dumbledore abandons him.
Who gave you the RIGHT?
Dumbledore knows Sirius’s loyalty lies with Harry instead of him, and he has no use for someone who is not willing to follow his orders without question.
Ooooohoo if there’s ever a post that fits my aesthetic…
okay but then where does Harry himself fit into this collection? Is he an outcast because he is “the Boy Who Lived”?
Nooonono, my friend, that’s what makes this post so beautiful. Because it fits the meta I’ve been trying to get people to accept for years.
Harry was an outcast due to a childhood filled with abuse and neglect.
Vernon made him an outcast by dismissing his claims of magic, berating him, locking him in a CLOSET and putting bars on his window, and let’s face it, even though her editor made her cut it out, Jo intended for there to be physical abuse.
Petunia made him an outcast by enabling and contributing to this abuse, as well as making Harry do dozens of chores while doting on Dudley.
Dudley made him an outcast by bullying him and threatening any students at school who wanted to be his friends.
And the rest of the wizarding world made him an outcast when they bullied him for being an outsider.
Harry James Potter became an outcast the moment he was placed with The Dursleys.
I will admit that this little sketch got out of hand. But stick with me. Imagine punk hanzo (who low key works as a hitman) attempting to take care of his kid brother in a tiny shitty apartment while trying to keep them both hidden from the clan.
Enjoy and consider commissioning
Y’all mind if I-
Hanzo encountered an…oddity one day, while he was at work. Some strange man dressed as a cowboy, for goodness’ sake! They were after the same target, and ended up getting competitive over who got the final hit. It turned somewhat into banter, though was still “A great irritation”, according to Hanzo.
It happened a few more times. Hanzo’s frustration grew with each encounter, and he eventually chose to confront the man after they killed yet another target. Demanding why he insists on getting in the way and causing trouble.
Infuriatingly, the stranger only tips his hat with that charming grin of his. “Well darlin’,” he starts, “yer just so pretty, I couldn’t keep myself away.”
Hanzo brushes this statement off of course, muttering “ridiculous” and looking away. He repeats his question more forcefully, crossing his arms with a glare. The cowboy – McCree, as he’d introduced himself earlier – shrugs and scratches the back of his head, not seeming to really be fazed by the cross look being offered.
“Well, we’re both all on our own, ain’t we? Seems like we could both use a helpin’ hand now and then, Mister Shimada.” A jolt runs through Hanzo at that, and his head snaps around so he can stare down the cowboy properly.
“How did you learn that?” Seeming to realize the tension he caused, Jesse raises his hands appeasingly, eyebrows lifting a bit.
“Easy now, I ain’t gonna tell nobody. It wasn’t so hard to figure out, once you said yer name was ‘Hanzo’.” A disappointed click of the tongue slipped from the archer, and he turned his back slightly.
“I do not need your help, cowman. Leave me be.” And with that, he left.
But McCree just had to keep showing up. And as irritating as it could be…well, it slowly became a normality. A comfort, almost. Though, Hanzo would never admit to it. Having someone at his side, allowing him to reserve a bit of energy so he didn’t have to watch everywhere. It was…pleasant.
One day however, things went slightly awry. A misstep, perhaps. Not a big one, but certainly enough to end in Jesse reeling back with a cry and a curse as his revolver dropped to the ground. Both he and Hanzo darted back into cover as gunfire roared, eyes darting down to the bleeding wounds in the cowboy’s arm.
“Wait here, gunslinger. I will deal with this.” The firm, calm tone Hanzo used was tainted, Jesse could tell. There was a bit more of a snarl in his expression, a bit of a tighter grip on his bow. The signs of a man out for blood.
It was over quickly; The archer had clamored up the side of the building like a squirrel, reaching the rafters and picking off their target’s body guards with perfect precision. The were in a bit of a contained area, so a scatter arrow as a distraction and his usual arrows to finish the job was a sound method.
Jesse was right where Hanzo had left him, serape now wrapped around his arm and held in place with an iron grip… No pun intended.
It was clear that he required medical assistance, however. Jesse was obviously right handed, and that metal arm of his didn’t look very dexterous. He’d have a good deal of trouble removing any of the bullets from his arm, or binding the wounds…
“Get up.” McCree’s eyebrow lifted at the commanding tone, though he didn’t argue and simply rose to his feet. Hanzo was quick to scoop up his companion’s gun, turning the safety on and depositing it in his holster.
With a simple, blunt order to ‘follow’, Shimada strode out of the warehouse. Any questions about where they were going were firmly answered with “somewhere safe”, no elaboration given.
In time, they entered a much more peaceful, normal looking neighborhood. Hanzo seemed to relax somewhat once they were well within the area, shoulders lowering and glances to check the area lessening.
Just as they drew up to a house’s door, he turned abruptly to Jesse with a hard gaze, lifting a hand and pointing to his arm. “You were bit by a dog. Do not mention any of what we usually do.”
Before questions could be asked, the door abruptly swung open and a young child burst into view with a wide grin. His delighted cry of “Hanzo!” rang through the air, and the man in question’s attitude seemed to do a complete 180.
He gained a warm smile and held his arms open as the child barreled into him, returning the hug with what seemed to be a much more gentle grip than what was offered.
“Hello, Genji… I see the house is not in flames.” A small laugh bubbled up from the child as he drew back, shaking his head. Jesse just stared at the pair, confused A) by the completely new side of Hanzo he was witnessing, and B)…well, they were both speaking in Japanese, and he was completely lost as to what was being said.
“I took good care of it, just like you said! I made a fort in the living room and everything!” Genji gripped his brother’s hand firmly, tugging on it and pointing back into the house. He was bouncing on the balls of his feet, clearly eager to show off his architectural accomplishment.
“Very good! I’ll be sure to have a look soon. But for now, we have a guest who needs some help.” Hanzo stepped to the side with that, gesturing towards Jesse and watching as the child’s face lit up like a Christmas tree.
“Cowboy!” Jesse blinked a bit at the sudden English, watching and a bit dumbfounded as Genji all but bounced closer. “You’re a real cowboy??” He glanced up to Hanzo uncertainly, catching the very, very intent stare being sent his way.
Almost instantly, a wide grin crossed his face, and he spared his good hand for a moment to tip his hat as he knelt down to the kid’s level. Really, he didn’t need to be asked twice. It was always so endearing to meet children who latched onto his appearance the way Genji was now.
“I surely am. Jesse McCree, at yer service.” It almost looked like the child was going to implode and go super nova. The gunslinger could practically see the stars in his eyes, and a faint chuckle rose up.
“That’s so cool! Do you have a horse? Have you ever been in a duel?” Genji lifted a finger gun from his hip for emphasis, pretending to fire it a few times in rapid succession.
“I ain’t ever been in an old-fashioned duel, but I had a horse named Buttermilk once. Sweet ol’ gal. Got on with her real well, ‘til she had to move on out to the pasture.”
It looked as if Genji had more questions, but Hanzo stepped forward and placed a hand on his brother’s shoulder. Quick bits of Japanese passed between them before, with a quick bow sent to Jesse, the kid went scampering off into the house.
Jesse couldn’t wipe the fond smile off of his face as he stood again, meeting Hanzo’s eyes with a sparkle in his own. “Now there’s a darn sweet kid. He your brother?”
“Yes. He is very fond of old western movies, as you could probably see.” A nod and agreeing hum rung from McCree. He could definitely tell… “Come in. We need to attend to your arm.” The words snapped Jesse from his thoughts, and he followed Hanzo into the house quickly.
It was a neat, cozy little place. Certainly better than where Jesse was staying, and he examined the neatly painted walls and orderly rooms as they tread down one hall.
“You got a nice place here.” The quiet comment drew a momentary glance from Hanzo, and he nodded slightly as they slipped into the bathroom. A gesture and order to sit on the edge of the bathtub was followed through, and McCree watched as the archer began quickly rummaging through cupboards.
“You can imagine that I would like to keep its location quiet.” The words were answered with a guffaw, and Jesse waved a hand.
“C’mon, Hanzo. I ain’t gonna tell anybody ‘bout yer place. I don’t do that to my friends.” The last word drew a long pause from Hanzo, and he stood still as they stared at one another.
After a few long seconds that dragged on, he seemed to snap out of it however, and simply nodded. “Thank you. We have already been forced to move several times in the past. I would like to avoid that as much as possible for Genji’s sake.”
Jesse offered an understanding nod. He would hardly just give away Hanzo’s home to begin with, much less now that there was a kid involved. Really, it was no wonder why the archer had been talking about treating the wounds as a dog bite. If McCree was in the same position, he wouldn’t want his little brother knowing about his job, either.
Tending to the bullets in his arm was a painful but thankfully quick ordeal. Only a couple had hit him, and they were removed quickly. Hanzo seemed to have practice tending to bullet wounds, and his hands were quick and steady in all that they did.
Fairly soon, Jesse’s right arm was free of metal and wrapped up in bandages. He rotated it slowly, sighing in relief. That really had saved him probably an hour of difficult work, if not more.
“Thanks, Han. Really appreciated.” Tipping his hat slightly, McCree offered as genuine a smile as he could muster.
“You are welcome. Feel free to shower or help yourself to the kitchen. I will be with Genji in the living room.” With a bow of his head, Hanzo scooped up the bloodstained serape and strode out, leaving Jesse to his own devices.
Now, he certainly wasn’t one to turn down kindness when it was offered. And a shower was a mighty fine idea after a day of hard work. So he went about it, quick so he didn’t waste water, but allowing himself a few moments now and then to just bask in the warm stream.
Not much later found McCree clean, fully dressed and in the kitchen. A part of him felt bad for taking when Hanzo had to support his brother, but it seemed that Shimada had things under control, and he probably wouldn’t have made the offer if he couldn’t afford it.
Seeing a full fridge only encouraged Jesse.
So a scavenger hunt for a plate and a quick, thrown together sandwich later found the cowboy full and carefully cleaning up after himself. It was fairly peaceful, when he thought about it. Nice and quiet, nothing to worry about…
Except…it shouldn’t be that quiet. Hanzo had said he was going to be spending time with Genji, and there was no way that little ball of energy could be this quiet, right?
With a frown and a dissatisfied hum, Jesse began to creep towards the living room on quiet feet. Stealth admittedly wasn’t his forte, but he could be fairly good at sneaking around when he needed to.
Peeking in, McCree found that the room seemed to be empty. The couch and corners next to it were buried under blankets and pillows, undoubtedly the ‘fort’ that Genji had mentioned earlier. But there were no signs of the Shimadas. Not a peep, not a shadow.
Frowning, he began creeping into the room with quick glances around. Something felt off. He could feel the hairs on the back of his neck rising, as though someone was watching him…
Just as he began turning around to check over his shoulder, a loud cry rang out and something flew towards him. Jesse just had enough time to lose a bark of surprise before he was tumbling to the ground under the…admittedly rather underwhelming weight of something.
“I WIN!” It was the triumphant shout of a child that stayed his nerves. Genji was currently straddling his back, smiling wide with a cocky glint in his eyes. His previously smoothed-back hair was now in disarray, falling around his eyes like a mop. Not that he cared, as he just glowed in the triumph of giving a poor old cowboy a heart attack.
“Genji, remember to honor the fallen.” Hanzo’s deep voice drifted out from seemingly nowhere, and Jesse needed a moment to notice the archer peeking out from within the blanket fort.
Suddenly, the weight ‘pinning’ McCree to the ground lifted, and the kid moved around to stand in front of his conquest. With a dramatic bow, he dipped his head, breath puffing up to push hair out of his eyes before he began loudly chanting.
“You were an honorable foe, Jesse McCree!” Aw, now that was just darn sweet. A grin tugged a the corners of Jesse’s mouth, and he was quick to put on the theatrics.
With a dramatic groan, he allowed himself to fully collapse onto the floor, placing a hand against his forehead. “Augh, is this how it ends? Struck down by the fearsome Genji Shimada?” A giggle from the child only encouraged him, and he clutched a hand to his chest.
“No…it can’t be… Bluugh…” Just for the hell of it, he stuck out his tongue and shut his eyes, fighting back a smile as Genji cheered loudly. Really, it was a lot like playing with Fareeha. They both had the same tendency for sneak attacks and blood lust.
“Very good, Genji. It seems you have defeated a powerful opponent.” Hanzo’s praise seemed to cause his brother to start bouncing, judging on the thumping next to Jesse’s head. He slit one eye open, watching happily as the kid did something of a victory dance.
Just for a moment, he and Hanzo locked eyes. The faintest of nods came from the older Shimada, and McCree sat up slowly with a chuckle. Yup, precious kid.
Ahhhh!! Everyone read this! It is so adorable! I thought this was gonna be a one off sketch but the overwhelming positivity and this really kickass fic makes me really want to continue
So apparently I was right, and Disney had a very very angry phone call with EA. No less than BOB IGER HIMSELF calling EA and shitting down their throat over the micro-transactions.
But what’s weird about this that I don’t think reddit did it.
I don’t think the attention to it from gaming websites like kotaku and co did it either, tbh.
I think what did it was the small trickle of mainstream media reporting did it, combined with the “I Would Like To Speak To Your Manager” Soccer Mom Disney crowd cause someone spread an infographic about the shit and how long it would take to unlock stuff or how much it would cost to buy Han, Luke, Vader, etc…..through the soccer mom kinda circuit with shit like “SHARE if you’re ASHAMED that a STAR WARS GAME has GAMBLING”
and there’s no way that an actual Facebook Mom made that infographic cause it don’t look like some shit someone’s hobbyist mom made.
I think some very clever person, disgruntled at this shit, or maybe even several clever people, managed to figure out just the right demographic to target to get results from Disney putting pressure on EA because Disney owns the Star Wars license and they’re two things that were precision engineered to get results:
Very heavily marketed towards kids and parents that buy shit for their children
Disney being very VERY notoriously protective of their properties
somebody knew just what buttons to push to get (probably temporary) decisive results
this is really weird because it feels like some early cyperpunk proxy information war. like, you had a lot of the gaming press and EA themselves starting to rev up the “HARASSMENT YOU CAN’T CRITICIZE US BECAUSE HARASSMENT” publicity thing that they were obviously starting up before Disney told EA to stop the microtransactions Or Else.
you’ve got one side/end that was benefiting from that fake EA employee that claimed he was getting death threats and personal attacks from it. this from someone on twitter who was being followed by numerous game journalists, industry insiders, and even actual EA employees. pointedly, EA never actually denied that this was an employee but they obviously didn’t confirm it either, and so they exploited useful idiots like Patrick Kleppek and the others trying to argue harassment, if they aren’t using them directly.
and then this other end that seems to have made Disney and the soccer moms into a cat’s paw to get what they want (the microtransactions to go away)
like, any time in a “nerd interest” if you complain directly to artists, writers, the management line, the game developers, what you’d usually get would be a snarky response from someone with bright pink hair, a shitty beard, or both, and you’d end up on some kind of block list. I think whoever did this KNOWS this and decided to attack the money with a pressure point that they specifically went after through a cat’s paw.
disney doesn’t really care about FPS players or Star Wars fan boys being Mad As Hell about this, but I think they did care about the negative mainstream attention on it from actual gambling commissions in european countries looking into this and angry moms.
this is teaching a pretty interesting lesson to people that don’t like corporate interests that control their comics, their nerd shit, whatever.
if you’re a Geek ™ type, no matter if you play video games or read comics, and you complain directly to people then you’ll be basically told “oh suck it up fanboy” with the unsaid part of this statement being “we know you’ll keep buying this no matter how shit it gets because you’re dumb collectors and slaves to this brand no matter what”
but if you use a mainstream proxy that is a demographic that makes the rights holders or controlling company a ton of money?
they might just do what they want as long as you frame it right.
For those of you wondering, THIS is the infographic in question
Going after the ‘easily offended moms’ group was a stroke of absolute diabolical genius
Go ahead and downvote EA to oblivion and rail them until the cows come home, they’re USED to it! They’ve been consistently voted the worst company in America! This is nothing new to them!
But go after Disney and succeed in making them look bad when their whole empire is built on it’s public image…
Oh, let’s not forget the delicious cherry on top when one of the head honchos in Hawaii compared ‘Disney selling gambling to children’ to Joe Camel selling cigarettes to children
The guile and trickery involved in getting results out of this is something to be admired. This is hands down one of my favorite ‘internet’ moments of all time
Honestly that Facebook Mom™ infographic counts as a full blown legit PSYOP
theclumsiestninja 