#Blood Shortage

[gwydionmisha]

I can't donate, but if you can, consider doing it.

[isabellexlaurent]

The news of a blood shortage was rather troubling. She knew that her Sisters would survive well, but she did worry for some of the others. It was more the reputation of vampires than anyone's health that concerned her. They were after all far more evolved than simple beasts, but she'd witnessed what hunger could drive a person to. Add the ruins to the mix, and it was clear that there was a battle on the horizon. Belle tapped away on the laptop, making certain that she was posed well on the chessboard.

Feeling the presence before her, the vampire didn't even bother to look up from the email she was composing. "Darling, if you have come to offer me that pretty little neck of yours, I am flattered; however, there is no need. I can assure you that I haven't kept my figure all these years by going without. But if you would like me to point you in the direction of someone seeking your assistance, I'd be happy to help."

[reaperlight]

Immediately after getting home from the blood drive today I get this:

They hunger for plasma.

Truly starting to feel like a dracula daily.

🦇🦇🦇

[ianmelchizadek]

Blood donations have fallen to catastrophic levels. Experts say young people need to step up.

[omensofatimelord]

The thing about testosterone being a controlled substance means that acess to it for hrt is restricted. While it makes access a significant issue for many people and an easy and effective way to prevent trans men and mascs from transitioning (as we've seen terfs campaign for and succeed at doing in Britain) it also means that is very easy for health care professionals to be able to take it away from trans men/mascs arbitrarily. This is most aborant in cases where trans men/mascs are forced to detransition to gain access to abortions after being raped. However, the first sign of an issues tangentially related to hormones a gp, without any training in trans people or hormones, can and will stop a person's testosterone. Apart from how stressful it is to know that for the rest of your life you'll be dependent on the goodwill of a random person, this has measurable negative consequences for a trans person subjected too it.

Going off t fucking sucks at the best of time, but being forced off t will most likely result in depression and worsening mental health for a trans man/masc, who are already one of the most likely groups to attempt suicide. It can also put a trans person at risk if they suddenly start being visibly trans again, especially if they're closeted in, say, a work place environment. Trans people, including trans men, are already one of the most targeted groups of harassment and violence and sexual assalt and forcibly reducing or stopping t can out people and risk their safety. And a gp won't see this or care about this, or attempt to treat a trans man/masc first or ask for their opinion or situation.

Ultimately, testosterone is seen as entirely optional and so the first resort when something goes wrong it to take it away, when it should be considered the last resort, and is considered the last resort for cis men. And as long as testosterone continues to be a controlled substance it will remain like this.

(edit for clarification: I am a kiwi, this post was intended as a general critique of accessing t through health care systems - based in my lived experience in NZ and what ive heard from international trans ppl; including but not limited to the USA)

[bibewilderedandbuck]

First time they say ‘boyfriend’ this or ‘my hot pilot’ that. What about the crew finding out tommy and buck fucked bc he thinks he cant donate blood?

Only the worker at the drive tells him that the only criteria for Not being able to donate in California is: close contact/lived with someone with hepatitis in the last three months, having tested positive for HIV, or undergone dental surgery in the last 72 hours.

Everyone looks at Buck expectantly and he nods holding out his arm. “Can’t believe i just told everyone that we had sex.” He doesn’t look the slighted bit ashamed.

Tommy slaps a hand on Buck’s shoulder and eyes the clearly visible hickeys that go from his ear to under his collar. “I think they already knew, babe.”

[somecunttookmyurl]

So... while I understand your approach, and believe that the prohibitions/ screening questions are not all reasonable:

Working in the medical industry has taught me a few important things: You cannot test for everything, and no test is perfect.

You can have HIV+ without knowing for many years (admitedly therefore damning the time limit, but it is uncommon), so one does not necessarily know that they have HIV.

In addition, the screening is in place more for the fact that.... there are a lot of diseases, they cannot test for all of them, so they do their best to lower likelyhoods.

The Bad Blood issue was increadibly serious.

If you disagree with the screening questions, lodge complaints, try to make it more transparent, lobby, etc.

Do not lie on medical questionnaires. Please.

anal sex is not the only way to contract HIV

screening questions should not exclude anyone and should highlight only the need to test the blood for that thing

literally your whole argument fell apart immediately "one does not necessarily know they have HIV". well quite. and the screening questions aren't going to eliminate it either are they. unless you propose only taking blood from virgins? no? then it remains bullshit

"there are a lot of diseases" yeah. duh. no shit. which is why the screening questions highlight which to test for and not outright exclude the entire population on a what-if

one of my exes is HIV+. he got it from a woman. who would not have been excluded by this oh-so-holy screening. funny ol' world innit

she - you know, the HIV+ straight woman with no tattoos? her? - wasn't excluded and could give blood (she didn't know she was HIV+)

you know who is excluded? and still, in fact forever, technically cannot give blood? me, the verifiably (many times over verified) HIV- person. because I have tattoos and have had sex with MSM and, in the past, IV drug users.

lie.

[cait-sith]

Day 11: Blood

CW for (fairly non-graphic, but definitely there) blood, guts, bones. Sort of a whalefall situation.

A mountain-range made of the petrified remains of a god, which has rivers of blood flowing inside it, like water, like lava. The literal lifeblood feeds strange red plants that drink of the red floods, vampiric creatures, white-skinned fish that swim in the dark, breathing it like water. The blood doesn't cease, even though the god is long dead, their physical body part of the earth and their domains stolen by others. You will know you are close by the smell of iron and the pink tinge in the water. Follow them until they turn the dark crimson of undiluted blood, and the god will be in sight.

Setting: MPC

[artgroves]

did Tumblr eat your post for chapter 20 of TNSoB? i really love that piece (steve trying his damndest to get a grip on bucky's tiny little short hairs)

I had to look this up, and you're right! Tumblr DID eat it! I didn't even realise you could see the old flagged posts, but here it is along with all the other hairy balls and asses .... oh well. It's embedded in the fic (TINSoB) There Is No Shortage of Blood) in this chapter.

[apatosaurus]

Pretty sure all my mutuals who are eligible to donate blood are already on top of that, but if you need a reminder to donate, here you go.

[girderednerve]

The AP found that U.S. prison labor is in the supply chains of goods being shipped all over the world via multinational companies, including to countries that have been slapped with import bans by Washington in recent years. For instance, the U.S. has blocked shipments of cotton coming from China, a top manufacturer of popular clothing brands, because it was produced by forced or prison labor. But crops harvested by U.S. prisoners have entered the supply chains of companies that export to China.

While prison labor seeps into the supply chains of some companies through third-party suppliers without them knowing, others buy direct. Mammoth commodity traders that are essential to feeding the globe like Cargill, Bunge, Louis Dreyfus, Archer Daniels Midland and Consolidated Grain and Barge – which together post annual revenues of more than $400 billion – have in recent years scooped up millions of dollars’ worth of soy, corn and wheat straight from prisons, which compete with local farmers.

...Incarceration was used not just for punishment or rehabilitation but for profit. A law passed a few years [after the formal end of the convict-leasing system in 1928] made it illegal to knowingly transport or sell goods made by incarcerated workers across state lines, though an exception was made for agricultural products. Today, after years of efforts by lawmakers and businesses, corporations are setting up joint ventures with corrections agencies, enabling them to sell almost anything nationwide.

Civilian workers are guaranteed basic rights and protections by OSHA and laws like the Fair Labor Standards Act, but prisoners, who are often not legally considered employees, are denied many of those entitlements and cannot protest or form unions.

“They may be doing the exact same work as people who are not incarcerated, but they don’t have the training, they don’t have the experience, they don’t have the protective equipment,” said Jennifer Turner, lead author of a 2022 American Civil Liberties Union report on prison labor.

[mercy-love-joy]

Funny Blood Drive Moment

Fun fact to learn about me: I donate (or try to) donate blood every 8 to 10 weeks. This past visit, I decided to try out platelets (used for cancer patients) and it reminded me of the first time I went to a blood drive.

Now context: I didn't know there were different blood types until my AP Bio of the next year so bear with me.

I go to the blood drive and the nurses there are all sweet, nice, and welcoming and one of them pulls me to a private tent to check my iron, get my history/travel history, etc... And then, because it was my first time donating, she asked what my blood type was.

I told her that I didn't know and thought all blood was the same and she explained that there are some with different blood types and I needed to know so that if I was ever in an emergency, I should tell the medical personnel my blood type.

So I text my mom.

Me: Hey mom, at the blood drive. What's my blood type?

Momma Cat: a negative

Me: a negative what?

Momma Cat: a negative

Me: Ma, I don't know what you mean? I have negative blood? I don't have blood?

Momma Cat: Mercy. Your blood type is A-

So I still didn't get it and showed the text to the nurse and she laughs. I didn't get it until next year and I learned about the different blood types.

When I tell you that I ask my mom about my blood type when I got home, she couldn't stop laughing for three straight minutes.

[reaperlight]

Gave blood, got T-shirt.

[beardedhandstoadshark]

Hopfully comprehensive list about things in Zelda 2 that might be important for folks doing fan stuff for the game but don‘t wanna play it for expected reasons cuz tbf, yea the game is hard!

(because if I read "8bitrule is a deadly wasteland" one more time I‘ll delete my save file and go join the Yiga Clan XD /lh)

It got VERY long so I sorted into different categories for some semblance of order lmao. It goes:

Backstory

Plot

General info on Hyrule

Towns

General info on Link (+ move set)

Spells

Items

Collectibles

And other funky stuff

Hopefully this will be of help/interest to someone. And if not, oh well ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Not enough Zelda 2 stuff out there anyways, so more is always good!

I do like talking about this game so for extra info pls feel free to ask :3

Backstory:

2 Zeldas, the new Zelda is actually a great-great-smth aunt of Zelda 1, and the reason it‘s called "the Legend of Zelda“

Long ago, her bro (and his wizard buddy) pressured her into telling them the secrets of the Triforce she got from their dead dad. Zelda didn‘t tattle, wizard buddy tried to strike her down via spell in anger

Spell went out of control, put Zelda into eternal sleep and killed wizard buddy in one swoop

Prince lost sis and buddy, fell into remorse, locked her in a tower Sleeping-beauty style in hopes the spell would be reversed one day and decreed every princess shall be named Zelda from now on

Plot:

16 old Link chillin his life when a triangle starts glowing on his hand?? Asks Impa for help, she brings her to the magically sealed door where Zelda the First sleeps, cue Backstory

gives him crystals he needs to put in statues in palaces to unlock a seal on the temple that holds the Triforce of Courage (because he did not have that before)

All the bosses are guardians of the statues + Dark Link is his actual shadow that he fights against to prove his heart is pure enough to hold it

It was brought to life by some old guy hanging out there (never explained but he’s probs supposed to be a sage and looks a lot like the Old Man from Zelda 1, though much like all Wise Men in this game do)

Ganon has literally nothing to do with any of that, his monsters just really want Link dead so they can sprinkle his blood on Ganon‘s ashes and bring him back. (Since they need him dead, it probs needs a lot of blood)

Hyrule:

different areas : fields, woods, beaches, caves, swamps, mountains, deserts, graveyards, and one Lake Hylia

2 continents divided by sea, west and east + a small island that is one big labyrinth (named maze island)

different towns, all of them have the names of Oot sages plus Harbor Town Mido and Kazuto Town

the locations/"elements“ of towns do not match their future sages in the slightest (Saria gets water. Ruto‘s in a valley. Nabooru‘s by the sea, fully green and far away from the desert sands).

towns in West Hyrule are well connected via roads

East Hyrule has broken roads (if at all) and Kazuto is even completely ransacked by monsters

there‘s a new Kazuto Town hidden in some woods, while Old Kazuto is an actual Ghost town

Stonehedge is not only a thing but appears in multiple locations

Big Fairies are a thing, but they come without Water Fountains. Instead just hang out in the woods, stonehedge, wherever

streets are always safe. You will never see a monster as long as you stay on it. If you stray, monsters will spawn (though sometimes its fairies instead). If you run back on the street and a monster gets you there, the "battle“ will be empty and you can just walk out. Streets are always safe.

the main graveyard got the King‘s Tomb in the middle of it; has a secret tunnel to one of the palaces

there‘s a smaller graveyard near Death Mountain by Spectacle Rock that‘s apparently supposed to be the Zelda 1 graveyard -> Zelda 1 played in a small part of West Hyrule

third graveyard near The Valley of Death (name is accurate gameplay wise too ._.)

Towns:

very lively communities

different styles of houses, some have bushes, fountains (with drinkable water), different sections separated by gates, etc.

you have to climb on roofs and jump through windows to get into some buildings

Link can get multiple things here: free healthcare from a lady in red, filled up magic from an old lady in orange, a side quest that usually leads to either a new sword skill or magic spell. Those can always be obtained from a knight/wizard in the basement of the main building.

pretty much all villagers can be talked with and either give: generic Hi‘s, vague hints about the next goal, the sidequest, some praise him as the hero and wish him luck

Sometimes they also turn out to be Aches (monsters that look identical to villagers until you talk to them, upon which they turn into bats and attack); pretty much exclusive to the later/Eastrule towns

Link:

16y old and left his equipment at home, only got a sword and shield

Zelda 1 was years ago for him

learned to wear pants between Zelda 1 and 2 (they‘re brown, same color as his shirt. You could make it a onesie if you want to)

hair color‘s somewhere between brown and ginger

Left handed gang

certified recorder player

silly goober

given that Impa got to him so fast, good chance he‘s at the castle often enough

if botw Link is a parry god, he‘s a blocking god

shield is only small enough to cover half his body, hence him learning how to move it at hyperspeed

unnamed sword but the Magic/White Sword from Zelda 1 is on the cover so it’s most likely that one

gains new equipment throughout the game via dungeons

can gain exp and level up, but unless you specifically set him up pre/during his quest, you wanna treat this lad like he‘s maxed out

skills: stab, crouch stab, up jab (like the one from smash), jump/down jab (also like the one from smash, this is where it‘s from)

Spells:

Shield (turns his tunic red and up‘s defense),

Jump (lets him jump high),

Life (restores 3 blocks of HP; your max possible HP is 8 with all Heart Containers. Doesn‘t start out the most expensive, but unlike most other spells barely gets cheaper with higher magic levels, making it the 2nd most expensive in the log run.)

Fairy (turns him into a fairy; small, no fighting but flying, and lets you skip through locked doors! 3rd most expensive.)

Fire (shoot fire from your sword; some enemies can only be defeated this way)

Reflect (reflects magic attacks, lets you block spells that would otherwise go past your shields; basically magic defense)

Spell (turns some enemies into slime + unlocks a secret area in New Kazuto)

Thunder (rains thunder on the whole screen; needed to defeat a boss. Most expensive spell in the game, regardless of magic level.)

the other spells are all dirt cheap in higher levels

if you wanna be real detailed: one magic meter block = 16 MP, totalling for 128 with a maxed meter. A fully leveled (in mp) Link will use 60mp for Thunder, 50 for hp, 40 for fairy, 8 for Jump and 16 for all others. Otherwise, here‘s a table for MP usage across levels.

Items:

Candle: equivalent of the magic lantern, infinite light source. Unlike Zelda 1, this one doesn‘t let you commit property damage :(

Hammer: breaks giant boulders on the road, letting you access shortcuts. Also lets you cut down any tree tiles on the overworld, turning it into fields- Property damage is back baby!

Handy Glove: Lets Link crush blocks with his sword. Even more destruction and a good compromise for the lack of vases imo.

Raft: used to cross from West to East Hyrule.

boots: let you straight up walk on water, but only in certain places.

Whistle/Flute: is actually a recorder (flutes are held sideways, recorders forward. That‘s like. The biggest difference between these two instruments, bar the reputation.) Used to make a monster blocking the road disappear and summon a palace, similar to how you shrink a boss and drain a lake in Zelda 1. Doesn‘t let you teleport though. Does play the same tune, though. It‘s the one also heard in the oot intro!

magic key: the key to end all keys, lets you open all the doors in every dungeon forever (despite the name does not need MP)

Cross: regarless of what some more zealous fans of the series claim as a means to justify their unjustified bigotry, Christianity is not canon to the series. But much like other Japanese media, it sure likes borrowing from its aesthetics! Case in point, this item is just the Kirbo meme. It lets you see invisible ghosts so you can kick their ass. (you don‘t need it to hit them, but they‘re a pain to dodge/ hit even with it.).

Collectibles:

magic jar: same as ever. Blue fills 1 mp block, red fills all. Doesn‘t fill instantly, so if your meter’s got points left you can wait till its half full, use a high mp spell, and still get the rest of the points that‘d otherwise go to waste. Dungeons sometimes contain statues, which drop one jar (or start attacking you).

treasure bag: holds exp (money doesn‘t exist in this game)

key

doll: weird but surprisingly cute doll that looks exactly like a miniature version of Link and gives you an extra life. (The game has lives- if you get a game over, Ganon gets resurrected on screen.)

Bowl of Hearts: Looks, acts like, is a Heart Container. Gives you 1 block of HP; you start with 4, for a max of 8. Can be found wherever Heart Containers would be.

Magic Container: Looks like a filled jar; Heart Container but for MP.

Other funky stuff:

you rescue a kid that got lost in caves

has instances of Link talking in 1st person; one appears by looking under a stranger’s table in a house: "I found a mirror under the table“.

Everyone knows the man the myth the legend, the npc named "Error“, but there’s actually a 2nd guy named "Bagu“. As in, Bug. Game bug.

Bro has a pet Bot (this games‘ version of Chus) sleeping in his house. You can annoy it into waking up and it‘ll tell you where he is so you‘ll finally leave

the waters are NOT poisonous in the slightest (seriously, where did that come from) …but they are infested with jumping Piranhas.

Saria Town only lets people use the bridge connecting the 2 sides of the river if you‘re a citizen or get a permit from Bagu. Vaguely remember you could also take a long road around it tho

With 9.5 towns, a lot of greenery everywhere, and ACTUAL. FUNCTIONAL. ROADS :O This might be one of the most well-off Hyrules in the series (ironically >v<)

Aaaand *looks at length of this post^ ok yea that is enough lmao, I might genuinely hit the word limit here, oof. I‘m a rare Zelda 2 enjoyer can yall tell XD

[wildwood-faun]

My T prescription has expired. I'm waiting for my yearly endo appointment where it will be renewed but I couldn't take out the last few bottles because there's a shortage and no one has it in stock SO now I'm down to a single bottle whiiiich lasts less than a month 😬