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(08-06-2015, 08:43 AM)War Siren Wrote: But scientifically the cycle does cause hormonal imbalance which does effect emotions and moods, and as stated effects every one differently. Men's IMS, does almost the exact same thing mentally/emotionally.ÂBefore you can start to try and figure out how a period would affect DRK or WAR characters, you need to define how a period affects the individual and specific woman.
I do wonder how many people here have finished the Warrior and or Dark Knight quest lines and grasp how a Hormonal induced mood swing could throw the balance off kilter of these two classes "balance". (again I'm dragging Men's IMS as well.)
I really think to flat out tell someone to drop something that is a natural cycle of life, that could actually affect the characters balance depending on how they deal with the influx of Hormonal balance is a tad bit closed minded as both of these natural processes could play a very interesting twist onto the character for a few days a month.Â
Remember the people who take up these mantles aren't like you or me or even your mages or paladins anymore. They're struggling internally for a balance, and while yes some may not be affected at all by it because it doesn't bother them much some may be teetering to lose control on a daily basis and this cycle would be cause for alarm for them mentally.
And, like it's been said over and over already, that varies immensely.
You line up any ten women (I'm not a guy, I've had no need to look into manperiods, so I know very little about them) and monitor the chemical cocktails their glands and brain produces, and they're all going to be different. And if you test how their bodies react to the hormones, they're all going to be different. And just to add more to to the confusion... that chemical cocktail is not going to be exactly the same every month. Some women have better conscious and subconscious coping skills, others may be partially or totally lacking coping skills. This is why for some women a period is nothing more than a footnote that dictates what they're wearing and whether or not they're taking a bath or shower, while for others its the end of the world. And why one month it might be the former, and the next it'll be the latter for a single woman.
Something else to consider is that not all mood swings during a period are created solely by the hormones responsible for periods. Cramping is painful, and we all know our bodies respond to pain, regardless of trigger, in various ways -- anger, crying, or even laughing. Insomnia by itself can put us all out of whack emotionally, mentally, and hormonally. Same with dietary changes (from eating too much to not eating enough, to eating only specific craved things), changes in exercise and activity, and not getting enough sunlight. Waking up in the morning and finding that you can't wear most of your clothes can be devastating, regardless if you're bloated because of your period or bloated because of medicine, temperature/humidity change, illness, hydration levels, or because you've been drinking too much alcohol.
Also. Periods are not the only part of a woman's monthly cycle where hormones that can affect mood are released. The hormones that trigger the body to begin developing the uterine lining (after a period ends) and ovulation (up to a week before periods start) can also cause mood swings. Periods just get more notice because there's all that other stuff going on that can drive us batty.Â
So! Where does this land us with DRK/WAR characters? Well, it'll likely depend on how they face their DRK/WAR issues on non-period days. Is it a fact of life they've met face-on and accepted and have determination not to let it control them? Is it something they're struggling under? Do they have slip-ups when the mantle gets control over them? Are they normally about to lose control and go crazy? Well, that's just going to add or multiply their normal period problems.
TL;DR version: a female character who normally gets through her period with a certain amount of grace and dignity and has accepted their DRK/WAR mantle may not suffer any worse than they do on normal days -- it'll be the same irritant then as it is other times. A female character who goes to pieces during her period and has lots of issues with their DRK/WAR mantle may react the same way she would if you were to ask her to carry a buffalo over her head for two malms over sharp, rocky terrain while barefoot during her period... which could be the same reaction you'd get if you told her there's no chocolate ice cream on the market board.
Still not sure? Here's a scale*:
Pick a number between 1 and 10, with 1 being "My special Echo power is that I have no pain or moodswings and the blood disappears directly into the aether", 6 being the pain and mental anguish of childbirth, and 10 being "OH GODS PLEASE KILL ME NOW I CAN'T TAKE ANOTHER DAY OF THIS I HATE EVERYONE AND EVERYTHING THAT HAS OR WILL EVER EXIST!", that best represents your character's ability to cope with their period.
Pick another number between 1 and 10, with 1 being "I'm as cool as a cucumber with this DRK/WAR thing" and 10 being "MURDER DEATH RAGE KILL HATE PSYCHO", that best represents your character's relationship with their DRK/WAR mantle.
Multiply the two numbers.
Find your place in the 1 to 100 scale:
-- with 1 being "Problems? HAH! Not even the Warrior of Light could handle a period and this mantle half as good as I can!"
-- with 25 being "... I should probably consider staying home and getting ice cream the next few days..."
-- with 50 being "I have possibly made a bad choice of career..."
-- with 75 being "I am shocked I have not been institutionalized or otherwise locked up."
-- with 100 being "I AM DESTROYING ALL WORLDS RIGHT NOW!!!"
*Disclaimer: some tongue in cheek intended with this scale >_>
[EDIT: forgot to clarify drinking -what-]
[ANOTHER EDIT: ... forgot another word..]
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